Inside The Palace of Versailles

The Gardens of Versailles are one of the most impressive and extensive garden landscapes in the world. They were created by André Le Nôtre, who designed a vast network of walkways, fountains, and ornamental lakes. Visitors can stroll through the gardens and marvel at the perfectly manicured lawns, the symmetry of the design, and the sheer size of the space.

The gardens are also home to several smaller palaces and pavilions, including the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon. The gardens are particularly stunning during the summer months when the fountains are turned on and the flowers are in bloom.

This picturesque hamlet was designed to look like a rustic village and was used as a place for the queen to escape from court life. Visitors can explore the various farm buildings, cottages, and gardens while learning about the agricultural and rural practices of the time.

Also Know: Top Hotels in Versailles

The Royal Opera House is a beautiful theater that was built for the royal family's entertainment. Visitors can take a guided tour of the theater and learn about the history of opera and ballet at Versailles. The theater still hosts performances today and is considered one of the most prestigious stages in Europe.

Must Explore: Opera House of Palace of Versailles

The Grand Trianon was built as a private retreat for the king and his family. The palace features a stunning collection of marble sculptures and intricate woodwork, and visitors can explore the various rooms and gardens while learning about the luxurious lifestyle of the royals.

You can Also Visit: Palace of Versailles Royal Chapel

The Petit Trianon is another private retreat that was built for Queen Marie Antoinette. The palace features stunning neoclassical architecture and was designed to be a place of relaxation and escape. Visitors can explore the various rooms and gardens while learning about the life and legacy of the queen.

Must Experience: Palace Of Versailles Hall Of Mirrors

When you walk into the Hall of Mirrors inside the Palace of Versailles, you're surrounded by a world of dancing images. Light dances off of crystal and gold, giving them a magical glow. Mirrors duplicate pictures everywhere you look, giving the enchanted impression of infinite space. You can see 30 bright paintings of Louis XIV's victories hanging from the high ceilings if you look up.

Below them, the walls are lined with 357 mirrors that show history and grandeur. Although it looked magnificent, the hall was rather functional, acting as both a route for the courtiers and a venue for extravagant parties.

When you walk into the King's State Apartment at Versailles, you're taken back to a time when things were very fancy and important. Paintings in the marouflage style hang in the Hercules Room and tell you stories of bravery and strength.

After passing through the fun-filled Diana Room, you enter the Mars Room, a serious Guard Room honouring the god of war. The Apollo Room dazzles with its devotion to the Sun King and peace, while the Mercury Room whispers mysteries of regal slumber.

You can see a beautiful mix of Gothic and classical buildings as you enter the Royal Chapel in the Palace of Versailles Inside. It was built near the end of Louis XIV's reign. Here, you can see how the tall windows let in a flood of light, making the marble columns seem otherworldly.

The chapel is devoted to Saint Louis, the royal house's ancestor, and it mirrors the splendour of Paris' Sainte-Chapelle. Within, the barrel-vaulted ceiling, a gem by Hardouin-Mansart, has bright paintings by Coypel, de La Fosse, and Jouvenet of the Holy Trinity.

Consider meandering around Marie-Antoinette's private rooms at Versailles, a haven from the opulence of the building. Surrounded by elegant Sèvres vases, Riesener's gorgeous commode captures your eye in the Gold Room, which is filled with treasures from a queenly past.

The carved themes of Rousseau reflected in Gouthière's bronze work evoke tales of royal romance in the Méridienne Room. Enjoy glimpses of her daily life upstairs in her private rooms that comprise a dining room, a bedroom, and a billiard room. You will be impressed to know how The Maison Pierre Frey has carefully recreated the original beauty of each room.

Set out on a royal adventure through the King's Apartment at Versailles, a place where luxury rules and history murmurs. You can enter the private haven of Louis XIV, which is decorated with priceless works of art in the Marble Courtyard and the Royal Courtyard. Discover new chambers, ranging from dining rooms to scientific exhibits, and experience the magnificence of Louis XV's expansions.

