European leisure France (le palace evenements, spectacles , le queen) Review

Palace of Versailles.
Protip: BUY ONLINE, PAY TO SKIP THE LINE. Bought from the machines when we got there then waited in a long, winding line for 2.5 hours..

Bring walking shoes! This palace has a lot of rooms to see and there's a garden to gaze at as well. The souvenir store has items such as Versailles notebooks, history books, mugs, themed candy, post cards, clothing, calenders, etc. Go early as possible to have the place to yourself. People will block the front of the rooms where roped. They also have a tour for groups. But I think you need at least 10 people.

One of the biggest palace in france with allot of history paintings art and an huge garden that take a full day to visit this palace

The inside is alright, but the farther outside areas by the water are spectacular.

The palace and gardens are spectacular, something you have to see at least once. Now if you do decide to go, try to go on a Sunday and arrive about 30-45 minutes before they open so you aren't waiting in a giant line just as it opens up.

The Palace of Versailles is a "must visit" when you are in France.

Very detailed and well preserved. The history of the monarchy in france made a picturesque to tourists having the castle to bring us the feel of the old times. Made me appreciate the european/parisian architecture even more and the intricacy of its detail made the experience and long walk worthwhile.

Palace of the riches, in the rich town of Versailles. Must visit. Avoid weekends if you dislike crowds.

One can spend all day here. There is a train/shuttle that will take you to various locations around the property. I wish I would have known this and would have enjoyed it even more.

This a breathtaking palace, grand and majestic, with beautiful paintings, the Hall of Mirrors will leave you breathless.

This an amazing place to visit and it's a must if you are visiting Paris. This is outside Paris about 22 kms away from the city center but well connected, so no problem if you don't have a car, we took the RER ( suburban train ) and in less than an hour we arrived at our destination.

Plan a whole day to visit this, there are a lot of things to see and be there early to avoid the long queue. Ticket cost is 18 add 2 and you can visit Maria Antonietta's Estate.

A palace built to showcase the wealth and power of France s Sun King, Louis XIV.



Courtly living.
Louis XIV made Versailles the hub of his kingdom the center of government and a place of court ritual where the French nobility were turned into slaves of etiquette. A new architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, added the splendid Hall of Mirrors, completed in 1684, as the palace continued to grow, its maze of corridors and staircases linking more than 700 rooms. Built in the grounds, the Grand Trianon a small palace clad in pink marble was a place of escape where the king could relax with his intimates. The Palace of Versailles served as a royal residence until the French Revolution of 1789 overthrew the monarchy. Today, it has a new vocation as one of the world s most visited tourist sites.

In my opinion the palace is not so beautiful or different that it is worth waiting 3 hours in line for (or paying for the fast track). The gardens are beautiful and if I understand right, you don t need to wait in line to go in, so it s worth the visit.

An amazing must see when you are in Paris. Just be sure to book your tickets in advance on the website of Versailles. This way you can select the visiting hour you prefer and avoid the hours long line to get in. With these tickets you will only have to wait for 20-30 minutes before you can enter the chateau. After the chateau tour take a walk through the beautiful gardens, you will be amazed!

Although this extremely important French tourist sight has been given great reviews, I would like to just say ....for the time, money and efforts involved, it has to be said that it is also one of the most poorly managed tourist sights in Europe at this time, signage is basically non existent... you have to configure where you want to go, and added to that big blunder... is that the personnel working here are absolutely not trained in the least for the hospitality trade.Plan a Spring or Summer trip there, and skip the rooms inside, and visit the wonderful gardens.....

Nice palace. It s a lot of walking and since corona it lost a little bit of its charm from my perspective.

What an awesome place! You must do it if you are visiting France

This place is out of control regarding size!

The place that really display the opulence the french monarchy had.

If you're visiting France you owe it to yourself to see it but be advised, the walking in this place, along with its garden is pretty heavy. Take your time and enjoy it

This was an amazing experience - walking through this palace. You need a fair few hours for the gardens and the palace.
Was amazing and will definetly be coming back during spring rather than winter.

Waste of precious time in Paris. Definitely overrated. The water garden is negligible and water dance is the simplest possible. The palace itself was not impressive either.

Amazing palace with unbelievable area and a huge number of statues

Nowhere quite like it, love him or hate him, Louis XIV was a visionary - among many other things

Great place of world history but horribly crowded with tourists... Must see but terrible )

What is amazing is the art, architecture and history - for that I would give 5 stars. But subtracted stars because there is very little crowd control on the weekends, and the people who paid for tickets in advance had to wait in a long line whereas the onsite ticket purchasers didn't have to wait in a 2hour long line in the sun without shade. Between 12:00-14:00 restaurants are full and can't accommodate the rush so it makes for extremely long waits. Many of the snack stands also end up running out of food from trying to accommodate the rush that cannot wait for a restaurant. The large tour groups have a sense of entitlement and will occupy and block spaces in the museum from anyone else trying to enjoy.

