Pete Seaward

Versailles

Louis XIV transformed his father’s hunting lodge into the monumental Château de Versailles in the mid-17th century, and it remains France’s most famous and grand palace. Situated in the leafy, bourgeois suburb of Versailles, 22km southwest of central Paris, the baroque château was the kingdom’s political capital and the seat of the royal court from 1682 up until the fateful events of 1789 when revolutionaries massacred the palace guard. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were ultimately dragged back to Paris, where they were ingloriously guillotined.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Château de Versailles
Versailles
Amid magnificently landscaped formal gardens, this splendid and enormous palace was built in the mid-17th century during the reign of Louis XIV – the Roi…
Château de Versailles Gardens & Park
Versailles
The section of the vast gardens nearest the palace, laid out between 1661 and 1700 in the formal French style, is famed for its geometrically aligned…
Domaine de Trianon
Versailles
Northwest of Versailles’ main palace is the Domaine de Trianon. Admission includes the pink-colonnaded Grand Trianon, built in 1687 for Louis XIV and his…
Grand Trianon
Versailles
In the middle of the park, approximately 1.5km northwest of the main building within the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette are Versailles' two smaller palaces,…
Petit Trianon
Versailles
Within the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, the ochre-coloured Petit Trianon, built in the 1760s, was redecorated in 1867 by Empress Eugénie, the consort of…
Hameau de la Reine
Versailles
Part of the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, this mock village of thatched cottages, a pond and a photogenic mill was constructed from 1775 to 1784 for the…
Versailles Stables
Versailles
The Grandes Écuries are the stage for the prestigious Académie du Spectacle Équestre. It presents spectacular Reprises Musicales equestrian shows, for…
Salle du Jeu de Paume
Versailles
In May 1789 Louis XVI convened the États-Généraux, made up of more than 1118 deputies representing the nobility, clergy and the Third Estate (‘common…