Admire the masterful, regal-style woodwork by Jacques Verberckt in the bedroom. See the Clothes Cabinet, an artefact of the opulence that existed before the Revolution. Explore the starry dance within the unique clock in the Astronomy Room.

Enjoy the luxury of the Queen's Apartments at Versailles, which have a view of the beautiful Midi Parterre. You can go through chambers that are a reflection of the King's State Apartments' elegance. The Bedchamber, which is the queen's main living space, tells stories of royal sleep and morning meetings.

Then, you can enter the lords' chamber, where gilded canopies frame the room for stately gatherings. Admire the lavish details reflected in the Bleu Turquin marble accents. You can also discover the room where the queen's watchful guards once stood and take a trip down memory lane on the marble-lined Queen's Staircase.

Enter the magical realm of Madame Pompadour's Apartments, which are tucked away next to the private chambers of King Louis XV. Here, you can discover her opulent residence while enjoying views of the Marly woodland and the North Parterre. Climb up to the attic, where her historical and elegant domain awaits you above the Mars, Mercury, and Apollo Rooms.

You can explore four chambers that are connected by a large hallway. Tour the large chamber and boudoir to the west and her bedchamber to the east. You can enjoy the restored service rooms that provide a window into the past. 

Enter the opulence of The Dauphin and The Dauphine's Apartments, which are tucked away on the ground level with a view of the lovely Midi Parterre. You can start your tour at the First Antechamber of the Dauphine, which is now decorated with paintings which provide a sense of regal regency.

Check out the Dauphine's Great Chamber, once a guard room for Louis XIV's child, now filled with laughter from Maria-Josepha of Saxony and friends. You can take in the stunning images of Louis XV that grace the walls or discover the hidden chamber of the Dauphin.

Explore the charming apartments of Louis XV's daughters, which are in perfect harmony with the grandeur of royalty. These rooms were once museum galleries but then have since been lavishly refurbished. Here, you can see the decades-long, painstaking restorations that were finished in 2013. Pictures of Louis XV's ministers hang on the walls of Madame Victoire's first antechamber.

Admire the lovely Vernis Martin commode that Madame Adélaïde received in 1756. Admire Madame Victoire's second antechamber, with its charming window shutters embellished with icicles and dolphins. Discover Madame Victoire's grand chamber, which was once Louis XIV's Octagon Room and has been decorated to reflect the Mesdames' tasteful tastes.

Enter the Palace of Versailles' Historic Galleries and lose yourself in the history of France. These 19th-century galleries were designed by Louis-Philippe as a memorial to the golden era of French art. Even if the museum has changed, some of its grandeur still exists. See the Empire Rooms, which are decorated with Napoleon's commissioned paintings, or the Crusade Rooms, which resound with a passion for the Middle Ages.

Climb upstairs to the North and South attics, where history plays out from the Revolution to the Treaty of Versailles in chronological order. You can also explore the spirit of French history preserved in these halls, from battles to coronations.

You enter a room rich with contemporary French political history when you enter the Congress Chamber at the Palace of Versailles. Constructed in the late 1800s, the National Assembly and Senate continue to hold important sessions there. Statues of notable individuals such as Montesquieu and Descartes are on display in the vestibule within.

In this same room, you may see the French National Assembly's official seal, which is kept in the Seal Room. Created in 1875 by engineer Guillaume, this 150-kilogram instrument represents the power of France's legislative bodies.

Embark on a trip through France’s military accomplishments spanning 15 centuries as you enter into the Gallery of Great Battles at the Palace of Versailles. Admire the 33 paintings that cover the walls; they all show significant events, such as Napoleon's victory at Wagram in 1809 and Clovis' victory in Tolbiac.

Admire the precise depiction of dynasties that represent the rich history of France, such as the Carolingians, Bourbons, and Merovingians. Reflecting France's resilience and togetherness forged in the conditions of war, you can still witness how Louis-Philippe's vision endures to this day. 

