The Palace of Versailles, or château de Versailles as the French call it, is a great day trip idea from Paris. It is a beautiful place filled with tons of history! It was such a fun and memorable tour during our time in Paris. I would highly recommend visiting the Palace of Versailles if you have time during a trip to Paris. It’s easy to plan your visit, you will learn so much and you will be blown away by the beauty of the Palace and the gardens of Versailles.

I want to answer some of the questions you may have plus give you a little history of the Palace and what to expect when you visit for your tour.

How Can I Get to the Palace of Versailles?

Getting to the Palace of Versailles from Paris doesn’t have to be difficult. The most common way to get to Versailles from Paris is to take the train. You can learn everything you need to know about getting to the Palace of Versailles from Paris by train here. Another option is to take a taxi. This may be the more expensive option, but if you feel more comfortable taking a taxi, I suggest using the G7 app to find one.

My favorite option is to find a tour with the option of transportation from your hotel to the Palace of Versailles and then back to your hotel.

Should I Do a Guided Tour or an Audio Guide Tour?

​Choosing between a guided tour or an audioguide tour of the palace depends on your preferences.

A guided tour is a great option if you want to be able to ask questions, have someone explain and tell stories with a personality, and have a more personal experience. An expert guide can teach you so much! A guided tour also means there will be a small group and they are usually on more of a time limit and schedule.

An audio tour means that you get to walk around and experience the tour on your own. You can take your time and really take in the exhibits and different rooms of the Palace. The audio guide will walk you through the Palace and give you history and stories about what you are seeing.

The audio guide tour will also be a more cost-effective option than a guided tour.

Is There Free Admission?

There is free entry for the audio guide tour for disabled people with proof and for those who hold a cultural relay card.

How Can I Get Tickets for The Palace of Versailles?

Tickets for the Palace of Versailles can be purchased in a few ways. You can go directly to their website to book audio guide tours, and guided tours, get tickets for the Grand Trianon, tickets to the musical garden, and more!

Outside sources like Viator also have tickets and offer amazing tour options! You can go to either of these websites and choose the best day and time for you.

How Far in Advance Should I Get Tickets for My Tour?

I like to make sure we can do everything we want to when we travel, so we like to book ahead of time.

Booking your tickets for the Palace of Versailles about 3-6 months in advance will ensure that you don’t miss out on the amazing opportunity to tour the Palace.

Are you wondering what it’s like to tour the Palace of Versailles and what to expect? Let’s start by diving into some history about the Palace!

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History of the Palace of Versailles

In 1607, the future Louis XIII built a small hunting lodge on a nice piece of land where he could stay the night and rest. He became fond of the area, and eventually began the construction of what would become the basis of the Palace of Versailles. Construction lasted from 1631 until around 1634. Louis XIV fell in love with the palace and wanted to expand it.

He is the one who is known for the beautiful and extravagant palace. It was in 1661 when he began the first construction work on the palace to expand it. Throughout the rest of his life, until 1715, the Palace of Versailles was worked on and expanded. The biggest projects that were seen in his time were the forecourt, the “Le Vau Envelope”, the Pavilions of the Secretaries of State, the South Wing, the Grand Commun, the North Wing, and the Royal Chapel.

The location had gone from a simple hunting lodge to a grand palace. The Palace saw many grand parties and extravagant gatherings, but there was much more to be done and added.

After the death of King Louis XIV in 1715, the Palace of Versailles was abandoned for several years. Around 1722, King Louis XV returned to the Palace of Versailles. King Louis XV did major work and renovations on the palace during his time there. He died at the palace in 1774.

The marriage of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette was one of the greatest events to be seen at the Palace of Versailles.

Luckily, the Palace of Versailles didn’t see much harm during the French Revolution even though some would have liked to see such a symbolic piece of history brought down.

The Palace of Versailles has seen many grand parties and entertainment throughout the years of royal residence. The Palace is now a beautiful tourist attraction for those visiting Paris and other areas nearby.

Our tour of the Palace was amazing. I could only imagine the beauty of the architecture, paintings, and gardens. It was so much more than I ever imagined being able to see it in person. We got to see and learn so many things about it that we did not know! The beauty radiates from inside the palace to the magnificent gardens outside.

If you would like more information on the history of the Palace of Versailles, please visit their website.

