Must see attractions in Versailles

Amid magnificently landscaped formal gardens, this splendid and enormous palace was built in the mid-17th century during the reign of Louis XIV – the Roi…

The section of the vast gardens nearest the palace, laid out between 1661 and 1700 in the formal French style, is famed for its geometrically aligned…

Northwest of Versailles’ main palace is the Domaine de Trianon. Admission includes the pink-colonnaded Grand Trianon, built in 1687 for Louis XIV and his…

In the middle of the park, approximately 1.5km northwest of the main building within the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette are Versailles' two smaller palaces,…

Within the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, the ochre-coloured Petit Trianon, built in the 1760s, was redecorated in 1867 by Empress Eugénie, the consort of…

Part of the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, this mock village of thatched cottages, a pond and a photogenic mill was constructed from 1775 to 1784 for the…

The Grandes Écuries are the stage for the prestigious Académie du Spectacle Équestre. It presents spectacular Reprises Musicales equestrian shows, for…

In May 1789 Louis XVI convened the États-Généraux, made up of more than 1118 deputies representing the nobility, clergy and the Third Estate (‘common…

Versailles' Grandes Écuries (Greater Stables) are the stage for the prestigious Académie du Spectacle Équestre. It presents spectacular Reprises Musicales…

The gardens' largest fountains include the 17th-century Bassin de Neptune, a dazzling mirage of 99 gushers 300m north of the palace, whose straight side…

Oriented to reflect the sunset, the Grand Canal, 1.6km long and 62m wide, is traversed by the 1km-long Petit Canal, creating a cross-shaped body of water…

At the eastern end of the Grand Canal, the Bassin d'Apollon was built in 1688. Emerging from the water in the centre is Apollo's chariot, pulled by…

On the southwestern side of the palace, the Orangerie, built under the Parterre du Midi (Southern Flowerbed), shelters tropical plants in winter.

The Grandes Écuries (Great Stables) house the Académie du Spectacle Équestre.

Versailles' School of Architecture and restoration workshops fill the Petites Écuries (Little Stables).

This soaring statue of Louis XIV guards the gates to the Château de Versailles.

Main entrance of Château de Versailles.