Versailles Tours

Versailles was the example of royal palaces for centuries. It is one of those palaces that got more and more beautiful with the years. It is well maintained and information is available all around the palace. The easiest way of getting there is from Paris by the RER suburban railway line. It is only a one hour ride from the city centre. There’s always a huge crowd and don’t expect this to change. The rooms and the garden are open to visitors with only a few closed sections.
From 1682 to the revolution of 1789 Versailles was the royal seat of French kings. Louis XIII bought the land and started constructions but it was under Louis XIV that the palace reached its full beauty. It was the symbol of royal splendor and aristocracy.

If you enter the palace you’ll see the Place D’Armes. It was a place for the king to review his armies. There are many other courts in the palace but let’s take a closer look at the interiors. The Grand appartement du roi was the original privy chamber of Loius XIV. He found the rooms a bit cold and transformed them into salons. The walls are richly decorated and windows are almost as high so there’s much light inside.

Probably the most famous part of the palace is the Hall of Mirrors. This incredibly long hall was designed to amaze the nobility and used for representative purposes. The hall is the symbol of French glories. The frescoes show the political victories of the country while the mirrors show economic success and golden marble columns display the flourishing art of the royal court.

The Grande appertement de la reine was the residence of the queen and heirs. It has a wonderful bedrooms and a dining room with the room of the guards nearby. The salon of the nobles was a sort of antechamber for the residence. The Petite appertement du roi was the private room of the king and therefore it was the heart of the palace. Only the few closest persons to the king were allowed to enter. In the adjacent rooms servants and maids awaited his orders. Etiquette was important above all. The king was dressed by his servants and councils began in the halls of the palace.

Another remarkable part of the palace is the chapel and the opera. The gallery is a later addition to the palace. Louis Philippe I moved his royal seat from Versailles and turned the palace into a museum. The gallery is home to giant pictures of historical events and some works of Eugene Delacroix can be found here. The Galarie des Batailles is dedicated to war paintings.
The garden of the palace has giant lakes and canals. The Bassin de Laoton was inspired by Ovid and tells the story of Leto, who turned here enemies into animals. Along the walkway you’ll see the Bassin d’Apollon with its wonderful fountain. It was placed here by Louis XIV and the beautiful bronze statues still shine in the sun. The Grand Canal continues to the end of the garden. The Orangerie was a plantation of 1055 orange trees and now there’s a colorful garden in its place richly decorated with marble statues. Most of the original statues can be found in the Louvre. The parks around the canals hide many small fountains and wells. The Petit Trianon and the Grand Trianon palaces can be found in the garden. The splendor of royal Versailles is still present in the palace. Discover the legendary works of art and the magical gardens for yourself.