Become a Virtual Tourist Member Today!  Sign Up for Free | Sign In

Versailles, Paris

Search:
email to friend | help
Home » Travel Guides » Europe » France » Île-de-France » Paris » Off the Beaten Path » Versailles Reviews

Paris Travel Guide

Sponsored Links for Paris

River Cruising in France
Sites on Rhine, Danube & Others! Sign up for Special E-mail Offers.

Trains To & From Paris
Discover More Places In Paris. Official Schedules For Paris Trains

850 Hotels in Paris (Fr)
Hotels in paris from 40$ / night. Photos, hotel location, top deals.

France Hotels
Hotel Photos, Info & Virtual Tours Find the Hotel You Want at Expedia!

Hotels in Paris
The top 100 preferred hotels in Paris in Video. Great rates!

Off the Beaten Path in Paris: Versailles tips and photos posted by real travelers and Paris locals.
Versailles
• 105 Photos
• 79 Reviews
All Paris Hotels
Check-In Date:
Check-Out Date:
Guests
Hotels by OneTime.com
Paris Versailles ReviewsTips 1 - 10 of 79  
Sort By:  Most Recent | Best Rated
Versailles: Getting to Versailles
  • Tip Rating:
  • By sim1 on December 7, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Getting to Versailles - Paris
    Getting to Versailles
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    Getting to Versailles


    Versailles is just outside of Paris. Here is how you can get to Versailles from Paris :

    By car:
    Take the Motorway A13 (direction Rouen), exit Versailles-Château to get to Versailles.
    I went by car from Paris to Versailles and had no troubles in getting there. Just outside the Palace there is a huge parking lot (place d'Armes) where you can park your car (payed parking) and walk to the Palace.

    By train :
    RER ligne C direction Versailles-rive-gauche-château
    from Montparnasse station train SNCF direction Versailles-Chantiers
    from Saint-Lazare station train SNCF direction Versailles-rive-droite

    By bus :
    from Pont de Sèvres ligne 171 de la RATP direction Versailles-place d'Armes

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: 'Fountain of the Evening'
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By sim1 on December 5, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • 'Fountain of the Evening' - Paris
    'Fountain of the Evening'
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    'Fountain of the Evening'


    Before you go down the stairs towards the basin and fountain of Latona, you should take a right turn. This will bring you to the 'Fountain of the Evening'. I really enjoyed seeing the sculptures here, and in the picture you can see one of them.
    This sculpture is called 'Air' and it is made by Etienne Hongre (1628-1690), who also made the sculpture 'The Marne' at the 'Water Parterre' that I mentioned in an earlier tip.

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: 'Group of Children' at the Water Parterre
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By sim1 on December 5, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Versailles - Paris
    Versailles
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    'Group of Children' at the Water Parterre


    As mentioned in the previous tip, this is a close-up of one of the 'group of children' at the Water Parterre. These statues at the 'Water Parterre' were a project of Balthazar Keller (1638-1702) with together with several artists.

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: Basins and fountains
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By sim1 on December 5, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Basins and fountains in the garden of Versailles - Paris
    Basins and fountains in the
    garden of Versailles
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    Basins and fountains


    The last part of this page will be about the basins and fountains in the gardens of Versailles. I've added a map of this part of the garden so you will know which are I will be talking about. A map like this is great when you walk through the garden because it gives you some idea where you are and what you are looking at. My guidebook provided one of these maps which was very useful.

    1 - Basin of Apollo
    2 - Basin of Latone
    3 - Basin of Neptune
    4 - Water mirror
    5 - Basin of the Obelisk
    6 - Basin of Flora (Spring)
    7 - Basin of Cérès (the Summer)
    8 - Basin of Bacchus (the Autumn)
    9 - Saturn basin (the Winter)
    10 - Basin of the Dragon
    11 - Basins of the Crowns
    12 - Pyramid
    13 - Basin of the Island of the Children
    14 - Basins of the Lizards
    15 - Fountain of the Point of the Day
    16 - The Fountain of the Evening
    17 - Basin of the South
    18 - Basin of North
    19 - Basin of Encelade
    20 - Basin of the Orangery
    21 - Large Channel

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: Flowers in Versailles
  • Tip Rating:
  • By sim1 on December 4, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Flowers in Versailles - Paris
    Flowers in Versailles
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    Flowers in Versailles


    I visited Versailles in May and the garden wasn't in its full glory yet. But some of the flowerbeds were already in full bloom and looked lovely. There was a lot of work going on in parts of the garden when I visited and these areas were closed to the public. But the garden is so huge that there is still plenty to see and enjoy!

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: History of Versailles
  • Tip Rating:
  • By sim1 on December 3, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • The statue of Louis XIV at Versailles - Paris
    The statue of Louis XIV at
    Versailles
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    History of Versailles


    Before I start showing you the chambers and the garden I would like to tell you something about the history of Versailles :
    Louis XIII had a hunting lodge and garden built here in the 1630’s, but the one mainly responsible for the creation of Versailles was Louise XIV (the Sun King). In 1664 the construction of the château began and it lasted until Louis XlV's died in 1715. After his death the château was abandoned for a few years, but in 1722 Louis XV moved in. Versailles remained the residence of the royal family until the Revolution of 1789. The furniture was sold and the pictures dispatched to the Louvre. Thereafter it fell into ruin and was nearly demolished by Louis- Philippe.
    In 1871, during the Paris Commune, Versailles became the seat of the nationalist government, and the French parliament continued to meet in Louis XV's opera building until 1879. The restoration only began between the two world wars.

