Photo: Myrabella (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Culture and heritage · France
Versailles with a private guide
A day at the palace of the kings of France and its gardens, without the entry queues. A guide tells the story from the Hall of Mirrors to Marie Antoinette's estate.
Paris · France
The experience
The Palace and Park of Versailles have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 and were the seat of the French court from Louis XIV to the Revolution. The palace is about 20 kilometres from central Paris, around 40 minutes by private car.
The visit begins with the King's State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors, 73 metres long, whose seventeen windows face the gardens. You then walk down into André Le Nôtre's gardens, with their parterres, fountains and Grand Canal, where a family can hire a small electric cart or a rowing boat.
The last part is Marie Antoinette's estate: the Petit Trianon and her rustic hamlet among lakes and trees, a quieter corner that suits children and a slower afternoon.
We book timed tickets and a private guide speaking Arabic or English, and suggest a weekday other than Tuesday or Sunday to avoid the crowds. The palace is closed on Mondays.
France
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