NEAR PARIS - France 2014 - page 318

11:00-12:00&15:30-17:30,pluslateMay-JuneTue11:00-12:00&14:30-16:00).Pay
at the entrance to the Gardens, unless you've bought Le Passeport—in which case
you've already paid (automatically tacked onto Passeport price on Spectacle days).
Onmostotherin-seasonTuesdaysyougetall-daymusic,butnowaterwiththe Les
Jardins Musicaux program (€7.50, April-mid-May and July-Oct Tue 9:00-18:30).
On certain summer weekend nights you get the big shebang: Les Grandes Eaux
Nocturnes ,whichpresentswhimsicallighteddisplaysleadingbetweengushingfoun-
tains and a fireworks show over the largest fountain pool (€23, mid-June-mid-July
Fri-Sat at 21:00, plus Sat at 21:00 mid-July-mid-Sept).
Starring: Luxurious palaces, endless gardens, Louis XIV, Marie-Antoinette, and the an-
cien régime .
Overview
Onthisself-guidedtour,we'llseetheChâteau(theStateApartmentsofthekingandqueen
as well as the Hall of Mirrors), the landscaped Gardens in the “backyard,” and the Tri-
anon Palaces and Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, located at the far end of the Gardens. If
your time is limited or you don't enjoy walking, skip the Trianon/Domaine, which is a
30-minute hike from the Château.
Self-Guided Tour
(See “Versailles Château—Ground Floor & Entrances” map, here . )
Thiscommentary,whichleadsyouthroughthevariousattractionsatVersailles,coversjust
the basics. For background, first read the “Kings and Queens and Guillotines” sidebar on
here . 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 in the previous chapter) or the
guidebook called The Châteaux, the Gardens, and Trianon (sold at Versailles).