Visiting the Palace of Versailles With Kids

Thank you to the Palace of Versailles for providing complimentary tickets for my family.  As always, all opinions are my own. 

The Palace of Versailles definitely earns its title as the world’s most spectacular palace.  Versailles was France’s royal palace from the late seventeenth century until the French Revolution and is certainly the most opulent building I’ve ever toured and the clearest symbol of royal excess.  A visit to the Versailles Palace was high on the to do list during our visit to Paris with our three kids, ages 3, 8 and 10.  Although it did require a trip out of the city center, we really enjoyed visiting the Palace of Versailles with kids.

A Tour of Versailles With Kids

The Palace of Versailles and its Louises

The Chateau de Versailles was completed in 1682 during the reign of Louis XIV.   The Sun King’s reign began when he was only four years old and lasted 72 years, making him the longest recorded monarch in Europe.  Louis XIV enjoyed Versailles as a primary residence for over 30 years until his death in 1715.  Because Louis XIV’s eldest son and eldest grandson, each also named Louis, both predeceased him, the Sun King’s five year old great-grandson, Louis XV succeeded him.  The reign of Louis XV lasted 59 years.  Louis XV’s eldest son (yup, another Louis) predeceased him , and so Louis XV was succeeded by his grandson, Louis XVI.  These combined six Louises each married a woman named Marie or Maria, except the Louis XV’s son, who married one of each.  The seventeenth and eighteenth century members of the French royal family were clearly imaginative when it came to names….

The Palace of Versailles remained the principal residence of France’s royal family until the royal family was evicted by royal protesters at the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789.  A few months later, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were famously beheaded in the Place de la Concorde. Versailles was opened as a museum in 1837.  In addition to its stunning Baroque architecture, Versailles includes 700 rooms, 5,000 pieces of antique furniture and 6,000 notable paintings.  Its estimated value is over $50 billion.

 

Getting to the Palace of Versailles With Kids

Versailles is about a 35-45 minute train ride outside of Paris on the RER train, which is somewhat more complicated to navigate than the Metro.  We found this guide very helpful for step by step directions.  We purchased round trip tickets for two adults (€7.10 each) and two children (€3.55 each) to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche at the Chatelet les Halles Metro station.  Our three year old daughter did not require a ticket.  The four of us each received two tickets (one for our journey there and one for our return) and were careful to keep the two sets separate before we began our journey.  We traveled by Metro one stop on the B5 Metro to St. Michel – Notre Dame where we transferred to the RER-C.  The screens on the platform clearly identified the upcoming train schedule, and we waited for a train indicating a stop at Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche, Versailles Chat or Versailles RG (not Versailles-Chantier or Versailles-Rive Droit).  By the time the train to Versailles arrived at the platform, there was definitely a crowd of waiting tourists.

Once we arrived at the Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche station, we crossed the street at the pedestrian cross walk and turned right onto the pedestrian pathway leading to the Palace.

 

A Family Visit to the Palace of Versailles 

Although Sunday is typically the most crowded day at Versailles, it was the only day that worked on our Paris itinerary for us to visit.  Our day at Versailles also happened to be the hottest day during our time in Paris.  We arrived at about 10 am and were amazed at the length of the line to purchase tickets and also the security line, which was about two hours long and without shade.  Although the Royal Gate, which is decorated with 100,000 gold leaves with the Palace behind, is a breathtaking sight, we were very grateful to have expedited entry on this hot morning.

Strollers are not permitted in the Palace, so we checked our daughter’s stroller at the free left luggage facility and then proceeded into the Palace where we picked up free audioguides (available for guests ages eight and over only) on the way into the Palace where we immediately ran into a costumed Louis XIV and his entourage.  The Palace was extremely packed.  Although not quite the shoulder to shoulder crowd that we found in the Vatican Museums, it was challenging at times for the five of us to stay together and to focus on the informative audioguide while absorbing these incredible rooms.  My three year old daughter asked to be carried at times, but the knowledge that princesses had lived in the Palace held her interest, and she enjoyed wandering from room to room.

My favorite room in the Palace was the Hall of Mirrors, which is 236 feet long with 17 arched windows and 17 beveled mirrors.  I imagined Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s basking in the glory of this room during their wedding reception as I walked through the Hall where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919.

• Pro-tips:  Book a guided Palace of Versailles tour to skip the security line.  Free Wifi is available in the courtyard and in the entrance to the Gardens but is spotty.

The Gardens of the Palace of Versailles With Kids

It’s no surprise that Louis XIV considered the Gardens as important as the Palace.  The Gardens of Versailles are the finest  French formal gardens.  We enjoyed sneak peek views of the lavish gardens from the Palace windows.

The gardens near the Palace are a brilliant combination of color and carefully pruned trees and shrubs.  It would be a wonderful place to sit in the shade if benches and shade were more plentiful.  We enjoyed a nice stroll instead….

From the Palace, the Royal Drive stretches to the Grand Canal far into the horizon.  Groves expand out from either side of the Royal Drive in an elaborate grid.  Our boys decided to race each other down the Royal Drive to stretch their legs and returned desperate for water, so we headed to a snack area for drinks and ice cream.  In the meantime, my daughter stumbled on the gravel path and skinned her knee, and I discovered that I did not have any band-aids with me.  While she was reiterating that she needed a band-aid, a woman standing in front of us in the bathroom line reached into her handbag and offered her two.  Note to self: make sure to carry a stash of band aids in every handbag so that I can pay this kindness forward.

After picking up ice cream for everyone, we headed down a passage in search of a bench in the shade and were delighted to find just what we were looking for as the afternoon water display began.  The water display was part of the Garden’s Musical Fountain Shows, which feature over 50 water fountains accompanied by classical music.

The Fountain show was a spectacular combination of art, music, botany and architecture.

The Trianon Palaces and Domaine de Marie-Antoinette are at the far end of the Gardens, but we were too exhausted to make the hike. So, we saved those for next time….

• Pro-tips for the Palace of Versailles: The Gardens are massive, and the pathways are made of small stones.  Sandals are doable, but with the dust, I would have preferred sneakers.  Entry to the Gardens is free except when the Musical Fountain Shows or the Musical Gardens occur.

We definitely recommend a tour of the Palace of Versailles for kids.  Visiting Versailles and its unparalleled Palace and Gardens was a truly enchanting, bucket-list adventure.  It may have been a particularly tiring day, but one we will never forget.

Every so often, we encounter a place that is so fabulous for those traveling with kids that it is worthy of being featured on its own. For more fabulous locations, please check out our other Spotlight features!  Also, be sure to check out all our category of posts on Paris with kids.