The palace of versailles is a royal chateau in versailles, in the iledefrance region of france. The palace is now a historical monument and unesco world heritage site, notable. The women in the life of the sun king by antonia fraser, ma. It is located in the department of yvelines, in the region of iledefrance, about 20 kilometres 12 miles. Ideally situated between his principle residence at saintgermainenlaye and paris, it was surrounded by woods that were noisy with pheasants, boars and. History of waldorf astoria versailles trianon palace. Once at versailles, bypass the long lines and head right in entry own expense. The representation of the palace in 1668 by pierre patel, with the newly designed gardens by le notre and the older louis xiii castle, helps us understand the stunning work ordered. Guillaume picon is a historian and specialist on the kings of france. Today, versailles is a wonderful memorial to three centuries of. Enjoy a stressfree way to explore when you book a smallgroup tour of the palace of versailles.
Palace of versailles tour from paris pariscityvision. When the chateau was built, versailles was a country village. The behindthescenes story of the worlds most famous palace, painting. Discover paris and versailles over two days with contexts expert guides. With over 67,000 square meters of beautifullymaintained decor in the 2,000 rooms of the palaceand surrounded by perhaps the most famous garden in the worldthis attraction. Initially constructed as a hunting lodge for king louis xiii, the royal familys love for the estate saw the movement of the royal court from paris to versailles in 1682 by king louis xiv, louis xiiis son. Book your tickets online for palace of versailles, versailles. Although the location existed for centuries before the sovereign, louis xiv developed a genuine liking for versailles early on, and decided to extend it beyond the chateau that had grown out of the hunting lodge of brick and stone first built by his father. Walk around the beautiful palace of versailles, and learn about its colorful history and culture sit back and relax in the airconditioned transfers from paris to the palace of versailles where your tour guide will be giving you an introduction about the history of the palace. Today the palace contains 2,300 rooms spread over 63,154 m2. The palace of versailles served as frances seat of government for just a. The peace of paris 1783 was signed at versailles, the proclamation of the german empire.
An absolute must while visiting the versailles palace is this one. Palace of versailles history from king louis xiii to. The palace would never again be a royal residence and a new role was assigned to it in the 19 th century, when it became the museum of the history of france in 1837 by order of king louisphilippe, who came to the throne in 1830. The buildings trace the architectural style of the 17th and 18th centuries and comprise. Versailles was built on and off from around 166, in a time when efficient sewage systems werent really a common thing, and versailles was built in a small, rural village, so it wasnt like there was an already established sewer system that the builders could have easily tapped into. The history and legacy of frances most famous royal palace chronicles the remarkable history of one of the worlds most famous palaces and tourist spots. Library of louis xvi more chateau versailles, palace of versailles, louis xvi, roi. Eventually versailles became a world unto itself, ignoring paris and the rest of france. A wellwritten history of the building and various remodeling efforts undertaken at versailles, this book managed on a several occasions to prove interesting. A half hour outside of paris, the palace of versailles is one of the worlds grandest historical museums. The palace and gardens that we see today are largely the results of his vision and persistence. The palace of versailles was the principal royal residence of france from 1682, under louis.
Its easy to get to the palace of versailles from paris, especially when you reserve your tickets in advance with paris city vision. Visit the palace of versailles in paris to witness its undeniable. Travel with your guide from a paris train station, or make your own way to versailles and meet them upon arrival. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about versailles like never before. Laurent salome is director of the national museum of the. Palace of versailles tickets, opening hours, and information. The sisters of versailles by sally christie, love and louis xiv. Catherine pegard is president of the public establishment of the palace, museum and national estate of versailles. It has hundreds of acres of magnificently landscaped gardens, more than 700 rooms, a large collection of french renaissance art, an opera house, and a 75meter long hall of mirrors lined with priceless statues and busts. The court of versailles was the centre of political power in france from 1682, when louis xiv moved from paris, until the royal family was.
