Versailles Day Tour from Paris : Visit of the Palace, the Gardens, Marie Antoinette's Hamlet & the Petit Trianon
Experience the most extensive Versailles day tour from Paris.
Book a guided tour of the Palace of Versailles, the park & gardens and Marie Antoinette's hamlet. Experience a special and unforgettable visit given by our expert tour guide. If you wonder what is the best way to get to Versailles from Paris, we offer the most comfortable door-to-door service from your accommodation in Paris with our luxury Mercedes vans. If you prefer to meet one of our licensed tour guides in Versailles we can also provide the exclusive service of a tour guide only (see our different options here below).
Discover the royal residence built for the Sun King, Louis XIV. Admire the magnificent apartments of the King, the Palace of Versailles Hall of Mirrors, the Queen's apartments, and the breathtaking gardens "à la Française". The Versailles castle counts 2,300 rooms and more than 63,000 m2 (680,000 square feet) the park 900 hectares/2,225 acres. Let us show you the best highlights. In July 1589 Henry IV, the future Henri IV spent two nights in Versailles. When he became King of France he returned to Versailles to hunt there. This is how Louis XIII, his son, discovered the forests of Versailles. When it was his turn to become King, Louis XIII decided to have a small hunting lodge built in 1623 and transformed it in 1634 into a small castle that became the King's private residence. His great-grand son Louis XIV completely transformed it from 1662 on, with new extensions in 1668. Then in 1682, Versailles became the seat of Louis XIV's government.
When you book a tour with us we guarantee the following :
- 8 hour private guided tour including pick up & drop off at your accommodation in Paris
- skip the line prepaid tickets included for the Versailles castle and the gardens
- private licensed tour guide just for you in the castle/garden
- Musical fountain shows or Musical Gardens entrance fee included when it applies
Here is an overview from the list of the rooms you will be able to see during your guided visit:
- The Hercules room with fabulous paintings by Veronese and François Lemoyne
- The Salon of Abundance used as a refreshment room during evening gatherings
- The Venus room with its most baroque decoration, used to have tables offering rare fruits and candied fruits to the guests
- The Diana room formerly a vestibule to the Kings State Apartment and used as billiard room for King Louis 14
- The Mars room used as the Guard Room
- The Mercury room originally the Royal bedroom, replaced in the winter by game tables
- The Apollo room also known as the Ceremonial room was where the throne was placed with its ceiling dedicated to the Sun King.
Of course you will be able to walk through and admire the spectacular Hall of Mirrors (one the very best examples of the King’s obsession with grandeur and luxury) the idea was to pay tribute to the political, economic and artistic success of France and was also used for ceremonies, balls or games on rare occasions.
- The King’s Apartments:
- The King’s Guard Rooms: you will learn about the different King’s inner guards, the Swiss Guards and the Garde du Corps (bodyguards) who amounted up to 2960 at the end of King Louis XIV’s reign
- The Antechamber of Great Dining, used for dining after the Queen’s death (Maria Theresa of Austria)
- The Bull’s Eye Antechamber originally composed of the antechamber and the King’s chamber
- The King’s Chamber where the Sun King died after a reign of 72 years
- The Queen’s Apartments:
- The Queen’s Bedchamber where the Queen would spend most her time, receiving guests; it is also where she would give birth “in public” to the Princes and Princesses (actually in front of a limited circle of people from the court)
- The Salon of the Nobles was the place where Queen Marie Leszczynska held formal audiences and where the Ladies of the Court had their conversations.
- The Queen’s Antechamber ( Grand Couvert) is where the public meals were taken by the King and the Royal family
- The Queen’s guard room is (from all the other Apartments) the only one that kept its 17th century decoration. The room served as a guardhouse and this is where one of the Ladies received the information from a bodyguard that a group of rioters was trying to come in (in October 1789) and warned the Queen Marie Antoinette to escape as soon as possible.
This tour includes skip the line Versailles palace tickets for you to avoid long waiting lines thanks to a private tour reservation. Our licensed guide will then drive you through the park to show you and visit Marie Antoinette's hamlet, the Petit Trianon and if time permits the Grand Trianon.
Visit the rooms that the usual visitors don't get to see behind the walls of the Grand Apartments: visit the private apartments of the Kings (not opened to the public otherwise). Enjoy the intimate atmosphere and the refined decoration of the living areas: the dining room, the Clock Cabinet, and the corner cabinet with Louis XV's roll-top desk, one of the most famous pieces of furniture in the world… with a special guided visit of the Versailles castle with our expert licensed tour guide to discover the royal residence built for the Sun King, Louis XIV.
Admire the magnificent apartments of the King, the Palace of Versailles Hall of Mirrors, the Queen's apartments, and the breathtaking gardens "à la Française".
Keep in mind, this is your private tour and you may customize it the way you like with your Versailles private guide.
Tour available every day except on Mondays & January 1, July 14 & December 25.
Opening times: 9.00 am – 6.30 pm
