METEO - Versailles
October, 2017
How to get to Versailles
There are several ways to get from Paris to Versailles: RER, other train options (leaving from Gare Paris Montparnasse or Gare Saint-Lazare), bus, rental car, taxi, tour buses, guided tours ...
In our opinion, the best way (cost-effective) is to go by RER. It's easy, fast, and you do not have to buy your return ticket before, because the trains leave every 20 minutes.
There are RER A, RER B, RER C, RER D and RER E. What goes to the Château de Versailles (Château de Versailles is the RER C. Make sure you are taking the train in the right direction, ie the one which goes to Versailles (Versailles château - Rive gauche), the nearest station.
The first step is to look for the nearest subway from where you are that meets the line of the RER C. For example, Champ de Mars, Pont de l'Alma, Invalides ...
By bus is also easy. Just go to the final station of line 9, Pont de Sèvre, and take bus number 171. At the subway exit there are several signs indicating the location of the end point of the line. There you go from one point to another, because the station Château de Versailles is the last station. There is no mistake.
If you prefer, PariscityVision sells several options for tours to Versailles (Versailles) from Paris.
VERSAILLES
How to get- 1 day itinerary - Our tips - Maps and images
PARIS: A DAY TRIP
The Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles, in fact, is a complex that includes, besides the main castle, the mansion of Trianon and the dominion of Marie-Antoinette, all surrounded by beautiful gardens.
It is one of the most visited tourist spots in France and therefore is always crowded. So go prepared for queues. I like to visit the garden and the smaller palaces first. The main Palace, I suggest leaving for the afternoon because the queues are a bit smaller. If you prefer otherwise, the tip is to arrive early.
The gardens of Versailles
The parks are composed of woods and flower beds with various statues and lakes with beautiful fountains, all very well aligned as the French style of gardening prays. It was created by the landscape architect André Le Nôtre, who served Luís XIV. During spring, summer and early fall, the walk through the gardens is most enjoyable. In the cold season it gets a bit more difficult, first because it sells very locally, secondly because some works of art and parts of the garden are protected by a kind of sheet.
You can walk or move from one point to another in a little train. I prefer to walk because in addition to seeing everything more calmly, the train line is almost always giant (and slow). So go with a comfortable footwear.
The gardens open every day from 8am to 6pm, but if you want to watch the "Musical Garden" when the fountains do a show with classical music environment for a few hours of the day, or the night show, which is more beautiful yet, You have to buy another ticket. The daytime shows take place from April to October and on alternate days, and the evening shows on Saturdays during the summer period. Before you go, check the official website of the Palace http://www.chateauversailles.fr/
PARIS: A DAY TRIP
9 Chartres
10 Giverny
11 Rouen
12 Praias do dia D - Normandia
13 Metz
14 Troyes
15 Provins
16 Abbey de Fontenay
17 Dijon Ville
18 Vezelay
19 Chambord
20 Blois
21 Chenonceau
22 Tours
23 Villandry
24 Futuroscope
25 Lyon
1 TO 2 HOURS
FROM PARIS
NOT MORE THEN 1 HOUR
FROM PARIS
26 Strasbourg
27 Perouges
28 Annecy
29 Grenoble
30 Avignon
31 Bordeaux
32 Mont St Michel
2 TO 4 HOURS
FROM PARIS
33 London
34 Brussels
35 Amsterdam
36 Luxembourg
(OUT OF FRANCE)
Our list, very succinct, shows the most visited cities; some places included in the list of World Heritage and others labeled "most beautiful village". You can make a round-trip of or, still, extend your visit. Check it!
1 Château de Versailles
2 Fontainebleau
3 Disney
4 Asterix
5 Reims
6 Lille
7 Chantilly
8 Le Mans
About us:
Friends for over 30 years, both systems analysts, we have in common the interest in art, photography, literature and history. From this comes our interest in travelling.
Difficulties and even mistakes when planning trips with our families, with our children, with friends, or alone, have resulted in very differents experiences and have given us a baggage that we wish to share with you. We would like to help you to prepare your itinerary according to your personal choices. We know that styles and public always vary. Ah and how ... So we selected quite different options, always showing information and images so that you can choose and prepare your trip!