The Palace of Versailles was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

Touring the Palace of Versailles

By booking our tickets for a guided tour, we had line access at our designated entry time. We went through the main entrance line quickly to access the Palace.

When we first arrived at the Palace of Versailles and we saw this gate, I knew we were in for a grand tour. This gate is made of gold and the detail is gorgeous. It sets you up for what you will see inside because the inside is just as extravagant and grand.

The area where we entered the palace had this beautiful cobblestone entryway. I love that you can tell it was laid by hand hundreds of years ago. It is the original cobblestone entryway from the late 1600s.

After we entered the palace before the tour began, we had to go through metal detectors and have our purses and bags scanned. If there is something you have that they won’t allow into the Palace, there are lockers to store it in to retrieve after your tour.

I will start by saying we had an amazing tour guide. She was knowledgeable and funny, and we had a great time with her.

The tour guide provided us with headphones, and we all tuned in to the same station on a handset. By doing this, we were able to hear the tour guide talking throughout the entire tour. The tour was very crowded, and it would have been difficult to hear her the entire time without the headphones. This also allowed our group to separate at times and allowed us to take pictures when we wanted. It was hard not to take pictures of everything we saw!

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Inside the Palace of Versailles

Our tour guide told us about the history of the Palace of Versailles and how it came to be the grand palace it is today as we toured. We only saw a few of the rooms in the palace because there are 2,300 total rooms in the Palace of Versailles! All of them have beautiful artwork, luxurious decor, statues, chandeliers, gold accents, and hand-painted ceilings.

If you are an art lover, you will be amazed at the beautiful pictures, paintings, and ceilings. From the pictures, you can see that everything is beautiful and extravagant in The Palace of Versailles. Every room we went into was beautiful from the top to the bottom. Several chandeliers that remain in the palace are the originals. Other chandeliers are replicas, but you cannot tell a difference. The picture above is from the Hall of Mirrors which is one of the most famous rooms in The Palace of Versailles.

We toured several rooms in the palace including, the War Room, Peace Room, and the Hall of Mirrors. You can learn more about these rooms and what they symbolize, including other rooms in the palace here.

The Gardens

The gardens outside of the Palace of Versailles are just as grand and extravagant as the magnificent palace! It’s exciting to see the musical fountains show that is put on in the gardens at certain times throughout the day. It is such a unique experience to tour the gardens and see the intricate detail that is put into each of the fountains and garden areas surrounding them.

The gardens are a work of art. They are filled with beautiful shrubbery, flowers, fountains, and statues. A Grand Canal leads up to the garden at the Palace of Versailles. It is a beautiful place to stroll through and enjoy the scenery. I can’t imagine enjoying the early sunrise in a place like this!

Each of the fountains located throughout the gardens at the Palace of Versailles is symbolic and tells a story. To learn more about the fountains, check out their website. I love how everything throughout the palace and the gardens has a story to tell and is symbolic of something from history.

The Rest of the Estate

There were some parts of the Palace of Versailles that we were unable to visit the entire estate. It is a huge estate with many beautiful buildings, rooms, and gardens to visit. With a 90-minute tour, you can see many of the beautiful sites, but it is nowhere near enough time to see the entire Versailles Palace.

Some of the other parts of the estate are The Grand Trianon, The Petit Trianon, The Grand Apartments, the Park of Versailles, the Gallery of Coaches, the King’s Apartments, and more!

The website does an amazing job with a layout of the Palace, providing the history of each room and area and how it came to be, and allowing you to explore the Palace without being present.

Palace of Versailles App

The official Palace of Versailles app guide is very helpful. It gives you access to the audio guide tour of the estate. It also has the option to use an interactive geolocated map of the estate covering the entire property!

Even if you are doing a guided tour of the estate, I recommend downloading the app for some extra information and the map!

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We had an amazing time touring the Palace of Versailles! It was wonderful seeing all the beauty and extravagant artwork and decorations in the palace and learning more about its history. We would love to go back someday to see the areas we were unable to tour.

This is one of the most visited attractions near Paris. If you are considering visiting this historic place, I highly recommend it.

If you are unable to visit, there is a really cool option to do a virtual tour and see an interactive map on the website. You can check that out here.

Happy travels!

Until Next Time,

The Traveling Tylers