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Palace of Versailles

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    • Europe 2022 - 2023
      2
      1112312111122
      Day 200

      Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France

      November 24, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

      ♬ Louis, Louis! Me gotta go! ♬

      By all accounts we've heard, the Palace of Versailles was THE Palace when it was completed. France was at the top of its global influence and all nobility wanted to visit this high brow party house. Created by Louis XIV and finished in 1632, the palace was originally a hunting lodge created for his father Louis XIII. The hunting lodge was a private place of no architectural significance. It was one of Louis XIV's favorite places as a child and when he became king he could think of no better place than to create his palace.

      The palace grounds are HUGE. They cover 800 hectares, or 2,000 acres. It was intimidating standing at the first staircase and looking at what was in front of us and then looking at our free map. We did walk a small part of the grounds though. It was nice to see that, while the palace is paid entry, the grounds are free access. We saw many locals jogging or biking a road that cuts through the middle of the grounds.

      The palace itself is 2,300 rooms and 63,154 square meters or about 679,784 square feet. Not all the rooms are open to the public, but what is available is amazing. The most famous room is the Hall of Mirrors where balls were held. At the time, mirrors were rare and very expensive. So this room was practically a world wonder to party guests.

      None of the original furnishings of the palace survived the French Revolution. In fact the lavish-ness of the Palace, was part of why the French Revolution occurred. The monarchy sat comfortably on their high throne, while the rest of France suffered in poverty. Marie Antoinette was actually captured here by the mob as they stormed the castle. Reportedly in the Queens Antechamber seen in one of the images.

      There was a lot we didn't allot time to see at the Palace as well. Somewhere in the Garden was the Queen’s Hamlet. Sort of like a 17th venture she-shed, which was probably a sight on to itself. There is also the Grand Trianon which seems like a small village in the east part of the Garden. Part of it (La Petite Trianon) was built by Louis XV for his mistresses.      Read more

    • TravelerParis and London
      11
      Day 4

      Palace of Versailles

      May 16, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

      In contrast to the previous day, yesterday was a nice sunny day. It was the perfect day to visit the Palace of Versailles. It turned out to be a popular day because the place was buzzing.

      The place was amazing. So opulent and over the top. You could spent two days and not cover everything to see. I'm glad we chose this day. The original plan was to do this on our last day, but we might not get back in time for a train to London.

      Desire the sun, it was cold outside due to the wind. Not unbearably so, but enough to wish I'd bought another layer.

      The statues and paintings alone were worth the visit, but the Palace and the grounds were a sight, especially walking up to the entrance with the sun shining off the gold trim of the building.      Read more

    • TravelerEuropean Adventures
      Day 6

      The Palace & Garden of Versailles

      May 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      I took SO many pictures.... The Palace was gorgeous (crowded, but gorgeous). The painted ceilings were captivating and mesmerizing. I can't say enough how pretty they were. Those statues.... I could care less about though. 😅 The garden was okay! Our feet hurt too much to get very far beyond the main entrance. 😭Read more

    • France: Normandy & Paris
      Day 8

      Chateau De Versailles

      September 7, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

      Toured the hunting lodge and gardens today. Great guide, and easy on the eyes. Celebrating 400 years in 2023. The photos don't capture the scale of the palace or the gardens. Three kings lived here for over 107 years, built during Louie the 14th, the 15th partied in it, and the 16th got his head lopped off (1793), followed by the cake eater 9 months later. Nepolian declared himself Emperor of the French in 1804. We thank Shorty for that sweatheart deal he gave us in 1803 to buy the Louisiana purchase (828,000 sq miles) for $15M, doubling our size. France had their last revolution in 1848.

      Fun fact, they had no kitchen in the palace because they didn't want the smell, YET had no toilets for 100 years and would just pee and shit in the open, behind a door, over railings...wherever .. with over 2,300 rooms, cleaning could not keep up and every August everyone would move out due to the smell and for cleaning.

      The queens bed saw 19 births and 2 queens deaths (see photo). Fun fact #2, the queens births were semi-public events to prove legacy (no swapping out girls for future heirs)...seems fun.      Read more

    • Christie MitchellEurope and Oceania 2023
      1
      Day 13

      Day trip

      September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

      We took a day trip out to the Chateau de Versailles. It was about a 90 min train ride out to the country. The palaces may have been some of the largest I’ve ever seen, and so ornate.

      What was even more exceptional were the gardens! Acres and acres of gardens, forests and fountains. Absolutely beautiful.

