When we started planning our trip to France, we were only going to Marseilles for a Mediterranean cruise. Then, my daughter said there’s no way you’re taking me to France and I’m not going to Paris. That’s how I felt about going to Paris and not getting to see the Gardens of Versailles. I had less than 24 hours to enjoy it but what a wonderful 24 hours it was.
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Explore France
If you love Gardens and French History, then the Gardens at Versailles is truly a MUST for the bucket list. I would think it’s a must even if you do neither, sorry, I’m biased.
I thought I was well-prepared for grandeur and opulence, but nothing really creates the total picture of the entirety of Versailles except feasting your eyes upon it.
There will be gold gilding, ornate structures, and fountains, everywhere. You will peer down a path in the gardens and wonder where it ends and along the way, find surprises, new endings, and more paths.
You will smile as you know you are walking where Kings once walked, you may even wonder, did they really walk or just have people carry them?
You may even feel sorrow for the human toll this treasure probably cost in labor, in poverty, in servitude, in danger, in resistance, and in revolution.
Yet, you might still be both in awe and abhor the extreme extravagance at the same time.
This map is not completely accurate of the tour below but does give you a good idea of what a simple tour through the gardens might look like. Depending on how long you take to wander and enjoy, it could be 1 – 2 hours and cover 1 – 2 miles while stopping at most of the major features in the garden.
A printable tour that might be helpful is found here at gpsmycity.com Self-Guided Versailles Gardens Tour
Waldorf Astoria Versailles Trianon Palace
We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Versailles Trianon Palace, known for its famous guests and role in the Treaty of Versailles. If that’s not enough to make you want to stay there, I could give you 10 more reasons but let’s stay focused and I’ll suggest it also for the back-door entrance to the gardens.
1 Easy Way to Get a Free Hotel Stay
The hotel is located next to Grille De La Reine and there are guards as you enter. They were especially helpful to me, as I had asked at the hotel’s concierge about the best way to hurry and get to the Palace for our appointment time but then, second guessed the answer I was given. My way worked better, and the guards confirmed it. Shout-out to Google Maps!
Immediately cross over and turn down Allee des Moutons which takes you right to Avenue de Trianon and the Neptune Gate. Again, you’ll be greeted by guards that will want to see your tickets on days that fees are required. Just my luck, my one day there was a fee day.
If you decide to do your own tour, here’s another handy resource. An interactive map that works on smartphones and tablets.
Touring the Gardens of Versailles
Our first stop – The Orangery (Orangerie du château de Versailles). It is filled with Orange trees from Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as well as, lemon, oleander, palm, and pomegranate trees. Some of the trees are over 200 years old. Over 1,000 trees and bushes are held in containers which can be moved inside the gallery beside it during the winter.
You can see the Lake of the Swiss Guards in the distance.
Peer down the Allée de Bacchus et de Saturne from the Hundred Steps
Through the Parterre du Midi
Pass the Enfants Aus Dauphins in Parterre d’Eau
And Le Rhône
Head towards the L’escaliers de Latone (Latona Stairs)
Palace of Versailles Tickets and Tours
OUR FAVORITE TRAVEL TIPS & RESOURCES
We know how important it is to save money so we can have more to spend on the things we love.
Here are our favorite travel resources for saving money and planning your trips.
- Booking Flights: To compare flights and set price alerts, search on Google Flights or Momondo.
- Accommodations: We typically stay in mid-range or boutique hotels with loyalty programs. That way we earn ourselves free stays to help extend our vacations and getaways for free. Learn more about earning your free stays here. For vacation rentals, we prefer to book using VRBO (for the lower fees and better support than Airbnb, sorry, we’re not big fans of the alternative) You can also book vacation rentals on Hotels.com.
- Travel Insurance: We feel pretty strongly about this, travel insurance is a MUST for international trips, and if you still aren’t sure why, check out our Travel Horror Stories. We recommend comparing your options with Squaremouth , learn more here.
- Local Attractions: We utilize memberships to help us see more when we travel. NARM members get free or discounted access to reciprocal member Art museums, Arboretums, Historic Sites, and Nature Centers throughout North America. AHS reciprocal membership includes gardens throughout the U.S. and Canada. ASTC membership gives reciprocal access to Science Centers and Museums. America the Beautiful National Parks Pass allows entry into National Parks for $80 annually. You could spend less than $300 for all 4 memberships depending on your local museums and have access to hundreds of museums, parks, and gardens. Memberships often pop up on Groupon so always look there first.
- Save more with loyalty programs, read how to get more free flights and hotels here.
Ready to Wander?
Try one of my favorite resources!
2 thoughts on “Enter The Gardens of Versailles – A Photo Tour”
Omg! Your photos! Every single one of them! Amazing!!! Looks like my list of places to travel just keeps getting longer and longer! Haha
Those gardens are truly majestic! We were there a few years ago and that place is amazing!