Must-SeeSight · LandmarkPaidOutdoors

Palace of Versailles

Louis XIV's staggering palace and gardens, with the Hall of Mirrors and Marie Antoinette's estate, a short train ride from Paris.

Official Website
Photo: ToucanWings · CC BY-SA 3.0
Open
Tuesday to Sunday; closed Mondays
Price
Paid; higher prices for visitors from outside the European Union since 2026; the gardens are free on days without fountain shows
Time Needed
A full day
Address
Place d'Armes, 78000 VersaillesDirections
Getting There
RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, about 40 minutes from central Paris, then a 10-minute walk.

Why Go

Louis XIV turned his father's hunting lodge into the grandest palace in Europe and moved the court here in 1682. Its state apartments lead to the Hall of Mirrors, where the treaty ending the First World War was signed in 1919.

The gardens stretch for kilometers, with fountains, a Grand Canal and, at the far end, the Trianon palaces and Marie Antoinette's mock village. On many spring and summer days, the fountains play to music.

Tips

  • Book a timed ticket, arrive at opening time, and rent a bike or take the little train to reach the Trianon.

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