Getting under the skin of Versailles Palace…
Just 16 kms southwest from Paris, lies possibly one of the most popular, most visited and grandest of all sites in France. Versailles. You’re shaking your head at the prospect of someplace over-crowded and touristy. Well, so is the Vatican. Is that your best reason to skip it altogether? You may say a palace is a palace is a palace. That’s BEFORE you get under its skin. BEFORE you dive deep into its soul. BEFORE you know all the fascinating secrets that make Versailles, Versailles!
Leaving the crazy morning traffic behind, the forested expanse that starts from the outskirts of the French capital will hold you in its embrace all the way till you disembark at the main gates of the Palace at Versailles. The gleaming 24-karat trimmed facade blinds you and the over-the-top extravagant facade dwarfs you into non-existence. Can you believe that this was a simple hunting lodge that Louis XIV, the Sun King had fallen in love with as a young boy. A love intense enough for him to invest 25 years in expanding, embellishing and transforming it into this monumental creation that spreads over 15 acres.
Your worst nightmares may surface as you move from one crowded room to the other, overflowing with heavy ornamentation, oversized paintings, frescoed ceilings and delicate sculptures. You’re struggling in queues to take pictures. Straining to hear your guide over the noise. But refocus and you’ll be fine. You’re privy to some of the 2,300 rooms where 3,000 to 10,000 courtiers used to be housed and entertained daily. Think rigid etiquette, power play, high intrigue, conspiracies and murder plots. Think sky-high coiffures, priceless jewels, lavish gowns. Think endless card-parties, banquets, and masquerades. Crowd-jostling? Pales in comparison, doesn’t it? But if you still want it all to yourself, here are some tricks.
Unthinkable that a palace as resplendent as Versailles, once used to stink! Blame it on the myth of waterborne diseases. Hundreds of silk-clothed courtiers packed into Versailles doused perfume instead of bathing regularly. All over the palace, several bowls were placed filled with flower petals to sweeten the air; and perfume was sprayed onto furniture. Even the fountain’s water was scented with perfume. The French court was known as the Perfumed Court. If Nina Ricci, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, or Coco Chanel had been supplying perfume bottles to the court, what kind of inventories they would have had?
The most celebrated section of the palace is the Hall of Mirrors where seventeen mirror arches face seventeen huge windows overlooking the park. What a wondrous space it would have been during the balls…20,000 candles and glittering chandeliers transforming it into a 240 feet-long corridor of light. Marvel at the brilliant workmanship of the Venetian glassmakers and think of the scandal shrouding them. Apparently, the French convinced some Venetian artisans to defect and make the mirrors for the great hall. Later, the Venetian government ordered the assassination of the treacherous artisans. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the ugliest of them all??
Brace yourself for the best part that awaits outside the Palace. The massive Versailles gardens actually need weeks to explore, but stuff in what you can, while you can. Thousands of men, even whole regiments got together to bring the dream of Louis XIV to reality over 40 years. 200,000 trees, 50 fountains, over 200,00 flowers are still planted annually to keep it magnificence intact. The sheer scale of the gardens is jaw-dropping, let alone the beauty of its perfection. Enormous manicured lawns, structured forests, sculptured hedges and topiary cones fill the vision. There are miles of labyrinthine complexity everywhere, punctuated by statues and fountains. Stand facing the grand vista of the sweeping slope down to the mile-long Grand Canal. The stunning Fountain of Apollo glistens in all its gilded splendour.
On a bright sunny day like today, in the 16th-17th centuries, courtiers would have spilled out on the grounds, mingling and conducting their business dressed in their silk tights, velvet gowns, powdered wigs and high heels. (Men of status sported high heels to look taller). Louis XIV himself was a shoe collector and trend setter and wore his trademark red heels to look taller than his five feet, four inches. In the Grand Canal, Venetian gondoliers would have glided by in gondolas and nobles would have rowed along in boats. Naval demonstrations perhaps? If the King was strolling in the gardens, the fountains would be turned on for his enjoyment as he approached, and switched off when he passed (since there was not enough water for all fountains to work at the same time). Times of royal extravaganza!