In fact, the palace was constructed over a period of 50 years by the sun king, louis xiv. The story of versailles is one of high historical drama mixed with the high camp and glamour of the. The palace of versailles is the most respected and historic castle in france, built by the roi soleil the sun king, louis xiv who ruled france between 1682 and. Versailles stopped being a royal residence in 1789 when a mob marched on the palace and forced the king and queen louis xvi and marie antoinette to return to paris. Palace of versailles can be crowded, so we recommend booking etickets ahead of time to secure your spot. Versailles paris hotels waldorf astoria versailles. Below are 8 things to discover about the palace and its history before. Book this halfday palace of versailles tour that includes roundtrip train transport from paris, a skiptheline entrance ticket and an audioguide. Attracting over 8 million visitors a year, the palace of versailles is one of frances most popular tourist destinations. Francis hammonds photographs have been published in a day with claude monet in giverny, private houses of france, and historic houses of paris. What is lacking is a comprehensive introduction to the place, setting the scene and contextualizing it simply within world. This luxurious 17thcentury french palace is a masterclass in excess.
With the reopening of the queens grand apartment and new presentations of louis xivs rooms, the palace has exciting things in store for this years visitors. After reaching versailles by rer train, an informative guide takes on you a pleasant 2hour tour of the garden grounds. The palace from the seat of power to a museum of the history of france. He commissioned versailles palace and moved his court from paris to versailles in 1682. Visit the palace of versailles as a day trip from paris. This book gives you an inside view of versailles plus history. This illustrated book offers a potted history and some 300. However, i found the amount of detail on the actual construction of the palace to be, on the whole, rather meager. It was thus common to speak of the louvre palais in the heart of paris, and the. The palace of versailles is one of the most extraordinary achievements of 17th century european architecture.
I do believe it to be a wellresearched book, that examines the palace and surrounding. The vivid story of the creation, renovation, and enduring legacy of the. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. The young king louis xiv, wishing to consolidate royal power at versailles and displace it from its traditional seat in paris, undertakes ambitious construction that would last until the end of his life.
The events that followed helped shape the history of europe and of course was the start of the french revolution. Palace of versailles tour with audioguide from paris from 01 april to 31 october. This was published after the massive restorations of the apartments it shows some of the unfinished rooms. Explore the fascinating story of waldorf astoria versailles trianon palace. Palace of versailles 2020 all you need to know before. From 1682, when louis xiv moved from paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the court of versailles was the center of political power in france.
In 1789, the french revolution forced louis xvi to leave versailles for paris. See all 202 palace of versailles tickets and tours on tripadvisor. The great and hidden splendours of the sun kings palace is a sumptuouslypresented book with excellent colour photographs which give a clear picture of versailles charms, almost as good as an actual visit. Whatever it is you want to do travel by coach or by train departure paris center. Many thanks go to colin jones, basic books, and netgalley for the free copy of this. The history of versailles is inextricably linked with the figure of louis xiv. One of the places that attract the largest number of visitors visiting paris is versailles. From welcoming 1920s celebrities, kings and queens to the hotels military requisitioning during wartime. The books is divided by the time the palace was built until louis xvi and so on. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund. See all 203 palace of versailles tickets and tours on tripadvisor. A biography of a palace by tony spawforth goodreads.
Day 2 is an excursion to versailles palace for an indepth look at this lavish royal residence. Following his lead, his successors also wanted to leave their mark, adding extra features until the revolution intervened. The history of versailles palace is associated with the history of three french kings. Versailles gardens and versailles palace tour description in this fourhour versailles palace and gardens tour excursion from paris, we will join a historian to see the magnificent palace and gardens of versailles, the seat of the royal court from 1682 until the revolution. Musical fountains show at the palace of versailles. Made a member of the academie francaise in 1922, nolhac undertook a metamorphosis of the palace of versailles, transforming louisphilippes museum from the previous century.