The Time I Lived My Versailles Fantasy……

Paris, by all accounts, is an amazing city full of art, history, and Parisian flair, but if you’re able (and you should make yourself able) take the time to head out to Versailles. 

A palace like no other, Versailles started as a ‘modest’ hunting lodge for Louis XIII but, quite literally grew into the opulent estate under the rule of Louis XIV. During King’s 72 year reign he turned Versailles into the ultimate status of French power and wealth. 

Not wanting to miss an opportunity to show the world the wonders of French craftmanship, the hall of mirrors was lined with mirrors made on French soil - rather revolutionary at the time since mirrors were shipped in from Italy at a great cost, no less.

You can see Louis XIV’s hand throughout the palace in the iconography and influence in the architecture. Currently, Versailles is considered a fine example of baroque and rococo architecture, but at the time is was a departure from the traditional Italian style, using it only as an influence. Some historians consider Versailles to be early French Classicism, a distinction Louis XIV would be pleased with, I’m sure.

After touring the galleries of the north wing, state apartments, and the hall of mirrors, I took a break in Angelina to enjoy their famous hot chocolate and croissant. The perfect place to take a break and plan the rest of your day, Angelina offers a petit breakfast, pastry, hot and cold drinks, then later serving lunch. Once I was recharged I headed for the gardens.

The gardens are vast and perfectly manicured. Created by Andre Le Notre and spanning 40 plus years, the gardens, in Louis XIV’s opinion, were just as important as the palace and therefore required great care and attention. When standing at the top to the Grande Perspective, its easy to forget that the entire area was meadows and marshes. Tons of soil was sifted, fountains dug out, and trees from different regions of France were brought in to create the garden we see today.

Getting to Versailles from Paris is easy.

The Palace of Versailles is located only 30 minutes from central Paris. The main entrance to the Palace of Versailles is by the Cour d'Honneur.
To reach by train, you have several options:

• Take RER line C to Versailles Rive Gauche. From the station, it’s just a 10-minute walk to the Palace.

• From Paris Montparnasse train station, SNCF trains arrive at Versailles Chantiers station, an 18-minute walk to the Chateau.

• From Paris Saint Lazare train station, SNCF trains arrive at Versailles Rive Droite station, a 17-minute walk to the Château.

  You can find RER and SNCF trains schedule at www.transilien.com.
  For more information on Public Transportation in Paris click here.

When purchasing tickets, I recommend purchasing them in advance and using Head Out. I did the all access with an audio guide and it was fantastic, but Head Out has loads of options, see below.

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