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: Sculpure 'The Evening'
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By sim1 on December 6, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • 'Fountain of the Evening' - Paris
    'Fountain of the Evening'
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    Sculpure 'The Evening'


    I hope I don’t bore you too much with all these sculptures in the garden of Versailles. But I just loved to see them so much and I wanted to share some of them with you. You’ll probably be amazed yourself when you visit Versailles by the amount of sculptures you will see here, they are everywhere you look and each of them is wonderful.
    This sculpture is, like the previous one, at the ‘Fountain of the Evening’. It is called ‘The Evening’ and it is made by Martin van den Bogaert (1637-1694)
    .

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: So disappointing...
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By sim1 on December 7, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • The fountain of Latona - Paris
    The fountain of Latona
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    So disappointing...


    It’s time to mention the fountains at Versailles. I think they were my biggest disappointment and also the greatest thing to see here at the same time. How that's possible? Hmmm, that is quite easy to explain.
    Somehow I always thought that the fountains would ‘work’ in Versailles, but unfortunately they don’t. No splashing water, no nothing. And to see a fountain in its full glory I would think it should be doing something, don't you think so too?
    I was so much disappointed by that! It must be so fantastic to see the fountains with all their water displays in action. But now it was just pools of water and many ornaments and sculptures. You can see the fountains in action, but only at certain times of the day. I think it even differs at what time a certain fountain is working. If you want to make sure the fountains will 'work' pn your visit, you might want to check out the website of Versailles and find the current info for the : Versailles website
    When I went into the gardens I had to pay an extra fee to see the fountains. The only big problem was that it would take hours before the ‘show’ would start and I didn’t have that much time left. So I had to pay for something that I would have loved to see, but couldn’t see. Sigh… so disappointed! But…. The fountains are fantastic to watch even if they are not working. So it was one of the highlights of my trip to Versailles :-)
    In the photo you can see the ‘Fountain of Latona’. I’ll write more about this particular fountain in the next tip.

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: The Chapel Royal
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By sim1 on December 3, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • The Chapel Royal - Paris
    The Chapel Royal
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    The Chapel Royal


    This is a photo of the Chapel Royal. You can only see the top part of the chapel as it is too big to get into one photo. The chapel is really impressive. Its architecture is simultaneously Gothic and Baroque. With the ceiling being 25 metres high, the stained glass, the pointed roof and the gargoyles all remind of the medieval cathedrals. The columns, balustrades, carved pillars and coloured marble tiling are all typical of the 1700’s. The chapel features a tribune on the same level as the royal apartments, overlooking the nave. That is where Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI attended daily mass, an important moment in a king's day.

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Versailles: The Fountain of Apollo
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By sim1 on December 7, 2003
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • The Fountain of Apollo - Paris
    The Fountain of Apollo
    by sim1
    Send Photo to a Friend

    Versailles
    ~~~~~~
    The Fountain of Apollo


    If you walk from the 'Fountain of Latona' down the garden through the 'Royal Avenue' you will end up at the 'Fountain of Apollo'. The 'Fountain of Apollo' is wonderful to see, I couldn't get enough looking at all the details of these sculptures of the fountain.
    The group depicts Apollo in his chariot and is made by Tuby from Le Brun's design. Tuby worked on these sculptures from 1668 to 1670. A year later it was brought to Versailles, gilded and installed.

    Leave a Comment

  • Website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Versailles
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... 8
    More Paris Tips
    Overview
         		General Tips
    Tips: 2,364 - Photos: 1,907
    Restaurants
    Tips: 2,454 - Photos: 1,508    		Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 1,897 - Photos: 968
    Things To Do
    Tips: 9,571 - Photos: 8,691    		Nightlife
    Tips: 856 - Photos: 585
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 1,639 - Photos: 1,428    		Tourist Traps
    Tips: 483 - Photos: 250
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 746 - Photos: 302    		Transportation
    Tips: 1,508 - Photos: 947
    Local Customs
    Tips: 793 - Photos: 519    		Packing Lists
    Tips: 270 - Photos: 120
    Shopping
    Tips: 766 - Photos: 556    		Sports Travel
    Tips: 104 - Photos: 81
    Flights
    Tips: 95 - Photos: 59

    More Sponsored Links for Paris

    Paris Accommodations
    Semi-DLX Apartments For Temp Stay 1 To 3 B/R options, Homely & Comfy.

    Paris Vacation
    Fly in comfort with tasty meals, personal entertainment & more.

    Tours Paris France
    Take a Guided Family Tour to Paris 7-Day/6-Night Adventures by Disney

    Popular Hotels and Accommodations in Paris

    » More Hotels and Accommodations in Paris

    Popular Things To Do in Paris

    » More Things To Do in Paris
    Find:        Matching:  Advanced