      We rented a golf cart to take us to the furthest parts, which turned out to be really fun. Then we walked the garden sections. Beautiful crisp fall weather - couldn’t have asked for a nicer time out there.

      We had a bit more time left so we headed to the Paris Aquarium. Somewhat small, but nicely done. Adam really likes Aquariums - the things you learn about your adult children when you travel together.

      9.66 miles      Read more

    • TravelerBelgium/France✨
      1
      Day 5

      Paris Day 2

      December 5, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

      Late update today!

      Started the morning at a super cute cafe with croissants and cappucinos, then travelled ~1hr via train to the Chateau de Versailles!! So beautiful - have so so many pictures from it.

      Then we made our way back into the city and headed to Septime, the 24th best restaurant in the world, for a Michelin star 7-course food and wine tasting menu which was INCREDIBLE. We had a server who was surprisingly from Indiana which was a nice change! Ended the night at Bluebird, a cocktail bar recommendation from our Septime server.      Read more

    • TravelerParis
      Day 4

      Schloss Versailles - Marmorhof

      October 7, 2019 in France ⋅ 10 °C

      Heute Morgen ging es früh zum Schloss Versailles. Ursprünglich von Ludwig III. als Jagdschloss errichtet hatte Ludwig XIV. Grösseres vor. Die Anlage wurde ab 1661 unter ihm in mehreren Phasen ausgebaut. Bis zur Französischen Revolution war Versailles das kulturelle und politische Zentrum Frankreichs. Mit dem gesamtem Hofstaat und Adel lebten zur Blütezeit um die 20'000 Menschen am Hof. Vom Mormorhof aus betritt man das Schloss. Die letzten Bilder zeigen die enorme Massen der Menschen vor den Gebäude. Tipp: Ticket vorreservieren! Sonst steht man bis zu 4h in der Schlange.Read more

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    • TravelerMediterranean Cruise & Paris
      Day 27

      Versailles Gardens

      October 27, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      The gardens around the Versailles Palace deserve a footprint of their own. Magnificent, unfortunately only had 1 hour to explore after seeing the palace and having lunch.

      The first picture is the French version of a club fancy club sandwich. Dessert was a lovely citrus tart, and while it looks like it’s on a chocolate plate, unfortunately was plastic, although the leaf was icing.Read more

    • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
      Day 3

      The Sun King and Versailles

      April 5, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

      Our afternoon saw us on a 45 minute bus ride out of Paris to the palace of Versailles where we spent an hour and a half wandering through the gardens. There are a variety of different garden areas scattered over many acres and we didn't even begin to scratch the surface of these vast and beautiful green spaces dotted with fountains, topiary and ponds before we had to return to our tour meeting point. We did learn in hindsight that there are golf carts for rent in the gardens that would have allowed us to see more in our allotted time.
      After buying a Versailles magnet for our fridge, we re-joined our tour group and entered the Palace. We were told that Versailles started as a hunting lodge for the king and then was expanded into the huge palace and gardens later.
      We toured through the ballroom, the King's chambers, the Queen's boudoir and the hall of mirrors. Everywhere we saw beautiful red and white marble, delicate plaster work and ceilings covered in paintings depicting the gods. Portraits of the Royal family members lined the walls and the splendor of the palace surrounded us and emphasized how different life was within these walls.
      Crystal chandeliers hung in each room and would have provided so much sparkle as the beeswax candles flickered in the evenings. Adding to that dazzle were the mirrored walls and gold decorations of the Hall of Mirrors. That room lived up to its hype and would have impressed even the most critical of the Royal opponents. It was easy to hear the swish of silk ball gowns and the clink of long ago champagne flutes in this chamber that still echoes with the music of past dances if you listen just right...
      Oh la la!      Read more

    • Frankreich
      Day 4

      Versailles

      May 8, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Am Morgen spatzieren wir noch durch Fontainebleau, das grösste Boulder Gebiet der Welt. Danach fahren wir wieder weiter Richtung Küste, doch wir machen wieder einen spontanen Stopp, dieses Mal in Versailles. Wir machen Kilometer in den grossen Gärten und sind fasziniert von diesem Übermass an Prunk. Danach kurz wie geplant auf der Route, bevor ich vom Auto aus eine Kathedrale sehe, die wir auch noch sehen müssen. Also stoppen wir in Mantes-la-jolie.
      Danach wird nun wirklich zur Küste gefahren.      Read more

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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Château de Versailles, Chateau de Versailles, Schloss Versailles, Palace of Versailles, Palacio de Versalles, ヴェルサイユ宮殿, Palácio de Versailles, 凡尔赛宫

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