Visiting Versailles #ricksteveseurope

Visiting Versailles #ricksteveseurope

While today’s crowds are tourists,
300 years ago this courtyard was a very different scene.
The palace hosted nobles — thousands of nobles — each with an entourage.
They’d buzz around from games to parties to amorous rendevous in their sedan-chair taxis.
Imagine servants scurrying about delivering secret messages and
roast legs of lamb. And it’s crowded to this day.
Smart travelers avoid weekends, come late in the day, and
use a museum pass to skip the ticket lines. The Palace of Versailles was the
residence of the king and the seat of France’s government 
for a hundred years. It’s a long series of lavish rooms,  
each with its own theme, and with every inch sumptuously
decorated. In the late 1600s, Louis XIV — shown here
with his capable hand literally on the rudder of state — was creating
the first modern, centralized government. And, in order to personally control as
much as possible, he gathered everything here.

Visiting Versailles can seem daunting because of its size and hordes of visitors. The online reservation system is a work in progress (book well ahead, and expect lines and waits even with a reservation).

Versailles merits a full sightseeing day. In general, allow 1.5 hours each for the Château, the Gardens (includes time for lunch), and the Trianon/Domaine. Add another two hours for round-trip transit, and you’re looking at nearly an eight-hour day.

Visit http://www.ricksteves.com for more information about this destination and other destinations in Europe.

*Check out more Rick Steves’ Europe travel resources:*
• “Rick Steves’ Europe” public television series: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show
• “Travel with Rick Steves” public radio program: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/radio
• European tours: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours
• Guidebooks: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/guidebooks
• Travel gear: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/
• Travel classes: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/travel-talks
• Rick Steves Audio Europe app: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-europe

Rick Steves, America’s most respected authority on European travel, writes European travel guidebooks, and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio.