Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(See “Versailles Château—Ground Floor & Entrances” map,
here
.)
This commentary, which leads you through the various attractions at Versailles, covers just
the basics. For a detailed room-by-room rundown, consider
Rick Steves' Paris
(buy in the
US or at any of the English-language bookstores in Paris listed earlier in this chapter) or the
guidebook called
The Châteaux, the Gardens, and Trianon
(sold at Versailles).
Stand in the huge courtyard and face the palace, or Château. The golden Royal Gate in
the center of the courtyard, nearly 260 feet long and decorated with 100,000 gold leaves, is
a recent replica of the original. The ticket-buying office is to the left; guided-tour sales are
to the right. The entrance to the Château (once you have your ticket or pass) is through the
modern concrete-and-glass security checkpoint, marked
Entrance A
. After passing through
security,youspill out into the open-air courtyard onthe other side ofthe golden Royal Gate.
Enter the Château from the courtyard at Entrance H—the State Apartments. Inside are
an info desk (get a free map), WCs, and free audioguides.
TheChâteau:
Theone-waywalkthroughthepalaceleadsyoupastthedazzling700-seat
RoyalOpera House;
bytheintimate, two-tiered
RoyalChapel;
andthroughtheglamorous
State Apartments.
In the
King's Wing
you'll see a billiard room, a royal make-out room,
the Swiss bodyguard room, Louis' official bedroom, his grand throne room (the
Apollo
Room
—with a 10-foot-tall canopied throne), and his war rooms.
Nextyou'llvisitthemagnificent
HallofMirrors
—250feetlong,with17archedmirrors
matching 17 windows looking out upon royal garden views. The mirrors—a luxury at the
time—reflect an age when beautiful people loved to look at themselves. In another age alto-
gether, this was the room in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending World War I.
