We have both been to Paris many times and absolutely love visiting this beautiful city. The is something truly special about the 'City of Lights'. Of course, there is plenty to enjoy in the culture, restaurants and bars of Paris, but for the first (or many times) visitor, there are some must-see places.
France: Paris – Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century.
I had visited Versailles many years ago, but only visited the palace, and Karen had never been so we decided to go and check out as much as we could on a day trip.
There are several ways to visit Versailles. Many people go as part of an organised tour, but we decided to visit independently. You can also join a one-and-a-half-hour tour of the palace onsite for €10. Alternatively, you can do a self-guided tour, as we did. For those wanting more detail on a self-guided tour, you can rent an audioguide for €5, or download it on your phone for free.
There are so many things to see at Versailles that in reality to explore it fully would take more than a day – so if you only have limited time you should plan your visit to get the most out of it.
The Palace
The Palace at Versailles is vast, with 2,300 rooms spread over 63,154 m². What started as a hunting lodge was built upon by several Kings of France until it became the Palace we see today. Obviously, you can only visit a small number of the rooms when you tour.
Of the 2,300 rooms around 775 are bedrooms. Sadly, during the French Revolution, Versailles was ransacked and most of the furnishings and decorations were removed. Only, a few rooms have been restored to their former glory. Many rooms remain unfurnished, the only decorations being paintings.
There are a few rooms that stand out, such as the State Rooms that have been restored, the beautiful chapel, some painted ceilings and the famous Hall of Mirrors.
The Hall of Mirrors, the most famous room in the Palace, was built to replace a large terrace designed by the architect Louis Le Vau, which opened onto the garden. The terrace originally stood between the King’s Apartments to the north and the Queen’s to the south, but was awkward and above all exposed to bad weather, and it was not long before the decision was made to demolish it. Le Vau’s successor, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, produced a more suitable design that replaced the terrace with a large gallery. Work started in 1678 and ended in 1684.
For all its grandeur and size, the Palace at Versailles is not one of our favourite parts of the estate. If the rooms had not been ransacked then we may have a different opinion.
The gardens
Situated to the west of the palace, the gardens cover 800 hectares of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French formal garden style of André Le Nôtre. Creating the gardens was a monumental task that took 40 years to complete. Creating the fountains and canals required the excavation of huge amounts of soil.
Right by the main palace building are some formal flower beds, which we thought could have been more impressive.
Three large parterres line the garden side of the Palace- The North Parterre, South Parterre and Water Parterre and consist of plant beds that are laid out in symmetrical patterns.
The Water Parterre features two large rectangular pools and is a beautiful illustration of light as an element of decoration, as it reflects the sun’s rays and lights up the outside wall of the Hall of Mirrors.
The North and South Parterres surround the base of the palace and can be viewed from the Water Parterre. The start of the North Parterre is marked by two bronze statues cast in 1688 – The Grinder and Modest Venus. A large circular pool featuring the Pyramid Fountain divides the area. Designed by Charles Le Brun, the fountain took three years to build and is composed of three tiers of lead basins held up by, dolphins, crayfish and Tritons.
The Orangery
Built by Louis Le Vau, the Orangery has a total of 1055 trees planted in decorative boxes and is one of the most exotic parts of the entire Versailles Garden. It features King Louis XIV’s favourite orange trees as well as lemon, oleander, pomegranate, olive and palm trees. The Orangery can be viewed from the queen’s apartment and from most of the South Wing apartments. The centre of the Orangery is marked by a circular pond from which six intricately patterned lawns extend out. It also features a central gallery that is more than 150 metres long with a 13-metre-high vaulted ceiling and leads out into a beautiful ornamental garden.
The Walks
Some of the best features of the Château de Versailles royal grounds are the walks. Designed around two axes, north-south and east-west, there are several distinct paths that can be followed.
The Water Walk, also known as the infant walk, was designed by Le Nôtre in 1664 and is lined with 14 beautiful fountains depicting children holding small basins of water, tritons and satyrs. Beginning at the Neptune Fountain, the path goes past the Water Parterre and ends at the Orangery and the Lake of the Swiss Guards.
The Royal Way is a broad steep alley that starts at Leto’s amphitheatre and ends at the Iconic Apollo’s Fountain. The path is lined with horse chestnut trees, yew trees, hornbeam as well as sculptures by Puget, a famous Baroque sculptor. The beauty of these immense gardens is best experienced on foot.
The Groves
The groves of Versailles created by André Le Nôtre, gardener and architect to the King, saw many Court entertainments and have often been modified over the years. Fountains, vases and statues adorned these little parks within the woods, where the kings would often go for walks.