Beautiful palace and mild blowing gardens. Must see different fountain work

I give the gardens a 5 and the palace a 4. The gardens were truly incredible and caught me off guard. The palace was VERY crowded when I was there. Shoulder to shoulder people for the entire tour. Go early in the day!

Awesome book online and pay the extra for the guided tour tickets for tour on the right side

The Palace of Versailles is a truly impressive place, but even its 720,000 square feet do not seem to be enough to contain the crowds that come here.

This is especially true in the highlight rooms such as the Hall of Mirrors and Marie Antoinette s bedroom. It might be improved if they were to have some people posted to ensure civility in those areas (not posing for selfies for too long, keep traffic moving, etc)

The gardens and grounds, however, are even more spectacular than the palace, and they are so sprawling that they never seem to get too crowded, so those are quite enjoyable.

If you visit, make sure to pay for the gardens, and also expect long lines (even if you get a timed entry passport, but the line will be about half as long, unless you show up 30 minutes before opening time, in which case there was very little line for timed entry.) Also, don t forget to visit the nearby estates of Grand Trianon and Petite Trianon Marie Antoinette s hamlet there is quite interesting and relaxing.

The pinnacle of French royalties displaying their wealth and power away from the Paris palace (now called the Louvre Museum). This place was constructed because Louie XIV felt the Paris Palace was too small for him, and he also did not want any Parisian protests to affect his getting around, so he began to expand this hunting lodge into his new palace. Opulence is not adequate enough to explain this place. Just to walk through all the wings and chambers, one can feel the grandure even today, imagine when this place was built?!?

The gardens are another highlight; it's so massive, people can easily get lost in there. Most tourists only walk around the fountains, and that's it, but remember, the gardens were built to show the power the "Sun King" has over his people. There were instances where peasants would get lost in the gardens for days, and they kept on walking with no end, they were tired and thirsty, only to find a golden statute of Louie XIV standing in the middle of a fountain, where the lost wonderer could get a few sips of water and ponder how can anyone build this statute in the middle of no where. This shows absolute power over his people, and the garden is a sign for that.
So if you come here, don't stop after you are done with the palace, and don't stop after the fountains, the garden is where you want to spend the most of your time.

Booked our tickets beforehand and was very glad we did as queue was really long and it would have been an extensive wait. Unfortunately not all the rooms were open to visitors as the palace is still being renovated but worth the visit even so. Really enjoyed our day - house and gardens really amazing. Well worth a visit.

Highly recommend taking the guided tour, which gives you access to rooms the general public doesn't get to see.

Palace of Versailles is worth to visit one or two times but the garden...no words to tell how I am impressed especially with aside part in front of the lake. Loved it.

WE got there at about 12 pm and it was a long line of people waiting to get in. It took less than 1 h our and 30 min to pass the entrance. Once in we passed through the security check and after that all the people spread through the palace.
The rooms are all most of them beautifully decorated and the halls also. My favourite is the hall of mirrors.
Visiting the palace didn't take too long, max 1 hour.
Leaving the palace went into the gardens. Amazing view even though it wasn't at its best at the time we were there (no flowers and no running water in the fountains).
Relaxing atmosphere with v classical music in background.
Highly recommend!

We really enjoyed a long walk around the grounds. We completely bypassed the main building and focused on walking the extensive gardens throughout the site. Be sure to get to the gardens in the northeast portion of the site.

Truly a magnificent place, the paintings and historical buildings

A total must see and if you can take two days. You will be walking for miles. And there is so much to see.

Very long waiting times avoid it if your short on time. The trip will be a day long if you intend to go. The palace has very less original entique on show but has very nice audio devices.

Stunning palace and gardens. If you bring food you will have to check the bag into the cloakroom (free) while you are inside the palace, but you can bring it into the gardens. To get a fuller experience you can either borrow an audioguide from the desk, or download the app for the palace which has the audio guides plus other things such as maps of the palace.

The palace is superb and fantastic place to visit. The kings and queens of France used to reside here before 1789. Tourists are allowed to visit 95% of the palace. Knowledgable guides give mind blowing info about the place

Only do the main palace once the petite Trianon is where it's at.

The gardens are a must! Queen's Hamlet is one of it's kind, attached a pic of the same.