Stroll down the long shady avenue to the Grand Trianon, a smaller palace that Louis XIV had built for his mistress Madame de Montespan to escape the pomp and rigid formality of court life. The pink marble facade of the elegantly proportioned, single-storey palace is inviting. Its Italian influenced architecture blends in naturally with the geometrical French-style gardens. Apparently, Napoleon Bonaparte had the palace restored and lived here too, on many occasions with his second wife, the Austria-born Empress Marie-Louise. Can you feel their presence?
A short walk away, is the Petit Trianon and its park, the personal sanctuary of Queen Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI. Between its artificially created landscapes like the Rock, Snail Mountain and the Grotto, pines, larches, fir trees and junipers, she escaped the rigours of court etiquette. What a life she had, the 14 year-old child empress, once the beloved style icon of France, surrounded by myths and scandals all her life, which ended brutally at a public guillotine. Stare out of her bedroom window at the Temple of the Love with its Corinthian capitals and Cupid statue. No life is ever perfect, is it?
Move on to the nearby Hamlet, where she re-created charms of country life. Amble along the farm houses, the mill and the big lake, where she enjoyed languorous boat rides and fishing trips with her companions. Peek into the rustic farm houses where she lived with her guests. Vegetable gardens, banisters, wooden staircases, balconies adorned with earthenware flower pots, curved benches and cherry trees…it is still as idyllic as she enjoyed it, then.
After the French Revolution, when the palace was deserted, many of its furnishings were sold to help pay for the subsequent Revolutionary Wars. Napoleon restored Versailles’ glory when he decided to make it his residence. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Versailles curators converted many of the museum areas back into palace space, trying to show how they looked before the French Revolution. But today, even with millions of visitors annually, the revenue is not enough to cover maintenance costs. They say that Louis XIV built Versailles, Louis XV enjoyed it and Louis XVI paid for it dearly. Beyond the glamour and grandeur, is a palace with a legacy few palaces have. Enamoured enough?
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100cobbledroads.com 
So nice! I haven’t been to Versailles but hear so much about it. These photos are lovely. That little hamlet you describe at the end looks awesome! Something magical about old buildings, isn’t there 🙂
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Yes, you’re right. Old buildings and old places have magic that never dies.
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I’m the kind of person who’d get uneasy whenever I travel to such a touristy place, and I always think that Versailles is probably one of them. But seeing your picture, I suppose the castle is so huge that even though it’s touristy, you can’t even tell as the visitors are spread in so many corners. 🙂
I’m personally interested to check the personal sanctuary of Marie Antoinette. Did the place get you goosebumps when you visited it? You know, the kind of vibes when you visit a place and you think about it back when the notable people were still alive?!
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I didn’t get goosebumps, but I could visualise her in my head, as she would have enjoyed her solitude in many of the rooms. It was a lovely experience.
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It was a long time ago when I visited Versailles. Your words about the crowds brought it all back. I agree that the Hall of Mirrors must have been fascinating with candles flickering. I love to think about courtiers wandering inside the palace and through the grounds. It was interesting to read that the current revenue does not cover operating costs. It would be sad to have this magnificent palace closed or scaled back.
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Just makes one think of the irony…tourism can be so good and tourism can be so bad.
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I love the palace, I love the gardens, I just hate the crowds. Never go in July and August when all the tourists flock into town. I prefer Spring and Autumn to visit Versailles, so much quieter and can be prettier with the changing colours of the leaves.
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We went in October, Danik but the crowds were there then too. I wish I had pictures of our first trip 10 years back. You wouldn’t believe it was Versailles.
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I too love splendid Versailles Palace of Paris and its grand widespread parks. You have taken beautiful pictures of interiors of palace and as well as exteriors, also. Though I went in Spring, but it was heavily crowded at that time also.
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Actually this is the second time we went to Versailles. The first time, around 10 years back the crowds were very low. Things have changed a lot in the past decade.
