The Palace of Versailles is like the holy grail of French history. After visiting Paris for the third time, it was about time to visit the Palace of Versailles. You can easily do this trip on your own or go on a guided tour. The Palace of Versailles was a part of our 10-day road trip itinerary in France. That means we had a rental, but you can get there by train or bus. More about that later.
A few historical facts about the Palace of Versailles
- Before Chateau de Versailles was built to be a Palace as we know it today, Louis XIII initially created it as a hunting lodge. He used three years to rebuild the lodge into what later became Chateau de Versailles as we know it today.
- The World War I “Peace Treaty” was signed in the Chateau de Versailles.
- Chateau de Versailles is listed as a World Heritage Site.
- The Palace of Versailles contains 2300 rooms.
- Chateau de Versailles is the World’s largest Royal Domain.
- Billionaire John D. Rockefeller made two enormous donations to the Palace for restoration.
For an in-depth history lesson on the Palace of Versailles, I recommend you check out the Palace of Versailles’ official site. If you love reading, I suggest you read one of Alexandre Dumas’ books.
Getting to the Palace of Versailles from Paris
It takes about 30-40 minutes by car to get from Paris to the Palace of Versailles. The cheapest way to get to the Palace of Versailles from Paris is to take the train. It will take you 1-1.5 hours to get there if you use public transportation. You can also go on a guided tour from Paris.
Or check the official website for the Palace of Versailles for more information on ways to get to the Palace from Paris.
Palace of Versailles tickets
I did some research in advance, and we got the tickets to the Palace of Versailles and the Gardens from Viator before we left Oslo, Norway.
We didn’t want to spend the few hours we had exploring to stand in a ticket line. When we arrived, I was glad we had purchased “skip the line tickets” as the place was crowded, and it was +30C. As proud as I was (for being so smart), we marched straight to the entrance on the side, as stated on the tickets. We passed the snake-formed queue of people who were not as “smart” as I was or were too lazy to get their tickets in advance. I asked the personnel if we could go in because we had pre-purchased the tickets. The man looked at me and said I had to wait in line.
Me – “What line?
The man – “You see this long queue of approximately 200 m? That line”
Thank you for bringing me back to earth – I was not as smart as I thought. Now we had to decide whether to spend our time waiting in what looked like at least an hour-long line or forget about the whole Palace of Versailles.
Disappointed as we were, I thought – I came here to see Chateau de Versailles, so I can’t give up yet. As we tried to take some photos through the gates, just 5 meters away from the entrance, we thought, “What the heck.” So – WE SNUCK IN LINE! Can you imagine two responsible adults and a 12-year-old? I am unsure if I should be proud of myself for being so creative and determined or ashamed.
When you get your skip-the-line tickets, the line you skip is the line to purchase tickets. That again means that all the people who have pre-purchased tickets will wait in the same line to get inside. So you skip one line but not all of them. Another option to stand out from the crowd is to go on a guided tour.
We visited Vatican City on a guided tour, and although we still had to wait and pass the security line, I believe we saved some time.
As we got through the security gates and X-ray machine and into the front yard, there was a new line to get into the main building. We decided to explore the left side of the Palace (the one just behind the man in a blue jacket, as shown in the photo above). We came into the Gallery of Great Battles, so we thought it was probably appropriate and fun for our 12-year-old (I am ironic here – good parenting). Although you can see that the Chateau has seen its best days (it is in decline), the ornaments and paintings are magnificent. I love the art type that tries to tell me a story. We went through the hall, and somewhat unintentionally, we emerged into the beautiful and famous gardens of Chateau de Versailles.
Rooms of the Palace of Versailles
There are 15 rooms (galleries) in the Palace of Versailles that are open to the public. We only visited a few rooms because we went outside to see the fountain show and planned to go back in after that. The Hall of Mirrors is the most famous of all the rooms.
