We had enjoyed a busy itinerary of activities and sightseeing around the city on our first full day in Paris. The next day, we planned a day trip to see the Palace of Versailles.
Getting to Versailles was fairly straightforward. We took the Metro from our hotel and then transferred to the regional RER train toward Versailles Château Rive Gauche station. From there, it was about a 15 minute walk to the palace. In total, it took just over an hour to make the 19 kilometre trip out of Paris.
The opulent Chateau de Versailles was constructed in the 17th century as a royal residence for King Louis XIV. The site began as a simple hunting lodge built by Louis XIII in 1623 and was later expanded into the beginnings of a palace by Louis XIV from 1661 to 1715. Louis XIV eventually moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France.
The royal family and the capital of France returned to Paris in 1789, and following the French Revolution, the palace was largely abandoned and its contents emptied. Napoleon I later used Versailles as a summer residence from 1810-1814 but did not restore it. It was not until the 1830s when repairs were initiated and a museum of French history was installed within.
Today, the palace and adjacent park are designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been used for modern political and ceremonial functions.
The most impressive and emblematic room in the palace is the Hall of Mirrors, with its grandiose hall and adjoining salons intended to illustrate the power of the absolutist monarch Louis XIV. By the time we arrived, the room was packed like sardines, so it was impossible to capture a decent unobstructed photo. It’s probably best to get here on an early weekday morning if you want to appreciate it without the crowds.
Tired of being jostled around indoors, we went back outside to tour the palace gardens. These expansive grounds were renovated in 1661 under the reign of Louis XIV and apparently the garden needs to be replanted every 100 years to maintain its design. I was expecting more floral arrangements but I guess we were visiting too early in the season.
We felt that we had seen enough after a couple hours so headed back to Paris. Along the way, we stopped for lunch at the finest international dining destination – McDonald’s – to satisfy my craving for a McChicken sandwich (or is it McPoulet)?
Upon our return to Paris, we went back out to Le Marais where we’d gone on our food tour and revisited Mi-Va-Mi for falafels.
And for dessert, we returned to Boulangerie Murciano for cigar pastries.
That was a wrap on our third day in Paris. Next up, a day trip to Giverny to see Monet’s House.
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