When you walk into the Palace of Versailles's Crusades Room, you're surrounded by an ode to France's nobles of the Middle Ages. You can see Louis-Philippe's tribute to the Crusades, which is centred on the Rhodes Door, which was given by Sultan Mahmud II. Here, you can spot 125 paintings in the room, each telling a story of one of the eight major crusades.

You can witness the intricately carved entryway is crowned with a figure of Saint John the Baptist. Moreover, wall paintings by famous artists such as Delacroix and Granet take you back in time to a period of chivalry and conquering.

You walk into a tale of high ambition and unfulfilled plans as you enter the Africa, Crimea, and Italy Rooms in the Palace of Versailles. Like his predecessors, Louis-Philippe aimed to use art to immortalise his reign. The idea of a special "Louis-Philippe" room quickly grew to include several rooms that are linked to each other, such as the Constantine, Morocco, and Smalah Rooms.

Louis-Philippe's regime collapsed in 1848, bringing an abrupt end to these objectives despite efforts. The Crimea and Italy Room was the Second Empire's version of the Morocco Room, which only had the finished Battle of Isly painting.

You are taken back in time to the opulent reign of Napoleon as soon as you enter the Palace of Versailles' Empire Rooms. Louis-Philippe's tribute to the Empire is spread over thirteen carefully chosen rooms. These halls tell the story of a young artilleryman who rose to become the ruler of Europe and is adorned with paintings that Napoleon himself commissioned.

The walls are covered in paintings that show the successes and failures of the Empire by well-known artists like Girodet and Gros. You are further transported back in time by Jean Alaux's ornamental compositions. Amid beautiful Empire furniture and works of art from the imperial homes, Napoleon's legacy surrounds you in its glory.

You are immersed in a magnificent mosaic of history as soon as you enter The Coronation Room at the Palace of Versailles. It was a church at first, then the Great Guard's Room, and in 1833, it became a memorial to Napoleon Bonaparte. David's masterwork, The Coronation, which depicts the majesty of Empress Josephine's coronation moment, was previously displayed within these walls among other masterpieces.

David himself created a careful duplicate that you can see here presently, although it was eventually transported to the Louvre. In 1947, Versailles purchased it, realising Louis-Philippe's ambition of restoring the room to its former splendour. 

When you walk into the 1792 Room at the Palace of Versailles, you're taken back to a very important time in history. As the only remaining part of Louis-Philippe's tribute to the French Revolution, this room captures the essence of a world in change. It marks the start of a new era full of both hope and doubt with the fall of the monarchy in 1792.

Here, you'll find art by Léon Cogniet, Mauzaisse, and Henry Scheffer, capturing battles like Valmy and Jemmapes in their paintings. On the walls, you can find portraits of future empire heroes, with Napoleon standing out above the door to draw attention to himself. 

You enter a lesser-known period of history as you enter the Grand Commun of the Palace of Versailles. This building, which was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and built during the reign of Louis XIV, has seen many changes over the ages. Its six-story, grand structure, which echoes the Palace's architectural harmony, has a large inner courtyard with a pond.

Upstairs, there are apartments that each show the way people lived in a different era. The ground floor has kitchens, a chapel, and dining rooms. Here, you can discover secret pieces of Versailles' history by walking through its halls and rooms.

Tales of opulence and royal intrigue envelop you as soon as you enter the Countess Du Barry's Apartments at the Palace of Versailles. Once the residence of Madame du Barry, Louis XV's last mistress, these stately chambers radiate luxury. You can get to them from the King's Staircase, and they have a view of both the Marble Courtyard and the Stag Terrace.

From the entrance hall to the living room, every room is decorated with great care and has historical value. These rooms, once owned by Maria-Josepha of Saxony, widow of Louis XV's son, showcase Versailles' privileged lifestyle to you.