The King’s State Apartments are a series of seven rooms used to host the sovereign’s official acts. During the day, the State Apartments were open to all who wished to see the king and the royal family passing through on their way to the chapel. During the reign of Louis XIV, evening gatherings were held here several times a week.
The Gallery of Great Battles – which depicts nearly 15 centuries of French military successes- is where we spent most of our little time in the Palace.
The Singing Gardens of the Palace of Versailles
The Gardens of the Palace of Versailles are known for their symmetry, statues, and fountains. The renovation works on the Gardens started in 1661 and lasted 40 years. You can spend up to 2 hours visiting the Gardens at any time of year. Access to the Gardens is included in the price of the entry tickets for the Palace, except during Fountain shows and Musical Gardens.
Fun fact – The gardens needed to be replanted approximately once every 100 years to maintain the design.
In 1999, the garden was entirely replanted and now boasts a fresh, youthful appearance similar to how it would have looked to Louis XIV.
The “Skip the line tickets” we purchased included a fountain show that starts every hour at set times.
Remember how smart I was previously? I thought again, “It was so clever to go straight to the gardens, so at least we can see the show.” I, of course, forgot to check when the show was – as it happens, only at specific times, even though it is pretty often. It turned out we were somewhere in between hours, so we didn’t get to see that. We wandered out in the gardens for 10-15 minutes, took some pictures, and went back to explore the rest of the Palace of Versailles.
And suddenly, we were OUTSIDE Chateau de Versailles, and we snuck in in front of the line. We didn’t see Chateau de Versailles as I expected and wanted.
I was so disappointed, naturally. I was in Paris for the third time, and despite the planning, I still didn’t get to see either the Chateau de Versailles or its Gardens. The little I have seen was beautiful, and if you are a history and architecture lover like me, this famous landmark is a must.
I believe in karma, and we know what they say about it. The moral is – I will never snick in again (although they also say, “never say never,” or was it Justin Bieber?” Anyway, lesson learned for now!!
Opening hours of the Palace of Versailles
Chateau de Versailles is always closed on Mondays and has different opening hours during winter and summer. The summer season is 01 April – 31 October, with opening hours Tuesday – Sunday, 9 AM – 6:30 PM.
Winter season is 1 November – 31 March, with opening hours Tuesday – Sunday, 9 AM – 5:30 PM.
The Palace de Versailles Gardens are open daily but have different opening hours during winter and summer.
The summer season is from 01 April to 31 October, with 8 AM to 8:30 PM opening hours.
Winter season 01 November – 31 March, with opening hours 8 AM – 6 PM.
The Musical Fountain Show is open during the summer season, and you can watch it on certain days and at certain hours.
Fun things to do in the village of Versailles
Marché Notre-Dame – a covered market that has been around since Louis XIV, is located in the Notre Dame district of Versailles, four buildings filled with food of all types. A few mornings a week, the market becomes an open-air market and fills the centre of the market square, bringing more wonderful produce, cheese, meats, fish, and more. You can even get French snails or escargots stuffed with garlic and parsley butter, and ready to be baked and served! Why not buy some goodies and have a picnic? In this district, you will find a few museums, too.
Montreuil district is a former medieval village that is now part of Versailles. Hotel de Ville (city hall) is located here and is a landmark of its own!
If you are looking for some fun things to do after you have visited the Palace of Versailles, why not dress up as a French aristocrat and have photos taken of you? You can do it at Costumes & Châteaux.
If you visit Chateau de Versailles before Christmas, there are several concerts and shows in the Royal Chapel and Royal Opera.
Throughout December, the confectionery “La Varenne” will organise tasting sessions, allowing you to discover flavours inspired by one of Louis XIV’s cooks! How cool is that?? And don’t miss out on a Christmas Market!!
If you decide to stay in Versailles for a sleepover to get to the Palace before the crowds, the village of Versailles has several hotels and restaurants of a high standard.
Check the best hotel offers in Versailles
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