Versailles, FranceHalf daySalı-Pazar Morning
Palace of Versailles
Louis XIV's royal palace with the Hall of Mirrors and vast gardens.
Ideal: Ideal for palace visits, history, architecture, and day-trip culture routes.
The hunting lodge Louis XIII built in 1623 became a 2,300-room seat of government under Louis XIV; the king moved the entire court and government here in 1682. The 357 mirrors in the 73-metre Hall of Mirrors were once there to show France breaking Venice's monopoly on mirror production. The treaty ending World War I was also signed in that same hall in 1919. Garden fountains could not all run at once because the park lacked enough water, so attendants whistled ahead of the king's approach and opened them in sequence.
Why go?
- To see French royal history and palace grandeur
- To experience the Hall of Mirrors and historic rooms
- To build a full-day route with broad gardens and fountains
Travel tip
The gardens are vast; allow time for them, not just the palace interior.