Unbelievable historical palace which everyone need to visit it

Bypass the chateau and enter the gardens for free!! Spend your day in a rowboat on the lake, biking on beautiful trails, sitting in an outdoor cafe sipping espresso or having a picnic by the lake. Bring in a lunch or buy a sandwich from the eateries and you will enjoy it so much more than being herded past rooms of furniture with a 100 people taking pics of the ceilings!! Tickets are easy to buy either online or at a kiosk however, we arrived at 11:30 to find a 2 hour wait. We got out of line and spent the day having so much fun in the expansive gorgeous garden in back. Around 4:30 we got back in line for a 30 min wait to see the chateau. My husband and I said "that's it" after 15 minutes Inside. Trust me, your better off in the gardens having a blast. Also, be prepared for long lines to the restrooms. Perfect place to allow kids to play. A lot of walking with stairs to navigate. Doable for seniors, children and majority of people. Includes bike rental, golf cart rental and a scenic tram all very reasonable. Don't feel guilty about skipping the chateau.

Waited in the sun over 2 hours even tho we bought our tickets online, didn t seem to make a difference. No special queues for old and disabled people. Children were miserable waiting in line. When we finally entered, we were too tired to appreciate this place. Also the palace tour is small and the gardens were not up to expectations. All of this costed us 27 euros per person.

Such a grand palace. The rooms are huge and the portraits are countless and the gardens are just amazing really. But it might be a bit boring for people who dont know much about history but worth the journey!

Amazing tour of the French royal lifestyle. You kind of understand why the French people revolted, the amount of luxury in the palace is unbelievable.

It s best to go during summer when the sun is bright and the palace is surrounded by greenery, but it can get very hot and crowded.

This was the worst visit my wife and I have ever had!!! We came in from Paris and arrived at about 10am. We waited in the most unorganized line we have ever been in!!! People cutting in front of everyone, no organization at all. An hour later we get inside and go through some rooms with paintings. We looked for someone to point us in the right direction, but no one is around. We wanted to see the mirrored room and the daughters rooms. So we decided to visit the gardens. We go outside and finally see an information booth and ask how we can see the other rooms. We are told we have to stand back in the line we spent an hour in earlier!!!! We were so disgusted that we left. Did not even bother with the gardens. This was the biggest waste of time and money in my life.

Very huge palace & gardens. This is largest place I ever seen in my life. Very well managed. Main attraction is museum in mirror room & musical fountains.

Beautiful inside the palace and the amazing garden. To avoid the worst of the queues we pre booked tickets on line with a skip the line and audio commentary so we could go at our own pace. We booked the first time slot, 9.30am, so it wasn't so busy. By lunchtime it was packed but we were on our way out by then! For lunch we bought baguettes etc from a kiosk in the garden and ate them at the lake. 2 large baguettes, bottle of water + pringles = E16.

The garden was too big, the palace was too big, and I couldn't find the bar. The audio guide was talking to me more than my ex wife. Spoiler alert!!! This was the site of the real first purge where the owners got kicked out by the peasants.

I expected more , but you should come here in summer I guess

I originally left a positive review but on further exploration of the grounds and the castle, this is among the worst places I have ever been. Every piece of it is hideously ugly, including both the house and the gardens. And if you like me make the mistake of coming in the high season, it will be too crowded for you to breathe, let alone "enjoy" the scenery. I would not come back here if you paid me. This place is garbage. The gardens are a waste of time, the palace is a waste of time, skip this if you value your time at all in Paris. What a garbage heap. I can't say strongly enough: don't waste your limited time in Paris on this trash. If you want to see good examples of this style, check out the Louvre, specifically Napoleon's apartment.

Update: I also stepped in a huge puddle of piss in the restrooms, which is about how I feel about the whole adventure

The inside is incredible, but the gardens are even better! Get ready for insane crowds inside, and definitely buy your tickets ahead of time.

Make sure you get there early to miss the rush. Audio guides are very interesting and informative

The grounds are worth a visit even if you aren't interested in the palace.

There's a side entrance open if the main gate's line is crazy long.

They cover the statues in the Fall/Winter so be sure to check them out if you're there for the summer.

Didn't match the expectations at all, too boring, overcrowded. Although the gardens were beautiful, especially the night fountains show.

Wonderful place to visit. My advice: first, visit the Versailles Gardens and then visit the Palace, because all people want to visit the Palace, and the line is enormous !!! (Here doesn't exist "skip the line"). When you finish visiting the gardens, the waiting line for the palace, almost doesn't exist.

Such a well planned city. The palace has to be magnificent and it is alongwith the gardens.
Ensure that you keep a full day free.
There are long queues for entry so please book online. I have few photos ..have a look.
The garden has a train going around in case you get tired walking. Its at charge.

Just brilliant. Take the time to go round the whole gardens in the afternoon for the musical water displays.

Fantastic historical palace. A must see for all history lovers!

The appartements are sooooo crowed. But so beautiful. Worth it, just buy your tickets ahead to skip the (many) hour(s) line to buy your entry to the castle.
Also, it's hot. On sunny days, bring an umbrella to visit the parc. A must not to bake.

