Visit the Palace of Versailles

Are you traveling to France this spring and you want to visit the magnificent Palace of Versailles? You will not regret it, but it is true that it is an excursion that deserves to be organized and to which you must dedicate yes or yes all day.

The palace is large and it is not around the corner, so read our article today to be able to organize your visit well, leave nothing in the pipeline and fully enjoy the visit of this, one of the most elegant palaces of the world.

The palace of Versailles

The Château de Versailles was not born as a palace but as a hunting lodge on the outskirts of Paris. It was the future Louis XIII who discovered this beautiful place at the hand of his father, Henry IV. Some time later, in 1623, he decided to build a pavilion that is the origin of today's castle.

However, the king most identified with Versailles is Louis XIV. Who is widens it, beautifies it and makes it the magnificent site we see today, a place of pure luxury recreation with beautiful and extensive gardens. There the king installs the court and the central administration of his kingdom. At his death the works are a bit abandoned and it is his grandson, Louis XV, who takes them up again, although he prefers to emphasize small and private places rather than luxurious public spaces.

And so we come to Louis XVI, king just 20 years old, later married to Marie Antoinette. He spent a lot of time at Versailles and his wife made the Petit Trianon their private residence. We already know what happened next, the French Revolution and its executions. Fortunately, the palace survived this turbulent period in French history without much damage. Of course, he lost his furniture and his works of art.

Later, the new government dedicated the palace facilities to be warehouses and museums. Napoleon never uses it and thus the palace navigates calm waters until the XNUMXth century. Here the 1919 Peace Treaty is signed, which ends the First World War, and it is during the new century that it shines again and becomes the seat of official visits. In the '90s remodeling works began that extend into the XNUMXst century.

The truth is that the domain of Versailles, the entire estate, has more than 800 hectares, and between the gardens and its interior the visit lasts a whole day. Go.

Visit the Palace of Versailles

You can go on tour or on your own. I have gone by train and it is very easy. There are three trains that take you but the closest and most popular station is the Château Rive Gauche. The RER C reaches this station and the castle is just a 10-minute walk away. Otherwise you can take a SNCF train from Mont Pparnasse and get off at Versailles Chantiers station with the castle 20 minutes away or travel from Saint Lazare to Versailles Rive Droite and walk more or less the same.

In front of the train station, already in Versailles, at the Château Rive Gauche, there is a tourist office where you should buy the castle ticket. It is preferable to queue there than at the castle so my advice is to wait even if there are people. The main entrance of the palace is by the Court of Honor. The passport costs 20 euros and includes access to the entire domain: the castle with audio guide included, the Trianon, the temporary exhibitions, the park and gardens, the Musical Gardens and the Coaches Gallery.

La entrance to the castle alone costs 18 euros and there is also a passport with time reservation at 20 euros and a two day passport to 15 euros. The Domaine de Trianon Ticket costs 12 euros and the Passport 2 days + El Camino del Escudero show costs 40 euros. The entrance to the musical gardens It costs 8 euros, the night visit 50 euros and the entrance to the castle + the visit to the Equestrian Academy of Versailles costs 26 euros.

As you see there are different types of tickets but basically, if you are going to go alone, the entire passport is convenient. ¿There are guided tours? Yes, there is a speaker from the palace and you are given a headset as you are shown some spaces that are not so popular. Reservation is required and the price is 10 euros plus entry.

I went on my own and had, in the month of October, almost two hours of waiting. Once inside I was free to come and go as I pleased. It is convenient to know the schedule of the water sources because if you are inside the palace you will miss them. Once inside, you decide if you want to start with the gardens or the palace itself.

Out in the parks and gardens, water is the main protagonist, in fountains, springs and waterfalls. Is the Neptune Basin, Dragon basin, Four Seasons Basins and the beautiful Animal Closet. You should also visit the Queen's Village in the gardens of Trianon. with its three sections with the mill, the farm and other buildings through which the queen walked and her children played.

The groves are decorated with fountains and statues, small parks with forests and walking paths. It is the Arboleda de la Reina, with its famous labyrinth full of fountains, the Arboleda del Salón de Baile, shaped like an amphitheater with canal and bridges, the Arboleda de las Columnas and the beautiful Arboleda de los Castaños, among others. There are also three huge areas or parterre, to the north, south and the water parterre. These are wide rectangular basins that reflect the sky and make up the luxurious landscape.

Inside, I underline the Hall of Mirrors, Grand del Rey Apartment, the Battle Gallery. The Hall of Mirrors is 73 meters long and has 357 mirrors of different sizes among 17 windows that look out onto the garden. Here the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. The Gallery of Battles dates from 1678 and the walls are covered with marble, weapons and trophies. Finally, the Great King's Apartment is made up of seven rooms for official events.

Beyond walking between huge stairs and luxurious lounges, what I especially liked are the private apartments of the royal family. Smaller, more intimate, one can better imagine everyday life there. Of course, the site is magnificent from where you look at it and such a level of luxury still, to this day, seems too much.

The visit leaves you exhausted, for the amount of time you walk, but it is worth it. I don't know if you visit Versailles more than once in your life, but you can't miss one. You can find out more on the official site of the palace to know special events, discounts, where there is WiFi and that kind of thing. The website is super complete.


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