Lilian Posse and
Giselle Mettrau
The Main Palace
The main halls are on the first floor: The king's and queen's quarters are located around the Marble Courtyard and the halls where official court activities were held are adjacent to the garden. At the beginning of the Hall of Hercules, there were others consecrated to the gods of Olympus.
The great halls
A magnificent sequence of halls, decorated with extreme luxury, each with a function and purpose at the time. For example, the hall of Hercules displays paintings by Veronese; in the Apollo hall stood the throne of the King; the hall of Mars was dedicated to music and dance; in the Hall of Abundance, with various curiosities and collections, liquors, coffee, teas and other beverages were served; Venus's lounge, which features a beautiful Baroque-style decor, the ceiling decorated with a planet painting Venus and symbols associated with the Goddess of Love, as well as several subsequent halls named with names of planets, were dedicated to the myth of the solar system.
Rooms of Kings and Queens
The rooms are arranged as if they were a small apartment without a kitchen, with a sequence of rooms before reaching the master bedroom. A curiosity is that the rooms had doors camouflaged for the meeting of the King and Queen.
The hall of Mirrors
The highlight of the visit is the Hall of Mirrors. To get there, you submit to an Indian queue that seems endless. But do not give up, it's worth it.
Large mirrors were arranged with arches facing 17 windows overlooking the gardens. Thus, the king could admire its magnificent gardens in any part of the great hall. Glass chandeliers adorn the ornate ceiling with scenes extolling the early years of the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King. The golden statues and reliefs on the walls give the place a unique sumptuousness. The Hall of Mirrors is located between the Peace Hall and the War Room.
In the hall of mirrors was signed the Treaty of Versailles, which officially put an end to World War II.
Le Grand Trianon
The Grand Trianon was built to be a haven for Louis XIV, who wanted to escape the activities and rigors of court, as well as harboring their love encounters. Only the few people he chose came in.
It is a mansion built with pink marble, of sumptuous decoration and surrounded by geometric gardens and groves.
Domaine de Marie-Antoinette
It was during a costume ball in the Hall of Mirrors that King Louis XV met Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson d'Étiolles, who was dressed as Diana, a goddess. Jeanne-Antoinette, who would become lover of Louis XV, became known in history as Madame de Pompadour. It was for her that Louis XV ordered the construction of the Petit Trianon. But Madame de Pompadour died and could not attend the conclusion of the work, which happened with his new lover, the beautiful Jeanne Bécu, known as Madame du Barry. At the time of Louis XV's death, Madame du Barry was removed from the premises. Upon taking the throne, Louis XVI offered the Petit Trianon to his wife Marie Antoinette, who transformed the place and has its refuge there, where even the king could not enter without his permission. The place became known as Domaine de Marie Antoinette.
The Marie-Antoinette's Domaine houses the Petit Trianon and the Hameau
Marie-Antoinette, the last queen of France, was a controversial figure ... If some who lived close to the queen (like some chambermaids) had her as admirable and extremely kind, others saw her as negligent with her duties as a monarch, a spender without boundaries and lover of luxury.
Born in Austria, she was promised to Louis-Auguste (grandson of Lúis XV and future King Louis XVI). They married in May 1770.
Nevertheless, Marie-Antoinette did not adapt well to the life in the Court, full of rituals and official ceremonies. At the age of 19, by the death of Louis XV, Louis-Auguste was the successor to the throne and Marie became the queen. They were both very different. He liked to get up early, work, read, and sleep early. She was the opposite: she liked parties, gambling, fashion, and waking up late. With that, she stayed more and more in his small palace, free of so many solemnities, but living a life of extravagance and luxury.
The suffering people, starving and paying demeaning taxes to support the nobility, turned against the queen. The scandal of stealing a diamond necklace further tarnished her reputation, despite her innocence. She, in turn, ignoring the "voice" of the people, ordered the construction of her Hameau, a small village next to the palace.
The queen was sentenced to death on the guillotine and awaited her sentence at the Conciergerie, dying at age 37.
Petit Trianon
The Petit Trianon is an extremely simple building on the outside, but its interior is splendidly decorated. Small and cozy compared to the main castle.
It is surrounded by English gardens, less formal than the French.
Hameau de La Reine
Queen Marie-Antoinette asked for the construction of a place where she could be in constant contact with nature. A true haven ... A village with picturesque houses, lakes, gardens, vegetable gardens, orchards and animals. There she and her children spent much of their time.