Bowers of greenery in the wooded areas off the pathways, the groves form small gardens closed off by walls of greenery or trellises and reached by discreet paths up to their gates
The fountains
There are over 50 fountain water features in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, all modelled on the Greco-Roman theme. Many of these fountains are spectacular in their own right, but in the months of April through November the water displays are set to music during the day and at night a light display is also added.
The Estate of Trianon
In an attempt to gain some brief respite from courtly etiquette, the kings of Versailles built themselves more intimate spaces close to the main palace. Adjoining the Petit Parc, the estate of Trianon is home to the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon palaces, as well as the Queen’s Hamlet and a variety of ornamental gardens.
The main Palace of Versailles had left us a bit underwhelmed but the Trianon Estate, with its smaller intimate palaces, less formal gardens and especially the Queen’s Hamlet became the favourite part of our visit to Versailles.
The Grand Trianon
King Louis XIV wanted somewhere to meet his mistress, later his secret wife, Madame de Maintenon. So, in 1687 work began on a small palace which initially was called the ‘Marble’ Trianon and later became the Grand Trianon. Its central colonnade that separates the courtyard and the gardens are very unique.
The Petit Trianon
Completed in 1768, the Petit Trianon, provided Louis XV and his new mistress the Comtesse Du Barry with the privacy which was so sorely lacking at the palace.
Marie-Antoinette, who had such trouble adapting to life in the court, received the Petit Trianon as a gift from Louis XVI in 1774 and developed a great attachment to this estate.
The Queen’s Hamlet
The Queen’s Hamlet, constructed between 1783 and 1786 under the supervision of Richard Mique, is an excellent example of the contemporary fascination with the charms of rural life. Inspired by the traditional rustic architecture of Normandy, this peculiar model village included a windmill and dairy, as well as a dining room, salon, billiard room and boudoir. Although it was reserved primarily for the education of her children, Marie-Antoinette also used the hamlet for promenades and hosting guests.
Meanwhile the Queen’s Theatre, inaugurated in 1780, is the only building to have survived fully intact and unchanged since the eighteenth century. The queen watched private performances here, but also took to the stage herself, another of her great passions.
Planning your visit to the Palace of Versailles
Getting to the Palace
By Train
SNCF trains from Gare Montparnasse arrive at Versailles Chantiers train station, which is 18 minutes on foot to the Palace.
SNCF trains from Gare Saint Lazare arrive at Versailles Rive Droite train station, 17 minutes on foot to the Palace.
RER line C arrives at Versailles Château – Rive Gauche train station, just 10 minutes’ walk to the Palace.
By Car
From the A13 motorway, take exit no.5 Versailles Centre and follow the signs for the Palace of Versailles. There are several places to park close to the Palace
| Address: | Place d’Armes, 78000 Versailles |
| Website: | www.chateauversailles.fr/ |
| Telephone: | T: + 33 1 30 83 78 00 |
| Hours: | Palace Estate of Trianon Gardens Park |
| Fees | Tickets for entire estate: €27 On days when the musical fountains are not playing the tickets are cheaper. There are lots of different options so it is worth checking the ticketing page on the website. Access to the Palace and the estate of Trianon is free for visitors under 18 (or under 26 residing in the EU). However, visitors eligible for free admission must book a time slot via the online ticketing platform. |
The best time to visit Paris
You’ll experience crowds from May to September, but encounter the most people in July (followed closely by June and August). We’d recommend visiting between October and April if your main objective is to avoid crowds. For the warmest temperatures, October and April are the best times to visit Paris sans crowds.
Other places to visit while in Paris
1. Banks of the River Seine
The banks of the River Seine through the heart of Paris are listed as UNESCO world heritage site due to the incredible architecture of buildings such as Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Grand Palais and the examples of outstanding town planning, in particular, the large squares and avenues built by Haussmann at the time of Napoleon III have influenced town planning throughout the world.
2. Musee D’Orsay
Housed in a train station built for the 1900 World’s Fair, the Musée d’Orsay is known throughout the world for its rich collection of Impressionist paintings including masterpieces as iconic as the Bal au Moulin de la galette from Renoir or The room at Arles de Van Gogh. Its collections include works of architecture, decorative arts and photography in addition to traditional artistic fields (painting, sculpture, graphic arts). They thus draw a broad panorama of French and European art from 1848 to 1914.
3. The Louvre Museum
The Louvre, or the Louvre Museum, is the world’s most-visited museum, and a historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. At any given point in time, approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are being exhibited over an area of 72,735 square metres.
