The Palace of Versailles, first a home of French sovereigns and later a museum, is well worth a visit if you are near Paris. King Louis XIV set up his government and court at Versailles in 1682. Louis XV and Louis XVI ruled from this palace until the French Revolution in 1789 forced royalty to flee. The palace then became a museum housing art from across the centuries.
We first headed for the life-sized play village, Marie-Antoinette’s Hamlet. The young queen enjoyed donning peasant clothes and spending her days in this village, which is a working farm. Besides the crops grown here, you’ll also see goats and dogs (rescued from a shelter). It’s easy to see why Marie-Antoinette loved to “play” in this peaceful place. 
At the end of the day, the queen walked across the lawn to return to the Palace for dinner.
Today, the Palace welcomes visitors inside the golden fence.
You’ll see lots of gold, in fact. 
Some of the rooms of the Palace of Versailles house collections of paintings and sculptures depicting the history of France. The motto of this museum is “All for the glory of France.” 
The central portion of the Palace of Versailles has been restored to the way it was when kings and queens lived here. The chapel is especially beautiful.
I’ll confess that we moved through the Palace quickly, somewhat overwhelmed by all the glitz, and we emerged in the “back yard,” where we strolled around the gardens. Along with Marie-Antoinette’s Hamlet, these gardens were my favorite area. 
You can turn around and view the back of the Palace, of course, which is spectacular.
A visit to the Palace of Versailles is a full day’s outing if you want to see Marie-Antoinette’s Hamlet, the Palace, and the gardens. It’s time well spent, immersed in the history and beauty of France. 
If you missed the post on how to tour the town and the Palace of Versailles on a bike, you can read more here.
If you go:
For comprehensive information on tours, hours, prices, and history, visit this website.
The palace is open every day except Monday from 9:00 to 5:30. You can purchase general admission tickets online before you go to save time in line.
Prices: Palace tickets are 20 Euro. For days when the musical fountain show is in the gardens, tickets are 27 Euro.
The gardens are open every day for no charge.
Fat Tire Tours offers tours of Paris, Versailles, and Giverny. The two tours we have been on have been very well organized and the guides are fun and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this company.
30 Comments
The cottages are so gorgeous! And the flowers! What a place!
Amalia
xo
That architecture is amazing!!
Such an elegant palace and place to explore. I really like it.
Beautiful “little” village to play in and of course the palace is beautiful.
What a beautiful place! Absolutely stunning architecture!
At first rustic and charming and then full on splendor. It would be nice to play and then come home to the grandeur of a palace.
I didn’t make it, but our son did to Versailles. Yeah, the glitz is a bit much, even for Americans:):) Love the hamlets as well as the palace gardens too. Tickets on line would be much more pleasant than waiting in line! One of my son’s pics was about that subject – would b nice to avoid that:) Thank you much Sharon for sharing this experience with ALL SEASONS! Have a lovely week:)
We had a picnic there with the kids, they thought it was so crazy…(and it was, for her to build…) So pretty…
As much as I love doing DIY tours, spots like this in my opinion require a guide to instruct and inform you of what you’re seeing and what you should be looking out for.
Wow! Glitz is right ~ I like the village and gardens ~ Lovely series of beautiful photography ~ thanks
Wishing you a peaceful week ~ ^_^
So, so beautiful.. Love queen’s hamlet.. it’s look like fairy tale houses..
Please visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com
The idea of a life size play village for Marie-Antoinette is quite amusing. I did not know that this village was at the Palace of Versailles. I would have definitely visited had I known.
So beautiful. Great pics.
I hope I can see it myself one day! The gardens and the architecture are spectacular.
I’ve been to Versailles and wandered around its beautiful gardens but didn’t really visit this part #citytripping
I’ve always wanted to visit there – your photos are quite beautiufl
I want to explore more of France! Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos with us.
Beautiful photos! I loved the Hamlet. It seemed like a world away from the Palace of Versailles!
You went on a very lovely day! When I went it was right before NYE, it was cold and gloomy and Marie Antoinette’s play village wasn’t open. SO I’m hoping to go back one day! #CityTripping
The place is breathtaking, as are your photos. Thank you for sharing.
I had no idea about the little cottage. it is so very beautiful
Mollyx
I went this past summer to the Palace but never made it back to Marie Antoinette’s area. I’ll have to return to check it out. 🙂
I could look at these photos all day Sharon! It must have been absolutely breathtaking to be there in person. Thanks for sharing! #FarawayFiles
We ran out of time and didn’t go to the Hamlet, but now that I’ve seen your photos, I’m wishing we’d made the time. Beautiful! #farawayfiles
Versailles is truely a spectacular ‘hunting lodge’ and your gorgeous photos showcase Marie’s lodge beautifully. When I went to the Versailles exhibition in Canberra a couple of weeks ago I meet a lady who attended a Marie Antoinette masked ball that was held in the ballroom at the Versailles Palace. She travelled from Australia to attend the ball and everyone wear full period costume… how amazing!! I hope to feature her guest post soon… I can hardly wait. #FarawayFiles
So interesting to see the hamlet, I wasn’t aware it existed! I went on a school trip to the Palace and remember wondering around the beautiful gardens. An impressive place. I must revisit! Thanks for linking #citytripping
Beautiful photos! I only visited the gardens of the palace, during my visit but enjoyed it very much as well. I had not known about the play village then. #CityTripping
Wow Sharon those blooms are amazing. We’re off to Paris next weekend and sadly I dont think we will make it to Versailles but I’ve relived some old memories through your lovely post. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles
We did a Fat Tire tour in Barcelona also and were very happy with the experience. The guide we had imparted so much history in a captivating way. Loads of Fun.
Beautiful images Sharon! You are bringing back some lovely memories when my husband and I toodled the gardens of Versailles on our backpacking tour. We spent an hour on the grass near the hamlet drinking cheap French red wine and pretending to be peasants ourselves. Thanks for sharing with #FarawayFiles, Erin