The Château de Versailles is probably the most famous château not only in France, but also in the world. The magnificent and magnificent building with its adjacent extensive geometric gardens and fountains is one of the masterpieces of the Classical Baroque.
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It was built in the mid-17th century by the French Sun King, hence known as Louis XIV, as a symbol of the absolutist monarchy.
Hall of Mirrors and Gallery of Battles
Inside the castle, you will find countless rooms to explore.
Upon entering, a series of dozens of smaller rooms with beautiful paintings and furniture await you on 2 floors. Count on the fact that in the smallest rooms you will almost always be literally crowded with crowds of other people.
Three rooms in particular will stand out among the others:
- The Hall of Mirrors - a 75-metre-long ballroom covered with 17 mirrors on one side and large windows on the opposite side.
- Gallery of Battles - the largest imposing room in the chateau is 120 metres long and its walls are covered with 33 huge paintings of famous French battles
- Sainte-Chapelle - a two-storey chapel which can be viewed from both the ground and first floors
You also have the opportunity to visit the private royal bedrooms, chapel, library, meeting room or salons, all with beautiful decorations.
For a detailed map with descriptions of the most interesting halls, visit the official website: bienvenue.chateauversailles.fr/palace.
How long will the tour take?
The Château de la Château is extensive and, if you use the audio guide, has more than 500 individual stops. If you wanted to listen to information on absolutely all of them, it would take you more than 8 hours.
Realistically, the shortest amount of time you can get through all the chambers is about 45-60 minutes. If you stop for more detail on selected paintings and information, expect a visit to take around 2 hours.
The tours are always individual, so you will walk around the palace on your own and you can stay anywhere you want for as long as you like.
You can choose to enter with or without an audio guide.
Gardens of Versailles
The adjacent Versailles Park and Gardens are huge and hold many attractions and surprises. The gardens are designed in French and English style and are beautifully landscaped. The gardens include, for example, a long water canal and, of course, countless statues and fountains.
Among the most famous fountains are Neptune's and Latona's, which are often the target of photographers when they view the gardens.
Between these fountains is the so-called Musical Garden. You will walk through the garden to the sound of Baroque music, which spreads into the space from speakers hidden in the carefully trimmed trees.
One of the most beautiful parts of the gardens is called the Orangery, and it lies below the castle just after the entrance to the grounds. Away from the music gardens you will find several small gardens, the most interesting of which is Bosquet l'Encelade with an interesting sculpture depicting the fall of the giants.
A detailed map with descriptions of the most interesting places can be found on the official website: bienvenue.chateauversailles.fr/gardens.
The Grand Canal is freely accessible
An important architectural feature of the entire chateau grounds is the wide, cross-shaped water canal, which lies just outside the pay zone.
You can therefore walk along this water canal for free along the many paths. The banks of the canal are a popular picnic spot and you can even rent a boat for 30 minutes from 16 eur near the entrance to the paid gardens.
How long does it take to tour the gardens?
You can spend as long as you like in the Gardens of Versailles. You can enjoy your visit even if you just make a quick visit to the Orangerie with the Musical Gardens, which takes about 30 minutes.
However, you can easily spend a whole day in the gardens if the weather is nice.
Rent a golf cart or a bicycle
The gardens are quite large, and if you don't feel like walking, you can rent electric golf carts or bicycles at all the entrances to the gardens as well.
- Golf trolley - 42 eur per hour
- Bike - 10 eur per hour
For details, visit astel-versailles.com.
Admission and opening hours
Opening hours are divided into main (1 April-31 October) and secondary (1 November-31 March) seasons, but also vary according to the type of your visit. It is open every day except Mondays. It also remains closed every May 1.
- The palace is open 9:00 am-6:30 pm in season, otherwise until 5:30 pm.
- Trianon Castle is open 12:00-18:30 in season, otherwise until 17:30.
- The garden with fountains and the adjacent park are open in season 8:00-20:30, off-season until 18:00.
Admission must be purchased online at least a few days in advance. The number of people inside the castle is limited and tickets are not sold at the door. Even if free entry applies, you must purchase the appropriate ticket for €0 and reserve your entry time.
Purchase tickets exclusively via the official website: chateauversailles.fr/tickets-and-prices.
You do not need to print your tickets. Just present the barcode on your mobile phone.
How much will you pay for tickets to each part of the Versailles site?
Free admission
Free admission to all parts of the palace and gardens is available all year round to all persons under 18 years of age and to all persons under 26 years of age who are permanent residents of the European Union.
Free entry for all is on the 1st Sunday of every month from November to March.
All together
The easiest ticket with which to gain access everywhere is the so-called "all-access" ticket. passport.