4. The Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, also known as Opéra Garnier, is a 1,979-seat opera house at the Place de l’Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III. It is also famous due to its use as the setting for Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera.
5. Château Fontainebleau
The Château de Fontainebleau is located in the small town bearing the same name and lies 40 miles (65 km) south-southeast of Paris by road. It has been the residence of 34 kings and two emperors, Fontainebleau is the only château that was lived in by every French monarch for almost eight centuries. With 1500 rooms, it is one of the biggest châteaux in France, and the most furnished in Europe.
Getting around Paris
The centre of Paris, where tourists are likely to spend most of their time is compact and easy to get around using a combination of public transport and walking. It also quite friendly towards cyclists. Below are some of the options for getting around this beautiful city.
The Metro
Paris Metro (Métro in French, Subway or Underground in English) is the fastest way of getting around the city. The underground system has 14 interconnected lines (and 4 others under construction) and is also linked with the other RER trains.
RER
The Paris RER is a regional train transport system connecting the centre to its surrounding suburbs. RER stands for Réseau Express Régional. The RER also complements the Paris Metro, giving Parisians and tourists a larger transport network in the centre of Paris. The RER also connects the city centre with Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland and Versailles.
Paris City Buses
One of the easiest and most convenient ways of getting around Paris is by bus. The buses in Paris travel 60-day routes and 40-night ones.
Taxis
Paris has over 20,000 taxis (cabs) on its streets 24 hours a day. It normally isn’t hard to hail a cab, except after midnight.
Ride Hailing
Both Uber and Bolt ride-hailing apps work in Paris.
Batobus
Both Uber and Bolt ride-hailing apps work in Paris.
Cycling
With 1,000 km of bike paths and bike lanes across the city, Paris offers a great choice of cycling routes.
If you don’t have a bicycle there are plenty of places to hire one or use one of the bicycle-sharing options, the most popular being Vélib’
Eating in Paris
French cooking is full-flavored and varied thanks to the fresh ingredients and the country’s cultural diversity.
Traditional dishes
These are some of the traditional dishes that you can try in the restaurants of Paris:
- Foie gras: fattened duck or goose liver.
- Boeuf Bourguignon: known in English as Burgundy beef, is beef stewed in red wine.
- Escargots: snails.
- Croque-monsieur: baked or fried ham and cheese sandwich.
- Quiche Lorraine: savoury open pie made of eggs, cream and other ingredients such as bacon, cheese or different varieties of vegetables.
- Fromage: cheese.
- Coq au vin: chicken and vegetable casserole cooked in wine.
- Pot-au-feu: beef stew with vegetables.
- Brioche: pastry made of eggs, baking powder, milk and sugar.
- Tarte Tatin: thin caramelised apple pie.
- Crepe: thin type of flour pancake that can be filled with savoury or sweet ingredients.
- Ratatouille: stewed dish made of aubergines, tomato, courgette, peppers and basil.
French cheeses
France is one of the top cheese makers worldwide. Known by many as the country of 1,000 cheeses, it is possible to eat a different type of cheese every day of the year.
Walking around the city and especially its markets, visitors will be surprised by the quality and quantity of cheese available. The country produces over 400 different varieties.
Patisseries and pastries
Some of the most exquisite French foods are the bread, pastries and desserts. Paris has thousands of boulangeries and patisseries (bakeries), where visitors will be able to enjoy some of the most delicious sweet goodies just out of the oven.
We recommend all travellers to try the brioche and the renowned pain au chocolat, similar to a croissant, but with an oozing chocolate centre. A curious fact is that the famous croissant is originally from Austria, not from France.
When to eat?
Generally, the French eat quite early. Most restaurants in Paris open from midday until 3 pm for lunch and then from 7:30 pm – 11 pm for dinner.
Be that as it may, it won’t be difficult for tourists to find restaurants open for longer hours since Paris is a very cosmopolitan city and is used to tourism.
Prices
Although it’s not a cheap city, the prices of restaurants in Paris are not much higher than those usually found in the main European capitals.
Where to stay Paris
Paris is very spread out and its top attractions are far apart. If you want to find accommodation in the most elegant parts of the city, the best options are Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, and Opéra Garnier. If, on the other hand, you prefer a lively neighbourhood and want to enjoy the city’s nightlife, we recommend the Latin Quarter.
To summarize, we recommend finding accommodation on both sides of the Seine, from the Île de la Cité to the Eiffel Tower. These areas are safe, central and ideal to stay in.
More to Explore
