Indian Chief Travel Guides

Versailles

Versailles, just to the south of Paris, is the site of Louis XIV’s gargantuan folly. From 1661 onwards the Sun King began to convert the small hunting lodge in the southwest of Paris into an enormous residence, which other royal houses of Europe then tried to imitate. The planning of the project was entrusted to the best master builders of the nation, the architect Louis Le Vau, the painter Charles Le Brun and the landscape gardener André Le Nôtre. (For hours, admission fees, etc., see here.)

In the famous Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors), a 70-meter-long hall, long rows of mirrors reflect the light from high windows which open onto a wide panorama across rolling lawns and coppices. The Great Appartments, the Gallery of Battles and a large section of the painting gallery are open to the public, without the obligation of a guided tour.

The wide-ranging park of Versailles is divided into two by the Grand Canal and is one of the most perfect examples of a garden à la française: the lawn areas are broken up by carefully placed groves and clearings; flowerbeds, fish ponds, fountains and stautes

In the park there are also some other buildings which merit a visit: Louis XIV built the Grand Trianon as a summer house whereas the Petit Trianon, a villa for Madame de Pompadour, and the Hameau, an artificial hamlet for Marie- Antoinette were not created until the 18th century.

Photo by Eric Pouhier