Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [264]
Luxurious and ostentatious appointments – frescoes, marble, gilt and woodcarvings, with themes and symbols drawn from Greek and Roman mythology – ooze from every last moulding, cornice, ceiling and door in the palace’s Grands Appartements du Roi et de la Reine (King’s and Queen’s State Apartments). But the opulence peaks in its shimmering, sparkling, amazing (insufficient superlatives for this one) recently restored Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors). This 75m-long ballroom with 17 giant mirrors one side and an equal number of windows the other has to be seen to be believed.
History and/or art buffs keen to delve deeper into life at court, music, Louis XV and XI’s private apartments and so on can sign up for an informative lecture tour ( 0 810 811 614; adult with/without palace ticket, Passeport or ticket to the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette €7.50/14.50, under 18yr €5.50; 9.45am-3.45pm Tue-Sun), some in English, at the main ticket office.
Château de Versailles gardens & park (Château de Versailles; admission free except Sat & Sun Apr-Oct during the Grandes Eaux Musicales; 8.30am-8.30pm Apr-Oct, 8am-6pm Nov-Mar) are vast and the only way to see it all is to hire a four-person electric car (per hr €28; drivers must be over 23 and show their driver’s licence); hop aboard the train shuttle ( 01 39 54 22 00; www.train-versailles.com; adult/11-18yr €6/4.50), which stops at the Petit Trianon, Grand Trianon and Grand Canal; or rent a bike (per hr €6, half-/full day €13.50/15) from the kiosk at the eastern end of the Grand Canal or next to the Grille de la Reine garden entrance.
The Hall of Mirrors peeps over part of the palace gardens, laid out in the formal French style between 1661 and 1700. Famed for their geometrically aligned terraces, flowerbeds, tree-lined paths, ponds and fountains, they are studded with 400 marble, bronze and lead statues sculpted by the most talented sculptors of the period – winter visitors won’t get to see them, as these are covered at this time of year. Meandering, sheltered paths snake through the more pastoral English-style Jardins du Petit Trianon.
The gardens’ largest fountains are the 17th-century Bassin de Neptune (Neptune’s Fountain), a dazzling mirage of 99 spouting fountains 300m north of the palace, and the Bassin d’Apollon (Apollo’s Fountain), built in 1668 at the eastern end of the Grand Canal. The straight side of the Bassin de Neptune abuts a small, round pond graced by a winged dragon. Emerging from the water in the centre of the Bassin d’Apollon is Apollo’s chariot, pulled by rearing horses. A truly magical, must-experience are the Grandes Eaux Musicales (Château de Versailles; adult/11-18yr/under 10yr €7/5.50/free; 11am-noon & 3.30-5.30pm Sat & Sun Apr-Sep) and Grandes Eaux Nocturnes (Château de Versailles; adult/11-18yr/under 10yr €7/5.50/free; 9.30-11.30pm Sat & Sun Jul & Aug) fountain displays set to the sweet tones of baroque and classical composers throughout the grounds in summer. The grand finale of these fabulous fountain dances to soul-stirring classical music sees the Bassin de Neptune flow for 10 minutes from 5.20pm. Set the soul stirring still further with the fountains’ fabulous summertime performances at night! Brilliantly lit, it is a performance to remember. Reserve tickets in advance at the Billetterie Spectacle ( 01 30 83 78 89; www.chateauversaillesspectacles.fr; place d’Armes; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr–mid-Sep) in front of the chateau or on the same day directly at garden entrances.
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TRANSPORT: VERSAILLES
Distance from Paris 21km
Direction Southwest
Travel time 35 minutes by RER/train
Car A13 from Porte de St-Cloud, exit ‘Versailles Château’
Bus 171 (€1.40 or one metro/bus ticket) from the Pont de Sèvres (15e) metro station to place d’Armes every six