Versailles, Paris

Versailles

The Palace of Versailles is located around 17 kilometers (10 miles) to the southwest from Paris. Ludvig XIV had it expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world. Originally it was just a royal hunting lodge. The Palace has beautiful gardens with many fountains, statues and colourful flowerbeds. I missed the flowers and fountains were not functional, since it was so early spring during my visit. The Palace has hundreds of rooms and the garden area is vast. It’s good to reserve a full day to see Versailles and a good pair of shoes. Visiting Versailles means a lot of walking.

The rooms of the Palace are full of paintings and other artwork. Halls itself are gorgeous with decorations from the floor to the roof. The Hall of Mirrors is a sparkling place with numerous large shining chandeliers. It has been renovated on 2007 and it’s in a really good shape. The Hall of Mirrors used to provide a setting for many ceremonies. The Treaty of Versailles that ended the World War I was signed in this hall. Grand appartements show how royals decorated their rooms at the time. There are a collection of seven rooms, each dedicated to one of the known planets.

Versailles

Versailles is definately worth visiting. The Palace and gardens are spectacular no matter if you like history or art. The Palace is in easy to reach by a car or a motorhome. Parking area is close to the entrance. If you are in Paris you can take a RER C train to Rive Gauche station. Rive Gauche is an end point and there’s approximately 1 kilometer walking distance from the station to the Palace entrance.