Versailles, Paris

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A trip to France is not complete until you have visited Versailles. Versailles is such a beautiful and grand place. The Palace is incredible in both size and in luxury. The history, artwork, the furnishings and the architecture is magnificent. The grounds with their statues and fountains are unbelievale. To think that this was once the home of Kings and Queens......what a life the Royalty lead.

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If you have time for only one daytrip from Paris, my vote would go to Versailles, Louis XIV's opulent palace about 40 minutes away by RER train. It's easy to get to and of the chateaux and palaces I've seen within a day's range of Paris, this is the one that impressed me the most. Try to pick a sunny warm day to visit, the gardens and Marie Antoinette's estate are best enjoyed in lovely weater. The fountains are only turned on certain days, I believe it's just Saturday but check the website to be sure. I've visited three times and still haven't seen them turned on. Admission is more expensive on those days.

Versailles is included on the Paris Museum Pass, if you don't have one of those, it's highly recommended to pre purchase tickets before heading out although on my last visit in July 2011, the ticket line took less time than the security line.

You can easily spend the good part of a day here, try to visit early before the crowds start forming or you'll be jockeying with 100s of people for a peek at the rooms.

For more tips on visiting, you can visit my Versailles page

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We were hoping to get tickets to fireworks-show at Versailles. They would have had fireworks, lights and music, and actors dressed like in times of kings living in Versailles. But we didn´t get the tickets, we didn´t know it should have been booked very early, because the tickets are quite limited. But when we got to Versailles, I think it was good we didn´t get the tickets. It was so cold! I don´t remeber being freezing as much in summer (in July!!!) for ages!! How can it be so cold, when day before it was most warmest day of our two weeks.
We thought we would get in quick, because we had bought tickets from tourist office a day before. But we noticed, that allmost everyone had bought tickets before! I have never standed in so long line, in freezing wind, rain coming and we had no coats! (Couln´t think of getting so cold after yesterday). I think we waited allmost two hours to get in! I´m not actually sure was it worth it. In sunny day it would have been different of course, but in this weather.. Actually we didn´t like the palace so much as people seem to do. It is way to "bling bling" for us. You just felt like you watched how many ways you can spent money if you have it too much. The garden was nicer than the palace, and Marie Antoinettes estate were more interesting. Those old farm-looking houses were cute, and I liked them much more. There was also a small palace, witch was nicer than this most famous big one. I think we owuldn´t have missed a thing, if we wouldn´t have gone inside the big palace. I think many of you think I´m grazy saying this, but it´s my/our opinion. I wish all of you going there would at least have better weather, so you could enjoy the garden better and wont freeze out ;) When we went, the fountains were supposed to be on all the time, but they didn´t work right and kept turning off. There was voice saying they are sorry every now and then. And when the fountains were on, the water went wetting the people because of the wind. It didn´t go up, it went left or right..

If you think I wrote like this because of the weather, it´s not only that. We prefer old stone castles than glittering palaces. They just don´t get us exaited. If I would have known better, I might have taken the tickets only to Marie Antoinettes estate hameau and garden. Before we found them, I thought the place was totally wrong for us.
I hope no-one gets angry when I say this so straight. But I like to be honest. And as I said, the garden and Marie Antoinettes place wwere nice.
If you don´t feel like walking, you can rent a little car. Like a golf car, but it was about 25e for an hour! Bikes were cheaper, but we did walk.

As much the Castle is imposing, as much the Grand Trianon is a gem of architectural elegance. The choice of this retreat at the end of the Park of Versailles by Louis XIV and the choice of the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart for its erection in 1687-1688 in a Italian style was a great success so that the Grand Dauphin, the Queen Marie Leszczinska, Napoleon I, King Louis-Philippe staid there and that finally the General de Gaulle decided to restore it in 1962-1965.

The Palace of the Grand Trianon consists of two buildings on ground floor, covered wit a flat roof with balustrade. The two wings are connected by a peristyle adorned with pink marble columns. The sight on the flowered gardens is beautiful.

Inside the mural decoration of the time of Louis XIV was restored. The furniture is in the style of the time of Napoleon I.
I felt quite pleased with my visit here. The Grand Trianon is much calmer than the castle itself. In sunny weather it is a very nice promenade distant for thirty minutes on foot.

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One visit is not enough to appreciate all the beauty of this palace.

From my first visit I didn't remember the ceilings, dominated by the look of everything at eyes' level. I had to come twice, prepared to look for details, to really enjoy the diversity and beauty of the painted ceilings.

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When visiting the drawing-rooms of Venus, Abundance, Diane and Mars one can imagine going back a few centuries and attend one of the evening receptions which Louis XIV offered to the Court in his Grand Apartments three times per week from 18 to 22 h. The festivities began with music, dances, parts of billiards in the Diane room (the king played billiards very well) and cards.

A light dinner was served in the Venus room on silver tables weighing more than 300 kg. These tables were covered with dishes, vases, candlesticks in silver like all the furniture. In the Abundance room were the dressers, also in silver, for fine liquors, wines, tea, coffee and hot chocolate. The rooms were lit by thousands of candles. The Mars room was the ballroom.
The Venus drawing-room owes its name to the mythological painting of the ceiling by Houasse. The room is decorated with "trompe l'oeil" paintings which give the effect to be sculptures and of a statue of Louis XIV.
The rather small room known as "Abundance room" owes its name to the painting of the ceiling representing “Abundance and the Liberality” of the painter Rene-Antoine Houasse (1683). The room opened on the Cabinet of Curiosities which contained the royal collections.
I liked the walls covered with an emerald green and gold velvet (restored in 1955) what contrasts with other decorations of the Royal Apartments. As we can see it today the décor of the "Salon de l'Abondance" goes back to King Louis Philippe. In the Diane drawing-room stands a remarkable bust of the king by the Italian sculptor Le Bernin.

In that period all the rooms of the "Grands Appartements du Roi" were decorated with silver furniture. There remains nothing of it. In December 1689 the King had all the silver furniture of his Apartments melted down to finance his wars. That represented 20 tons of silver. All these beautiful artefacts in silver had cost 10 million "livres" (pounds) of that time; Louis XIV obtained only 2 million livres. An enormous destruction of art!

It's very simple come early for the lines reach 1,000's long to get in......go slowly go into every room, go on the tour of the gardens for you have never seen anything like this in your life !!!! It's very sad, but the signs as you enter the palace says it all "Beware of pickpockets" Again bring your walking shoes, for your gonna walk tons and tons here !!!!! And don't rush through it !!!!! You can literally spend your entire day here if you choose to. The palace itself can take up to 2 hours to go thru the entire thing in a non rushed way. The tour of the gardens takes about 1 hour but the line usually is long itself.

Make sure to buy your tickets at a RER station in Paris and save yourself a lot of time (read my other tip).

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View of this vast and beautiful garden is really breathtakuing. There are very pretty flowers,amazing fountains and marvellous statues in this historical garden. The garden was opened by Louis XIV in 1664. Today it is one of the most beautiful and biggest gardens in the world.