This ticket includes access to the following areas:
- The main Palace of Versailles
- All gardens and parks
- The Grand Trianon Palace and adjacent gardens
- The Petit Trianon Palace and adjacent gardens
- Carriage Exhibition
| April-October | November-March |
|---|---|
| 32 eur | 27 eur |
- To book entry: billetterie.chateauversailles.fr/passport
For an additional fee, you can opt for one round trip on the tourist road train that runs between the Palace of Versailles and the Trianon.
- Passport + Le Petit Train in high season - 39 eur
- Passport + Le Petit Train in low season - 31 eur
You can also buy a separate train ride for 7 eur, so you save €2 with the passport.
Main Palace + Gardens
With this pass you can get everywhere except the Trianon Chateaux and their gardens.
| April-October | November-March |
|---|---|
| 21 eur | 18 eur |
- Book your entry: billetterie.chateauversailles.fr/visite-chateau
Trianon Chateaux + Gardens
Includes entry to the Grand Trianon Palais and Petit Trianon Palais and gardens. You do not get access to the main Palace of Versailles or the Gardens of Versailles.
For more information on the Trianon Estate, please see the separate site details.
| April-October | November-March |
|---|---|
| 12 eur | 10 eur |
Gardens only
The music gardens, the orangeries and the entire section of the park between the fountains are accessible for a fee 10 eur all year round.
Admission to the gardens does not need to be booked online, but can be purchased on site at the ticket office.
Official website
For more information on tickets, exhibitions and other matters, visit the official website of the Chateau de Versailles: en.chateauversailles.fr
Accommodation in Versailles
Do you want to enjoy a visit to Versailles for a full day? Then consider staying near the chateau, or even right in the chateau!
Right on the grounds of the Chateau Trianon and the gardens of Versailles is a luxury five-star hotel Waldorf Astoria Versailleswhere you'll enjoy a truly chateau-like atmosphere. Rates here start from 257 eur per night in a 2-bed room, but if you're heading to Paris for a honeymoon, then definitely consider this romantic hotel.
In Versailles, just a few hundred metres from the chateau, choose from dozens of classic 3* and 4* hotels with prices around 92 eur per night for 2.
How to get to Versailles
The chateau is located in the town of Versailles, about 25 km from Paris. Even so, it's easy to get here from the city centre in under 40 minutes.
Check the timetables on ratp.fr and visit the Transport section for more information on getting around Paris.
RER trains
There are 3 other train stations within a 15-minute walk where RER or Transilien commuter trains stop. Versailles is in zone 4, so if you are using the Paris-only day passes (zones 1-3), they will not apply to your trip to Versailles. Unfortunately, it is not possible to buy a ticket from zone 3 to zone 4 in Paris.
There are basically four train fare options:
- A separate ticket from central Paris to Versailles - 4,15 eur one-way, so a total of 8,30 eur return
- Using a day ticket for Paris, alighting at the last station of zone 3 (Viroflay Rive Gauche or Viroflay Rive Droite) and buying a separate ticket from zone 3 to zone 4
- Day ticket for zones 1-3 - 13,95 eur
- Zone 3 to Zone 4 ticket - 2,20 eur
- Day ticket for zones 1-5 - 29,25 eur
- Navigo Découverte weekly card for zones 1-5 - 35 eur
There are 3 train stations near the palace.
Versailles Château Rive Gauche 910 metres from the main entrance
- RER C (some connections)
- Direct connection to attractions: Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Latin Quarter, Notre-Dame, Musée d'Orsay, Pont Alexandre III
- Direct connection to train stations: Gare d'Austerlitz
Versailles Château Rive Gauche 1,600 metres from the main entrance
- RER C (some connections)
- Direct connection to attractions: Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Latin Quarter, Notre-Dame, Musée d'Orsay, Pont Alexandre III
- Direct connections to the following stations: Gare d'Austerlitz, Massy-Palaiseau (no connection to this station in the direction of the centre)
- Train N
- Direct connection to attractions: Tour Montparnasse
- Direct connection to the stations: Gare Montparnasse with a change to several metro lines towards the centre
- Train U
- Direct connection to points of interest: La Défense
Versailles Rive Droite 1,500 metres from the main entrance
- Ltrain
- Direct connection to attractions: La Défense
- Direct connection to the train stations: Gare Saint-Lazare
Bus + metro
The cheapest way to get to Versailles is to take a combination of metro line 9 to Pont de Sévres station and bus line 171 directly to the Chateau de Versailles.
- Metro 9 from the centre to the Pont de Sévres terminus - 2,15 eur (ticket t+) and about 25 minutes away
- Bus 171 with a frequency of 7-15 minutes - 2,15 eur (ticket t+) and about 35 minutes away
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