Overview
Begun as a hunting lodge and enlarged by Louis XIV into the largest palace in Europe, Versailles moved the French court out of Paris and set the model of royal splendour that others copied for a century. The palace, its painted apartments and the mirrored gallery face gardens laid out by Le Nôtre on a scale to match, with canals, fountains and clipped groves. It remained the centre of French power until the Revolution, and it is now a World Heritage site a short train ride from Paris.
Highlights
The Hall of Mirrors, lined with arched mirrors and chandeliers, runs between the King’s and Queen’s state apartments. The gardens stretch to the Grand Canal past parterres and fountain groves that play to music on show days, and the Trianon palaces and Marie-Antoinette’s hamlet lie beyond. A day is easily filled between the state rooms and the grounds, best begun early ahead of the crowds.