Paris and Versailles
As one of Europe’s most impressive historical sites, no trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the beautiful, wealthy and atmospheric suburb of Versailles. There is so much to see here and so much history to take in, it would be well worth setting aside a whole day to make the most of the castle and its grounds and to spend an hour or so wandering the delightful streets to see the rest of the striking architecture, being sure not to miss the handsome the Notre-Dame church in the centre of the town.
Once inhabited by Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, the Versailles Palace was at the centre of one of the most fascinating and most studied periods in French history, leading up to the French Revolution. The peculiar idiosyncrasies of each monarch who lived here can be seen throughout the castle. For example, the egotism of Louis XIV, also known as The Sun King due to his self-perpetuated associations with the Greek god Apollo, adorned most of the doors with his own special sun-like symbol in gilt. The main rooms of the King’ s apartment are dedicated to various other Greek gods, depending on the function of the room, and this is shown by the spectacular painted ceilings, depicting the deities in their divine surroundings.
In the Queen’s apartment is the door through which Marie-Antoinette attempted to escape on June 21st, 1791, and to be able to imagine such pivotal historical events in this most regal and spectacular of settings is an experience not to be missed. The Queen’s Estate is a half hour walk through the expansive gardens, so pick a day when the weather is fine to be able to make the most of the scenery and get a sunlit view of the castle from the imposing promenade.
Such a grandiose tourist attraction, inevitably, does not come cheap, but there are ways to save on costs. The hotels in Versailles are notoriously expensive and it is much cheaper to stay in the centre of Paris itself and take the metro line C from Les Invalides to Versailles Rive-Gauche station - a half hour journey. There are plenty of high quality hostels in Paris, providing many possibilities for inexpensive accommodation in all the central quarters. A good website to search for hostels and budget accommodation is HostelBookers.com, so make sure you take a look before you travel. Also, at the metro station itself, it is possible to buy a combined ticket for the train ride as well as admission to the castle itself. This will not only save money, but time, as the queues for tickets at the castle take around two hours on average.
Such a marvellously maintained jewel of French history is a must-see in Paris, so pick a fine and sunny day and make the most of Versailles in all its regal glory. For more on the palace, take a look at the official Chateau Versailles website.