Versailles. The very name evokes images of royalty and elegance, and its a must do on any trip to Paris.
Versailles is approximately 30 minutes by train from the Eiffel Tower. You can either buy tickets when you get there or ahead of time from many hotels and museum box offices. We didn’t buy our tickets ahead of time, and the line-up for tickets was very short. The line-up to get into the palace was larger, but moved relatively quickly, as did the line-up for the audio guides (highly recommended, see previous post).
The Palace and gardens of Versailles, or the Chateau de Versailles, is truly stunning. Originally King Louis XIII’s hunting lodge, it was transformed and enlarged by his son, Louis IV, who installed his court and government there. According to the tourist map, “it represents the finest and most accomplished achievement of 17th century French art”. And if the orientation map says that, its good enough for me.
What the Palace and gardens definitely are, is large. The Palace includes the King’s and Queen’s State Apartments, the Chapel, the Opera House, History of France Galleries, Dauphine’s Apartments (the heir to the throne), and Mesdame’s Apartments (Louis XV’s daughters). However, the gardens are what truly impress, just by their sheer size and layout. The gardens lead to Marie-Antoinette’s estate, which includes the Grand Trianon, Petite Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet.
The Palace at Versailles is very splendid indeed. Many of the rooms are furnished as they would have been, despite being ransacked during the revolution. The Palace is currently working on getting many pieces back, and those that were destroyed have been replicated. The famous Hall of Mirrors is also currently being restored to its original splendor. It is in the in the Hall of Mirrors that the First World War officially ended when Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles.
Once you head outside you will see the grandeur of the gardens. Make sure you go for a walk toward the Grand Canal, where you can rent boats if you feel so inclined, and onto Marie-Antoinette’s estate. When we were buying tickets for the Palace we were asked if we wanted to pay an extra 9 Euro for entry into the estate, and we are very glad we did. While the Grand Trianon was not in the greatest shape, and Marie Antoinette’s house, the Petite Trianon, is currently half closed for renovations, the big surprise for us was the Queen’s Hamlet.
This Garden was created by Marie Antoinette in the English-style and it contrasts with the huge, manicured gardens of the Palace. Make sure you go for a walk to explore all of the buildings in the garden.
Its like walking through an English village in the time of The Hobits (a la Lord of the Rings), with lakes, bridges, gardens and a farm. Also, don’t miss the Queen’s Theater, where Marie-Antoinette sometimes performed for guests.When its time to head back to the Palace entrance you can take a tram back if you wish, ’cause your feet might be sore from all the walking. If you took the tram to get to the estate, walk back. Its a wonderful walk through an amazing garden.
After Versailles, we went back to our hotel to freshen up, then headed to the Latin Quarter, which is very close to Notre Dame - just take the C metro line towards Massey and get off at the St. Michel stop. We walked around Notre Dame and then headed to the Latin Quarter. This part of Paris is full of restaurants, bars and lots of young adults. Definitely a location to visit if you’re looking for a night on the town.
Heading back to our hotel, we stopped at the Trocadero for a wonderful nighttime view of the Eiffel Tower. The area was full of tourists and local youth, mingling and socializing with the lights of the Tower glowing beyond. This is a great place for Eiffel Tower pictures, and again, well worth a visit, even if you only go for the views.
Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, it’s open until 11pm at night. The lines can be long, at least an hour wait between the hours of 4 and 7pm. Go early in the morning if you can, or after 9:30 at night. This was the advice from our hotel concierge, and probably good advice to follow.
a la prochaine,
the travel bum