Field Trip: The Palace of Versailles!

We’re going to the biggest, the boldest, the best palace in all of France (if you can handle the crowds): le Palais de Versailles

It’s incredible, it’s humungous, it’s overwhelming — Versailles is one of the most popular attractions in the world and a crucial portal into French history. It’s unmissable — and a bit of a slog.

Inspired by Vaux-le-Vicomte — or more precisely, the jealousy experienced by Louis XIV when he visited the home of his ultimate frenemy, Nicolas Fouquet — Versailles is the creation of the three men (and their thousands of workers): architect Louis Le Vau, royal gardener André Le Nôtre, and painter Charles Le Brun. 

Is the Palace of Versailles Worth Visiting?

Yes. 

Versailles is a long day’s work: 15 million annual visitors means that 41,000 people visit every single day. Guess what: They all want to see the Hall of Mirrors. The thing is, the Hall of Mirrors is so spectacular that everyone who can should do it (at least) once.

Five Must-Dos at the Palace of Versailles

• The Hall of Mirrors — so famous that it appears in a Rihanna commercial. 
• The Grand Trianon is an entirely separate estate: smaller, more delicate, and a zillion times prettier than the palace itself, with a pink-marble exterior and incredible black-and-white square “Peristyle” 
• The King’s State apartment: A collection of seven kingly rooms, one more lavish than the next — the Hercules Room, with its enormous ceiling work The Apotheosis of Hercules (not a fresco but a painting on canvas affixed to the ceiling) is a standout. 
• The gardens! It’s worth buying an additional ticket for the regular fountain shows. 
• The Petit Trianon — yet another royal home, this one occupied by Marie Antoinette. It’s decidedly more feminine and modest.

How to Get to the Palace of Versailles from Paris

At least this part is easy.

The fastest and most popular option is the RER C commuter train (from Left Bank Paris stations including Saint-Michel Notre-Dame,  Musée d’Orsay, and Invalides) to Chateau Rive Gauche. From the RER station in Versailles, expect a 15-minute or so walk.

You can also take Transilien line L from Saint-Lazare to Versailles Rive Droite. It’s about a 40-minute train trip with a 20-minute walk to the palace.

Finally: Those staying near Montparnasse can take Transilien Line N to Versailles Chantier. It’s a very quick ride — under 15 minutes — but you’ll have a 25-minute walk from the station to the palace.

Three stations, three options, depending on where you’re starting from in Paris: those in the north or northwest, head for St-Lazare. Those in the south, Montparnasse. Everybody else should probably head for the RER.

It’s also possible to take an Uber! Expect to pay between €30 and €50.

You can even walk! You might not want to, but you can: It’s only 11 miles, and you can do most of it “through nature.” You will know if this appeals to you or not.

How Long Do You Need?

Absolutely all day. All week! I mean, you do you, but there’s more than enough here to fill a full day — ideally one starting as early as possible. The grounds open at 7 a.m. and can be beautiful in the foggy morning light. 

Best Time to Visit the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne

Literally whenever. 

The gardens are amazing, and well worth exploring in-season, but there’s so much to see inside that it holds up to a winter visit better than, say, the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne — especially at Christmastime (mid-November through early January), when the entire estate is decorated. If you like festive luxuries, this is a bucket-list experience.

Two other events figure prominently on the calendar: an egg hunt at Easter, and an array of historical experiences for “lovers of the 17th century” at the annual “Grand Siècle Day”, in late May: “horse-drawn carriage rides, musketeer shows, baroque dance demonstrations, a grand costumed parade, and a spectacular fireworks display”

Candlelit Evenings take place on summer Saturdays from mid-May until late September, as well as Fridays in late July and August. The fancier restaurant, Le Songe de Vaux, is only open during these special (and quite cool!) events.

In terms of day-to-day planning: Note that while the restaurant is open until 7 p.m., it only serves hot food during lunch (until 3 p.m.).

The Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte Vs. the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne Vs. Versailles

The real debate is whether to do Versailles, or not.

If your position is that you’d like to get as close as possible to Versailles, with fewer crowds, this is absolutely your choice.

It’s also bigger, more luxurious, and more central to history than the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne. (Noting that that Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne could still make sense if you just want to see a cool estate, don’t want to travel so far out of the city, and really want to avoid crowds.) It offers a much richer experience than the Chateau de Maisons, and the Chateau de Vincennes is a totally different kind of castle, though it’s competitive from the history perspective.

Because the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is still a private estate, it has more flexibility than Versailles to offer special, commercially oriented events, such as Candlelit Evenings or the Christmastime decorations.

It’s a worthy alternative — it’s just never gonna be Marie Antoinette’s former home.

A Bit About the History of the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte

Kings don’t like it when your stuff is better than their stuff.

And that, in a nutshell, Stuff, in this case, includes the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, built between 1658 and 1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV’s Superintendent of Finances — a powerful post. He was also dedicated to the arts, and a keen spotter of ability and talent. He recruited architect Louis Le Vau, landscape architect André Le Nôtre, and painter Charles Le Brun to collaborate for the first time on his chateau, to paradigm-shifting effect.

Like a 17th-century team of Avengers, the trio created the country’s most luxurious estate. Molière hosted a production of his play at the chateau’s opening, with “a dinner event” organized by Francois Vatel — the patron saint of maitre d’s and a man so serious about hospitality that he “ran himself through with his sword“(!) when the seafood was late to arrive at a dinner he threw at another castle, the Chateau de Chantilly, at a dinner attended by Louis XIV.

Its luxury was to be its downfall — or more specifically, the downfall of its owner, Fouquet. After a similarly lavish party in August 1661, one of Fouquet’s rivals convinced the king that Fouquet had paid for the chateau with money misappropriated from royal funds. The king — already vexed by Fouquet’s evident wealth — imprisoned Fouquet and set the trio in charge of building Vaux-le-Vicomte — Le Vau, Le Nôtre and Le Brun — off to Versailles, where they would build him his own, better, bigger estate.

The Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, in About 10 Words:

The only thing it lacks is Marie Antoinette. Taking off a half-star because it’s hard to get to: 9.5 stars out of 10.

FAQ Recap: The Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte