10 Tips for Seeing the Palace of Versailles and Making the Most of Your Visit

The Palace and Gardens of Versailles are located near Paris, and if you wish, you can book an organised tour as it’s really well worth it. Both the building and its surroundings are so impressive that it’s now a must-see attraction (it attracts around 15 million visitors a year) and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In this post , I’ll give you the tips you need to follow to avoid any hiccups and make the most of your trip.

The Palace of Versailles is a very popular tourist attraction. I recommend buying your ticket to the Palace in advance by choosing one of these options: visit the Palace with the gardens included, for which you can book your tickets now, or make the most of your visit to explore the Palace, the gardens and Marie Antoinette’s estate by booking these tickets. If, on the other hand, you plan to buy them at the ticket office, bear in mind that you may face a very long queue.

On the first Sunday of every month during the high season (May to September), entry to the Palace is free, but even so, booking your ticket in advance is essential. My advice is that, if you can arrange your dates, you should choose another day to visit the Palace.

The Palace of Versailles is open every day except Mondays. The gardens and park are open daily and can be visited free of charge. As they are so vast, this is a free visit that you can easily make the most of and enjoy.

If your visit to Versailles is a day trip from Paris, you can book an organised tour.

This is a very convenient option, as it saves you time organising transport and deciding what to see. Specifically, what does this tour include? With the help of a specialist guide who will tell you all the details, the history, the anecdotes…

You’ll visit every corner of the palace, the bedrooms, the corridors… you’ll leave Versailles with a complete picture of this spectacular 17th-century palace. What’s more, with this tour you’ll also be able to visit the famous Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, and the gardens, covering 800 hectares where you can enjoy the fountains, ponds and plants… an unforgettable visit!

In short, this is a convenient option that allows you to learn everything there is to know about the place in depth, enjoy a comfortable and safe transfer, and have your ticket booked in advance so you don’t have to queue or wait for long.

Useful information

• Transfer: by coach from Paris.
• Departure: 22 Rue Jean Rey, 75015 Paris, France.
• Duration: approximately 5 hours.
• Price: From €109.

Another option for travelling to Versailles from Paris is to **make use of the palace entry included with your Paris Pass. In this case, you won’t have to pay for entry, but you will need to pay for the return journey and your meal.

If you decide to do this, I recommend downloading the Palace of Versailles app, so you can arrive with all the information you need to enjoy your visit (I’ll tell you all about this app in tip number 7. Keep reading!).

I recommend you set aside at least 4 hours for your visit to the Palace of Versailles and the gardens. Bear in mind that the Palace of Versailles is not just a single museum or merely a stroll. It is one of the greatest World Heritage sites of culture. If you want to spend 6 or 7 hours there, you won’t get bored.

During your visit, you can enjoy over a hundred rooms, the painting and sculpture collections of the Museum of French History, the Hall of Mirrors, the Royal Chapel, the Gallery of Battles… and lose yourself in the 30 hectares of gardens. What I mean is that there is plenty to see.

For example, I advise you not to miss the stables. As well as the carriages, you can see the prams used by Marie Antoinette’s children, or their sledges. It’s a part of the Versailles site that can go unnoticed alongside the grandeur of the Palace’s other rooms, but it’s very interesting.

Useful information

• Opening hours: The palace is open from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm. The gardens have slightly longer opening hours, from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm.

It’s impossible not to associate Versailles with period films, but to explore its 787 hectares, it’s best to wear comfortable shoes, don’t you think?

The visit to the Palace takes an hour and a half (though I recommend you give it the time it deserves and stop to enjoy it at your own pace), to which you must add the walk through the park and gardens and the return journey to Paris.

In short, a visit to Versailles takes the whole day, and although in the following tips I’ll share a few tricks so you can rest or take it easy (such as hiring an electric car to visit the gardens or stopping for a picnic in the park), don’t let uncomfortable shoes stop you from enjoying this unique setting.

Is it possible to eat inside the Palace of Versailles grounds? Of course it is! And you have several options that are sure to meet your expectations. The prices reflect the location of these places (it’s a bit more expensive than what you’ll find outside), but you can have a simple meal at a reasonable price without leaving the grounds. Now then, when should you eat during your visit to Versailles? You can plan your day around your Palace ticket, which specifies an entry time and a set duration. A good option is to visit the gardens in the morning, sit down for a meal on a terrace or at one of the designated picnic spots, and then visit the Palace.

Here are a few places you’ll find within the grounds where you can eat, though you can also bring your own food and eat at your leisure.

A simple option: La Brasserie de la Girandole

In the gardens you’ll find the famous Brasserie de la Girandole, with two terraces where you can have a meal, breakfast or a snack

They also offer takeaway food, if you’d rather sit on your own or carry on strolling whilst you satisfy your hunger. Fancy taking a look at the menu?

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00.

Have a picnic in a unique setting

You can also have a picnic on your own anywhere in the park (note: not in the gardens) except in the covered area. You can eat whatever you choose to bring with you in the gardens or by the Canal. The best thing about this option is the views. A sandwich just doesn’t taste the same in this setting.

Enjoy a chef’s cuisine at Versailles

However, if you have a bit of a gourmet taste or want to treat yourself, you can enjoy Chef Alain Ducasse’s restaurant, Ore, at the Palace of Versailles.

It’s a more expensive option than the previous two: for around €60, you can dine in a 17th-century pavilion.

This restaurant is open Monday to Friday from 11.30am to 3pm and at weekends from 9am to 5pm. Just don’t forget to book.

Take a baking workshop

And, if you have a sweet tooth, you can also take a baking workshop in Versailles to learn how to make the most traditional French pastries under the guidance of a professional chef. It’s located in an easily accessible part of the city and you’re sure to have a brilliant time. If you’d like to try this experience, book your place here.

Bon appétit!

The Palace of Versailles app is free. You can download it onto a tablet or your phone, giving you access to an audio guide for the palace and gardens, as well as an interactive map of the entire Versailles site.

The audio guide is available in 12 languages (including Spanish) and can be used offline, making it perfect for the journey to Versailles.

Once there, it can help you decide on your itinerary: it contains information on fascinating facts beyond the official tour, such as the trees of the Trianon and two audio tours for children (they’ve adapted the tour of the gardens and musical fountains for younger visitors).

It’s a free and very useful resource to help you learn more and delve deeper into the history of the Palace of Versailles. A well-thought-out treat that can enhance your travel experience. I highly recommend it.

A promise is a promise: if, despite wearing comfortable shoes, you need to take a break during your visit to Versailles, here’s one of those tips to help you rest and catch your breath.

And the organisers make it very easy for you: to visit the gardens, the Petit Trains are available. This is a little train that runs sightseeing tours
a little train that runs sightseeing tours through the gardens, connecting the different buildings on the tour.

The Petit Train stops at the Château, the Trianons, the Canal and the gardens. You can use it to get from one place to another and see everything the gardens of Versailles have to offer, or simply to sit down for a while and enjoy the view whilst you rest.

Useful information

• Timetable: The Petit Trains run very frequently, every 15 to 20 minutes. You can hop on and off as you please.
• Price: Approximately €8. Includes an audio guide in 10 languages (yes, including Spanish) from €5.
• Route: The train runs from the North Terrace of the Palace to the Petit Trianon. It then heads to the Grand Trianon and continues to the head of the Grand Canal.
• Suitable for children?: Absolutely! Visiting Versailles with children is a great idea.

In the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, every Saturday in summer (from early June to late September) between 8.30 pm and 11.05 pm, there is a stunning music and light show: Les Grandes Eaux or “Grandes Eaux Musicales”.

Lights are projected onto the garden fountains and the groves of trees, illuminating this unique setting. The choreographed water jets and lighting effects are not to be missed. The evening ends on a magical note with a fireworks display. It’s the perfect way to enjoy the beauty of the gardens.

I recommend checking the weather forecast before booking your ticket, as tickets cost around €30 and are non-exchangeable and non-refundable (even if it’s pouring with rain that night). However, entry is free for children under 5, and there is a reduced rate for children up to 17 or students.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Saturday evenings from early June to late September, between 8.30 pm and 11.05 pm.
• Price: Prices vary depending on the show, but tickets start from around €25.
• Suitable for children?: Yes, in fact it is an activity particularly recommended for children.

Visit Versailles in summer to fully enjoy the gardens and the surroundingsof the Canal. The high season in the Paris area is from May to September. Temperatures are pleasant (between 18 and 21 degrees) and mild, making it perfect for strolling and enjoying the scenery here.

What’s more, this is the only time of year when you can enjoy the open-air shows in the gardens, such as those I mentioned in the previous tip.

If you go in winter, the average temperature is 6 degrees. Northern France is a cold region, and many of the places to buy food within the Palace of Versailles grounds are closed.

This doesn’t mean the visit isn’t worth it, not at all! The interior of the Palace of Versailles is culturally rich, so you can easily spend the whole day exploring these rooms. The visit to the gardens alone will probably be shorter, but it offers a different perspective on this unique place.

I hope you enjoy these tips for your visit to a place as incredible as the Palace of Versailles. Have a great trip!