The main thing that makes Versailles Versailles is...

The main thing that makes Versailles Versailles is how big it is. The other thing is how expensive it all was to build and occupy. The unique thing is that it's all still here more than 400 years since it was first designed and occupied, and people who pay an entrance fee can walk in more places in one day than any of the original occupants, royalty or not, ever could. Of course, no one waits on us hand and foot. Instead we wait when it's crowded, and mainly walk, inside or out. Also the guards these days have bigger guns than Louis XIV could possibly have imagined, not to mention bulletproof vests, but this really does not interfere with the experience. Also, handheld audio narrators are free inside the palace tours, and it's weird to see attentive tourists from many countries and ethnicities walking around with "communicators," albeit one way devices. The asians have figured out you can hang it from your neck and plug in your headphones, but I didn't see any bluetooth devices.
I liked the gardens more than the rooms, but the best gardens are only available with a paid admission. There are much larger forests outside the palace gardens, but not so developed. The water show was cool, but a long walk from the gates. The gardens were mainly designed as outdoor venues for entertainment, and so most of the trees are behind lattice work--an interesting arrangement. Music plays in a number of the different spots.