Château de Versailles

Map & Directions
Photos & Video

A trip from Paris to the famous Château de Versailles and the adjoining gardens is a great way to spend a day

The magnificent Château de Versailles cc licensed photo by jaime1

The Château de Versailles is a rather famous tourist attraction. It symbolised the monarchy of Louis XIV between 1682 and 1789. It was the centre of power during those years thanks to Louis XIV arranging to have the government and all seats of power housed there. Forcing the regional powers to spend a portion of their time at the palace prevented regional forces from gathering too much power.

It has, as many French landmarks have, been redesigned by the resident monarch a number of times. The first design was by Philibert Le Roy which were followed by four major renovations and extensions to the palace. One of the more significant improvements and extensions was the addition of the King's and Queen's apartments.

The Château de Versailles is now open to the public most days of the week. Modern restrooms have been installed and there are free audio guides available in ten major languages. For those who would like to purchase some knick knacks for family and friends there are a variety of souvenir shops and curio stores. They even have a resident photographer who will gladly take your picture, for a fee.

For those that prefer to ride than to walk around a tourist attraction as large as this, there is an electric vehicle hire available which you can take around the gardens and through the Trianon, the Queen's Hamlet, the Grand Canal and the entire estate. There's a mini train that will take you to the estate of Marie Antoinette the Grand Trianon and little Venice.

It is worth noting that it is best to visit the Château de Versailles on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. This is because Tuesdays are busiest as most other French museums are closed.

Facts For Your Visit

Fee: Yes, however Entry to the Palace itself is free with the Paris Pass. Admission is also free on the first Sunday of each month from November to March. Otherwise admission charges apply. See the official website for details.

Address: Place d'Armes, 78000 Versailles, France

Phone: 01 30 83 78 00

Official Website: Château de Versailles

Directions

RER Line	Nearest Station	Walking Time
RER-C	Versailles - Rive Gauche	10 minutes

How to get to Château de Versailles by RER

By RER: Take the RER-C Train to Versailles - Rive Gauche. Exit the station and go right (north) up Av de General du Gaulle the left on Avenue de Paris to the entrance of Château-de-Versailles.

Map & Instant Route Finder

Click&Go Map and Route Finder with public transit, walking, driving or cycling directions. Get up-to-the-minute transit times for your route.

Load Street View

Load Interactive Map

Finding Your Route - Please Wait

Reviews

Rated 4.5 out of 5

A palace that lives up to its name and how about it. A definite must see! Beginning of winter, during the week is not as crowded, making it a more enjoyable experience. But the tickets online from the official website, helps skip one queue. The gardens are extensive, after spending a couple of hours in the main palace it's great to take train tickets to see other major attractions throughout.

Joseph Paul Darmanin - 23 hours ago

The palace is in the very beautiful location.A way outside of Paris but if you haven't visit this place you must be missing something. Which you cannot see in Paris. Town itself is very beautiful. Palace of Versailles its a tourist location. Beauty of this palace cannot be Express in words. The entrance gate of Palace is very big and the biggest one I have seen in my life. You have to pay 27 Euro to see what's inside the palace. So please pay and see it.😎😊😉😀

Varun Chauhan - 9 days ago

Beautiful castle and gardens. Easy to spend a day here just rambling in the various gardens. Try to visit on a day when the fountains are up as they are simply stunning. The rental golf carts make a huge difference if you are going to the far edge of the palace. Even with the cart be prepared to be doing plenty of walking. We easily hit 20K steps on our visit. The tour of the palace is crazy. So many people, many rude and extremely pushy. If you can avoid peak times for your visit to the castle it is much more comfortable and you are able to enjoy the ambience.

George Forgan-Smith - 15 days ago

The palace of Versailles is amazing. It is such a large structure it is hard to take it in in a very short time. This structure is so large it so beautiful and there is so much to see that it should be planned as a day trip. I cannot Express how beautiful and or inspiring this building and grounds around it are. Its a must see! The city of Versailles beats Paris hands down for a true experience of what France has to offer.

Hurston hurst - 1 month ago

The palace is Absolutely most impressive place in France. 18 euro including audio guide which is very good. The palace wow. It's amazing. But need to wait 1-2 hours. The security check is quite slow. Food and drink are expensive. The garden is quite big and nice. But seems like it's not free anymore.

Raymond Yongxin ZHOU - 1 month ago

Read all Reviews Powered by Google Logo

Video

Video tour of the magnificent Château de Versailles

Photo Gallery

Beautiful view of the Grand Canal at the Château de Versailles cc licensed photo by HarshLight
Le Grand Trianon ou Trianon de marbre cc licensed photo by Jose Losada Foto
Le domaine de Marie-Antoinette - Château de Versailles cc licensed photo by Jose Losada Foto
Versalles cc licensed photo by Jose Losada Foto
Chapelle du chateau de Versailles cc licensed photo by antonin_remond
drama at Versailles cc licensed photo by BPPrice
Château de Versailles cc licensed photo by Jose Losada Foto
Château de Versailles (Yvelines) cc licensed photo by sybarite48
Château de Versailles (Yvelines) cc licensed photo by sybarite48
Château de Versailles (Yvelines) cc licensed photo by sybarite48
Château de Versailles (Yvelines) cc licensed photo by sybarite48