Amazing place, beautiful grounds. Bring comfortable shoes.

We came around 4pm, and by that time the lines weren't that long as lots of people were already leaving.
The audio guide was really good, you simply tell the employees what language, and it starts talking to you. You can listen by holding it against your ear like a phone or plug in your own ear phones, what is the best method.
The rooms in the main palace are a great piece of art, and sadly that is the focus. The guide barely mentions the king and his personal affairs or life in the palace, and mainly talks about the art painted on the ceilings and the walls. Some rooms don't have any furniture in it. I'm not an art freak so after the third room, I wanted to hear something else, as all the rooms are devoted to Greek or Roman Gods and the information is repeated.
My highlight were the queens chambers, because those rooms were furnished and the guide offered interesting stories about the sisters' personalities.
In my imagination the palace was much bigger, and the tour wasn't that thrilling.

AWESOME...especially nice for a day trip. The line/wait to get in was extremely long even though the ticket was bought prior to the visit. The experience was worth the wait though...I'd visit again

Awesome location. Very well maintained. Huge waiting lines for the palace though

Very crawded. Did not enjoy my visit the place is amazing though.

Beautiful and awe-inspiring. Highly recommended to book a timed visit. Toilet facilities inside the palace can't cope with the number of tourists visiting coupled with poor signage. Outdoor toilet facilities available, however, these are mixed which is quite surprising. I am unsure whether we just missed the sign. Wonderful to walk the grounds. Expect long queues. Perhaps visit later in the afternoon as cruise excursions tend to arrive quite early and they do arrive in droves.

Simply stunning a must visit if you got Versailles. Tip pre-book tickets for trip and try to go before the rush. Its at minimum, least a half day trip in palace and gardens. Wear comfortable footwear as well for the 'palace'trip.

The palace is huge and the gardens are much bigger. You could easily spend an entire day checking this place out. Very cool.

I really recommend to go to Versailles, too much history and a beautiful places, I falled in love for the gardens, totally amazing
I visited only the main palace and gardens and for me was really enough, because to know all the castle you feel tired, too much people and it's so big ( in the summer you can go later and enter in the gardens after 7pm for free) :)

The most decadent castle of all time. The initial visit is long and there are no furniture, I suggest to go at your own pace and look at the architecture. See how Louis XIV was ambitious in this colossal construction made of gold, marble and fountains.

Amazing amazing place to visit
Plan at least a full day to really experience the palace and the gardens
If you plan to take great pictures, visit early in morning on weekdays
They have free wifi and free audio guide translated to many languages

Beautiful palace but quite crowded and there were some rooms empty. My cousin said on the dining table, there used to be more utensils and dishes; it seems they have taken them out.

A must visit palace in Paris . beautiful gardens,great walking

3-hour queue in order to get in and get crushed by a stampede of visitors. The "musical gardens" are largely underwhelming and not worth the wait or the publicity. The "mini trains" which are supposed to take you from one place to the other inside the premises are very uncomfortable, very overpriced and not well organized. In conclusion, a rip-off and a waste of time.

Pay to see. Found the gardens more exciting than the palace.

We did not carve out enough time to fully appreciate everything this place had to offer. Easily could've spent a few days exploring Palace of Versailles. We purchased tour tickets in advance and it was well worth the money. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes, so much waking!

This place is so beautiful and massive! But omfg the queue is ridiculous! Recommend buying the time slotted tickets beforehand as we had to stand in the queue for over 2 hrs. Beware not many solo photo opportunities in the main areas, bring your own food and drink too as it's limited and thousands of people move through each day. Also toilets are scarce throughout the garden so go if you see one lol hope this was helpful. Walking shoes are a must, if you want to be cute, keep your pretty shoes in your bag until you need them lol
Truly a beautiful place to visit at least once

It was amazing and grand on a scale that difficult to imagine without being there. Yet it is so big that at some point you start to think, "Another giant painting of a king or queen with a bust of marble and fancy wallpaper... Next please!" The hall of mirrors, the chapel and fireplace rooms are quite amazing though and alone are worth the visit. Just be prepared to squeeze through many crowds to see them.

Really expected more. Buildings are beautiful however I was expecting more in the interior. And I expected to see more room from cooking area to baths. Go back tomorrow for grounds. Do it once if it's on your bucket list.

One time go for lovers of art. Scenic beauty with the tradition and country side view of France is worth exploring. Queue is immense and there is scope of managing the crowd well.

There is so much to see there. Please, do yourself a favor and break your visit up into at least 2 days. Also, if you want to see the garden, skip the tour where you can ride along. It's a waste, because they don't take you all the way through the garden.