Versailles Palace & Gardens Full day guided tour, Shared, maximum 20, with the Domain of Marie-Antoinette, Gourmet Lunch & Fountain Show, from Paris
Versailles was the most splendid capital in the world during the 17th century reign of Louis XIV. Courtiers and diplomats came from all over Europe to admire the decor and curry favor with the king. Crowds are still lining up at the gates today, but our pre-booked entrance tickets will guarantee you direct access, and your friendly local guide will ensure you see all these rooms and halls have to offer.
You’ll hear about how the royal family was continuously on display, how they subjugated the proud nobles, and recaptured preeminence in fashion and art production from Italy back to France. Enjoy astonishing anecdotes about the lavish lifestyle of Marie Antoinette, and you’ll understand how uncomfortable she was at this public palace, preferring her private domains. Her excesses at Versailles failed to impress the French people, and in 1789 she fell from power never to see the palace again.
Upon completing your tour of the royal apartments, your guide will accompany you through the luxurious gardens of Versailles, the setting for promenades, performances, and pyrotechnics! Discover the amazing waterworks, still running to music today as they did in the times of the royal court.
After your morning tour, take the opportunity to dine like a king at the sumptuous new restaurant Ore, recently opened in spectacular 18th century salons at the Chateau of Versailles by renowned chef Alain Ducasse. Savor a delicious gourmet lunch and discover fine French cuisine. Alain Ducasse is world famous for his inspired cooking, combining fresh, local ingredients to produce timeless and contemporary dishes.
Then treat yourself to an afternoon excursion to the queen’s personal domain. During this three-hour tour you’ll visit the Petit Trianon, an exquisite private palace set in a luxuriant garden where Marie Antoinette spent much of her time. With your expert and entertaining guide, you have the rare opportunity to really make the period and the personalities come to life by continuing your visit into more exclusive areas. Upon leaving the main palace behind, explore the surprising atmospheres and art hidden in the garden’s many groves. Distance the crowds and access areas reserved for the private lives and loves of the royalty.
With a diamond-encrusted key, Louis XVI offered his wife Marie Antoinette an escape from the ritualized public life she found so suffocating. This key unlocked the small Petit Trianon palace, sheltered from gossip and criticism, where she could feel free. Follow in her footsteps, through her English gardens and into the place she called home. The furniture and decoration authentically represents the queen’s own taste and favored craftsmen. You won’t forget Marie Antoinette’s private theatre, a hidden jewel of Versailles, installed so the queen herself could star in popular plays applauded by her fashionable ladies-in-waiting!
Just down the path from the richly adorned palace, Marie Antoinette commissioned a replica rustic village, evoking Normandy with its thatched cottages and dairy herd. Here she appreciated the informal atmosphere and healthy air, and indulged in pastoral amusements.
Spend a full day exploring in depth the magnificence of the Palace of Versailles. Learn about the public and private lives of the royals, step into their shoes and discover their secrets. It is only by seeing into both sides of their life here that you can truly understand the tumultuous events that were to follow and lead to their ultimate downfall.
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