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I visited Versailles long ago on my trip to Paris. I remember the hall of mirrors very well, and I also imagined all those lovely balls that would have taken place there, women wearing ball gowns, men dressed elegantly, dancing. I, however, felt that the highlight to the palace was actually their beautifully manicured gardens. How lovely, your pictures have captured the soul of the place effectively. I did not know about the palace stinking though, that’s an interesting piece of information for me!
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The gardens were my special spot too, while we were there. I could walk around for hours if we went again. Did you see the Hamlet?
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Such an amazing place. The Versalis palace looks stunning. Definitely, want to visit on my visit to France. Thanks for sharing.
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Hope you go and discover the magic of Versailles for yourself.
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I like to do some planning before going to crowded spots. But dont want to miss main attractions…they are popular for a reason! Versailles, especially the Hall of Mirrors and the gardens would be lovely to explore on a Paris trip.
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I feel the same way about ‘main attractions’ 🙂
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We have to thank Louis Philippe king of the French for preserving Versailles as a museum after the French revolution almost destroyed it. Nice write up on my favorite city, lived there 10 years,now west of France. Cheers
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You lived in Versailles…wow!
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Great post, Versailles is on my list of places I want to visit, I will definitely be using your tips.
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Have a great time in Versailles.
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I have just been watching the TV show on Netflix! I was thinking of going to visit soon and now you have confirmed I need to visit. All these famous places are always busy, but I still want to go. The palace, grounds and other unique buildings look amazing.
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If you are inspired to visit Versailles, i would strongly recommend you to go, despite and inspite of the crowds.
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Have heard and read a lot about this magnificent Versailles Palace. Truly it is one of those monumental creations of mankind that validates the unfathomable capabilities of human being. It’s façade is exquisitely beautiful. I must salute Louise XIV for building such an extravagant palace which still exhumes the artistic expression of bygone era.
Didn’t know that Nina Ricci, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, or Coco Chanel were supplying perfumes in those days. Loved the landscapes of Versailles Garden.
Cheers,
Himanshu
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The perfume story was a figment of my imagination, Himanshu. I wrote that perfume manufacturers would have had a ball in those days, supplying endless volumes to the royal court. 🙂
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🙂
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Versailles is one of our favorite palaces in Europe. The opulent interior and the landscaped gardens are out of this world. The Hall of Mirrors is truly magnificent.
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Yes, the beauty is striking. But my fascination lies more with the stories behind Versailles’ looks.
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I’ve visited Paris twice so far and have been giving a lot of thought to returning this time with my mom. I would love to take her to Versailles, seems absolutely stunning and loved learning some history behind the French Revolution and Napoleon’s restoration.
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I feel history always adds to the intrigue of a place. Enjoy your time in Versailles with your mom.
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I visited Versailles years ago, but need to go back now that I know so much more about it. I knew the property was expansive, but I can’t believe they plant 200K flowers each year! Also, I’m stunned that it used to stink given how elegant it is!
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These are the facts about Versailles which make it more than just another royal abode.
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I have heard of the court being referred to as the Perfumed Court before but never gave it much thought. I had an idea that it related to their love of using perfume, but not the reason behind it. Can you imagine a perfumed fountain? I loved reading this post!
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Thank you Janine! Stories like these bring places to life.
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I’ve always wanted to go to Versailles, but we’ve never had the chance. The gardens alone would be enough for me. They’re incredible! I’d love to know where you stayed.
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We stayed in Paris and did a day trip to Versailles. And what a fabulous day it was!
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What a wonderful place and so much to see 🙂
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True! A day is not enough
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Versaille certainly is one of the most impressive and complete castles in Europe – no wonder so many Royalties got inspired when building their humble homes 😉 I also found the size of the park quite impressive.
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Did you go recently?
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Wow, the Versailles look beautiful! Wish I’d have seen this post before we went to Paris!! Can’t believe we didn’t go
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Ah! There’s always a second time 🙂
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I’ve always wanted to visit Petit Trianon, but after the hubs and I got totally sucked into the Versaille series, and learning more about how it all began, I’m even more into going.
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Next time you can spend more time in the rest of the complex 🙂
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