Versailles day trip

The Gardens, Grand Canal, Fountains

Let’s take our tour of Versailles outside! A little picnic break with a minuet playing in the background is very welcome after such a busy morning. 

Welcome to the world designed by Le Nôtre, the master landscaper who had already earned his stripes at Château Vaux-le-Vicomte. With Colbert as his guide, he designed the property’s first French gardens decorated with hundreds of fountains and sculptures (by Charles Le Brun). Mansart put his own stamp on the grounds in 1684 with the Orangery: a garden with 1500 orange trees, lemon trees, palm trees and other plants oozing springtime aromas.

You’re in for a garden stroll like no other: there are surprises galore along the paths among the trimmed hedges, bubbling fountains, sleek ponds, clipped groves and endless views. There’s an air of romanticism and refinement. Every last bit of the perfectly symmetrical green layout is designed to exude royal power in a place where people would come to relax or celebrate. 

Next step: The Groves 

The groves are curious places: they’re little green lounges hidden by hedges to provide the royal entertainment with some privacy. We have 4 or 5 favourites out of the 14 groves in the grounds. Just take the Ballroom Grove where the Sun King would dance with his guests among the rockery, shells and burstone. The Queen’s Grove was a botanical garden where Marie Antoinette could walk away from the prying eyes of the many visitors. This unique grove is unusual for the gardens of Versailles in that it’s home to a wonderfully wide variety of plants that bloom at different times. Then there’s the Colonnade Grove, Obelisk Grove, Dauphin’s Grove and more. 

Next step: Petit and Grand Trianon 

After such a long time outside, let’s make our way to the Petit Trianon: the estate inspired by Madame de Pompadour came from Louis XV’s great passion for botany. The palace is also home to English gardens, the Queen’s Theatre and Temple of Love. The architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel was commissioned to build a large enough palace to house some of King Louis XV’s suite. 

The Grand Trianon is the older of the two palaces and designed by Mansart who described it as a “little pink marble and porphyry palace with delicious gardens”. The peristyle and its colonnades are utterly magical whilst the rooms couldn’t be any more sophisticated and stylish: Room of Mirrors, Room of Malachite, Music Room, Fresh Lounge and more. 

Next step: the Queen’s Hamlet 

Let’s end this royal day out with a change of scene and take a break from the opulence of Versailles in the Queen’s Hamlet. Marie-Antionette’s beloved hamlet blends several rustic architectural styles and stands near a lake. It’s home to houses and farm buildings: the windmill, boudoir, Queen’s house, billiard room, barn, working dairy, fisherman’s cottage and more. Did the Queen play at being farmers with her court here? Probably not but Marie-Antoinette did use it for walks and to host small gatherings! The working farm that once stood here served an educational role for the royal children! 

So many incredible stories and sights! End your day with a head full of golden memories and a little extra time in the Gardens to watch Versailles glow with gold under the setting sun.