Castles · Tour

Versailles Guided with Trianon Access, from the Louis XIV Statue

Read the meeting instruction before anything else on this one: arrive 20 minutes early at the Louis XIV statue in Versailles, because late arrivals are treated as no-shows and are not refunded. The guide carries a blue Doooing Experience flag; search "Statue of Louis XIV Versailles" on Google Maps to find the spot. The guided part is the palace. An expert takes the State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors, with Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette and the daily rituals that ordered life at court, under the painted ceilings and the gilding. Afterwards the estate is yours. Free time in André Le Nôtre's gardens, among the lawns, fountains and sculpture, and from spring to autumn the Musical Gardens or the Fountain Shows run on selected days. The Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon are included, self-guided: the private retreats of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, where the court did not follow.