Chateau de Versailles

The sumptuous Hall of Mirrors is haunted by the ghosts of the royal family, from Louis XIII to Louis Philippe—50 years of tragedies and fêtes in which the brilliance of the Sun King, Louis XIV, dominated. The gardens are adorned with hundreds of statues spread around some of the most beautiful fountains your eyes will ever see. Be sure to arrive in time for the fountains dancing to music, usually at 11 a.m. Don’t miss the pink marble Grand Trianon and the rustic Petit Trianon, so dear to the heart of the queen Marie Antoinette.
36,000 people were employed to build the palace. It was started in 1660 and finished in 1685 by Louis LeVau and Jules Hardouin Mansart. André Le Nôtre designed the gardens and in 1677, Louis XIV moved the court there. You cannot believe how impressive this palace is until you have seen it for yourself. Versailles is the most famous garden in the world. Yet ‘garden’ is scarcely a fitting description. The scale is monumental. Versailles was designed as a palatial centre of government for an absolute monarch—Louis XIV. It is resplendent as the prime example of the French baroque style. Walpole saw Versailles as ‘the gardens of a great child’. Avenues project from Louis XIV’s palace towards distant horizons, enfolding town, palace, garden and forest. There are immaculate parterres, great basins, an orangery, a vast collection of outdoor sculpture and some of the grandest fountains, which have ever been made, plus a grand canal. The park and garden were designed by Andre Le Nôtre between 1661 and 1700. The Grand Trianon, another formal garden, was built on the site of a former village. Versailles also has later additions. The Petit Trianon was given to Marie Antoinette in 1774. She favoured the irregular style, with hills, rocks and streams.