Day Trip from Paris: A Travel Guide to Visiting the Palace of Versailles
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Visiting the Palace of Versailles is a must if you’re traveling to Paris! The Palace of Versailles makes for a great day trip from Paris. The Palace of Versailles is an amazing piece of history to visit because of its beauty and grandeur. The Palace of Versailles and the surrounding gardens and estates are absolutely beautiful any time of the year. In this guide, we hope to share with you everything you need to know for taking a day trip to the Palace of Versailles from Paris!
Your Guide to Visiting the Palace of Versailles
Versailles Day Trip from Paris
Practical Information for Visiting the Palace of Versailles
Getting to the Palace of Versailles from Paris is very easy! One of the easiest ways to do the Palace of Versailles is getting day trip packages. Many of these tours include transportation to and from Versailles, a tour guide, and the entrance fee. If you don’t book ahead for the Palace of Versailles, the lines are very long! Booking ahead allows you to get faster entrance.
One of the easiest ways to tour the Palace of Versailles is to get the audio guide. You can go at your own pace and not have to worry about keeping up with a group since the Palace gets very busy and crowded.
If you want to travel to Versailles without a tour package, you can get there by public transit.
- RER line C arrives at Versailles Château – Rive Gauche train station, just 10 minutes walking from the Palace
- SNCF trains from Gare Montparnasse arrive at Versailles Chantiers train station, which is 18 minutes walk to Palace
History of the Palace of Versailles
Louis XIII came to Versailles for his first hunting trip in 1607 and was fascinated with the property ever since. After being crowned king, he decided to build a small hunting lodge where he could stay the night and hunt. Over time, Louis XIII decided to rebuild the property which laid the basis of the Palace we know today. In 1682, King Louis XIV decided to move himself and the Court to Versailles. During the French Revolution, XVI returned to Paris and the Palace was never a royal resistance again.
The Palace itself is a fine example of classical French architecture and contains 2,300 rooms! Imagine that. Thousands of rooms!
Of the many rooms, you will walk through as you’re touring Versailles, a few stand out particularly.
The Hall of Mirrors
The Hall of Mirrors is the most famous room in the Palace of Versailles and it’s no wonder. The room is beautifully decorated with chandeliers, mirrors, and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the gardens.
Private Apartments of the King and Queen
Imagine sleeping here! The private apartments and of the King and Queen were the private areas for the Royals. Here you can see how they lived every day, enjoying these stunning rooms and decor.
Hours: 9:00 am – 6:30 pm daily except Mondays
The Park
The Park at Versailles covers approximately 800 hectares, with paths winding in and out of wooded areas and agricultural fields. This beautiful and natural part of the estate serves as a reminder of what the natural landscape looked like when Louis XIII first came to Versailles.
Hours: 7:00 am to 8:30 pm daily
The Estate of Trianon
The estate of Trianon is usually associated with Queen Marie-Antoinette. She regularly stayed at the Petit Trianon, where she commissioned landscaped gardens and other structures on the property. The Queen’s Hamlet-inspired by the traditional rustic architecture of Normandy is a model village included a windmill and dairy, as well as a dining room, salon, billiard room and boudoir. Marie-Antoinette used the Hamlet to educate her children and for promenades and hosting guests. The Queen’s Theatre is the only building to have survived fully intact and unchanged since it’s construction in the 18th century. The queen watched private performances here, but she also took to the stage herself!
The Grand and Petit Trianon were more palaces the king used as a private residence and featured beautiful flowerbeds. The abundance of gardens and flower beds on the entire Versailles estate shows how much the kings and queen appreciated the botanical sciences.
Hours: 12.00 pm – 6.30pm daily
The Gardens
If you have the chance to visit Versailles and the Gardens during the summer of spring, definitely do it! During the summer and spring, the Gardens at Versailles are in full bloom, the fountains are on, and you can experience the full effect of the Garden. The Gardens were Louis XIV commissioned the Garden’s construction and considered them as important as the Palace. They took almost 40 years to complete.
Hours: 12.30 pm – 6.30 pm daily except Mondays
The Coach Gallery
The Coach Gallery, or the Royal Stables, were commissioned by Louis XIV and were quite a feat of their own compared to the Palace. Nearly 1,500 men worked there, including squires, pages, coachmen, blacksmiths, saddlers, chaplains, musicians and horse surgeons! During the 18th century, more than 2,000 horses were cared for and housed in the Royal Stables.
Hours: 12.30 pm – 6.30 pm daily except Mondays
The Royal Tennis Court
Jeu de paume, the older version of modern-day tennis, was very popular in the 17th century. It served as a royal sport for princes, it was codified with etiquette and rituals.
Nearly one hundred years after its construction, the Royal Tennis Court became symbolic during the French Revolution. On 20 June 1789, an oath was taken by French Third Estate not to separate until they had endowed France with a written constitution. This moment was a pivotal moment in the French Revolution.
Hours: Tuesday to Sundays from 2 PM to 5:45 PM.
The Estate of Marly
If you want to visit a less visited part of the Palace of Versailles, consider visiting the Estate of Marly. The Estate of Marly lies 7 km north-west of the Palace of Versailles and was Louis XIV’s second great work. The king used it as a residence for leisure and privacy. The palace of Marly was gradually demolished in the early 19th century. The park, drinking pool with its two ponds, still remain today on the property.
Hours: 7.30 am to 7.30 pm daily
Extended hours on Saturdays and Sundays until 9.30 pm from mid-May to early September, and up to 8.30 pm until mid-September