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5 hours
Driving tour with Chauffeur, Guide & Sedan
Private Tour
Your Hotel
The Palace of Versailles is probably already on your bucket list and if it’s not…well, it should be. For nearly a century, Versailles was the VIP headquarters, home to French monarchs and their trendy, at times absurd, retinues, making it the trendiest hotspot in all of Europe. It’s gold gilding galore, it’s mirrors that will make your heads spin, it’s twinkling chandeliers catching the light as the sun sets over Versaille. Don’t walk, don’t run, hop in a chauffeured sedan and find yourself in the heart of splendor.
We have the King of France, Louis XIV to thank for this 17th century extravaganza, when he moved his court out of Paris and to Versailles. Once a shabby, smallish hunting lodge, King Louis XIV and his team of architects and landscape designer extraordinaires set out over the course of 21 years to create the most dazzling palace, court, and gardens Europe had ever seen. Huge is an understatement. The palace takes up 67,000 square meters, comprising 700 rooms and 2,153 windows. To put that in more modern terms, that’s over 12 American football fields or 9 soccer pitches. More than anything, Versailles stood as a symbol for Louis’s importance and eminence. If you are going to call yourself The Sun King, you might as well have a house to match.
Suggested starting time: 08:30 am; 09:00 am; 1:30 pm; 2:00 pm (Times may have to change slightly due to ticket availability)
The oh so famous, the oh so iconic Hall of Mirrors dazzles you from the moment you step inside. A masterpiece of Baroque architecture, the gallery is adorned with 357 massive mirrors, reflecting the palace’s splendid gardens. This hall had a number functions, serving as the backdrop for grand ceremonies, sumptuous balls, and crucial diplomatic negotiations. It’s where kings waltzed to the tune of power and prestige.
How nice it would have been to call these apartments your home. Constructed
by Louis XIV, these quarters are a splendid series of chambers and antichambers that overlook the beautiful Marble Courtyard. The subsequent kings Louis XV and Louis XVI also enjoyed these rooms. If you want to get a taste of true luxury and decadence, look no further.
A sprawling series of lush greenery and splendid statuary, the Gardens of Versailles are just as impressive of the palace itself. Designed by André Le Nôtre, and taking over 40 years to complete, the fact that these gardens remain as beautiful today as they did in the 17th century is truly incredible. In fact, to maintain the design of the gardens, everything must be replanted every 100 years.
Imagine having an estate so large that your main palace was not enough. No, in fact you needed to get away even more. So you decide to have a separate castle built nearby. Well, this is exactly what Louis XIV did. This was his family retreat. It was enjoyed long after the kings of France lived in Versailles however. Napoleon himself often stayed here, and made sure it was always in peak condition. Its architecture is markedly Italian, with all of its classical columns, and pink stone.
Suggested starting time: 08:30 AM; 09:00 AM; 1:30 PM; 2:00 PM - Can clients choose one of the given timings and that features in his booking form
● The tour commences and concludes at your hotel or a meeting point of your choice.
