Château de Versailles is the Royal residence of King Louis the 14th and is one of the most popular and well known monuments in France.
Here we see King Louis the 14th in all of his glory. You can't not be impressed by a man with that much confidence to show off that much leg.
The residence is located in the city of Versailles, a somewhat posh suburban community about 20km from Paris. The original structure of the Chateau dates back to 1623 when king Louis the 13th built a hunting lodge on the property. The lodge was later expanded into a Chateau and was further expanded into a palace through several additions in 1661 to 1715 by Louis the 14th.
On average the site receives around 15 million visitors per year and line ups to get in tend to be extremely long. It's not uncommon for visitors to have to wait for 2 hours or more to enter the grounds which in my mind, isn't even worth it, if I am to be honest.
This will probably sound very pretentious but I personally wouldn't consider Versailles to among my top 5 favorite castles in France.
The grounds are massive and some of the rooms are ornate, but its very expensive compared to other castles in the country that offer a very similar or even better experience overall.
It's also very crowded inside and relatively ordinary in comparison to some others.
You can see similar architecture and gardens at other residences without the hassle and there are plenty of more unique castles else where.
It's basically the same as many others, only much much bigger.
Still, I suppose visiting Versailles is one of those quintessential things you do in France, so we took advantage of the reduced numbers during covid and went to see the place.
It is estimated that visitations to the palace have been reduced by 75% in the past 2 years, which is probably pretty accurate because we bought our tickets online and walked right in without having to wait in line.
In 1789, during the French Revolution the royal family returned to Paris and all but abandoned the castle.
In 1810-1814 Napoleon Bonaparte used it as a summer residence but didn't bother to restore it.
It wasn't repaired or reestablished until 1830 when the Museum of French History was installed within one of the Southern wings.
In 1979 the palace and grounds were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and became a protected monument.
As one would imagine, the rooms within are ornately decorated with golden paint, art work, murals and tapestries on the walls, and frescos on the ceiling.
The chapel was one of the most interesting rooms to see but it was also one of the busiest. You couldn't enter it and had to view it from outside the doors, which meant that a large group of people were clustered in one small space to see it and take photos. Everyone, including me, had the same idea of sticking their arms in the air and snapping off a quick photo and then getting the hell out of there.
The Hall of mirrors is probably the most famous room in the residence and another of the busiest as well.
You have to follow the que through a roped off path that takes you into the room briefly and then around the outside.
This is for the best though because it keeps a large portion of the hall open so that you can actually see it without too many people in the way.
We stopped to take a selfie - just one of those things that you do in such a place.
Apparently the hall used to be a terrace that was connected to the outer gardens. It was later converted to the hall because the weather on that side of the building was terrible so it was rarely used for its intended purpose.
Again, there is a lot of artwork and a lot of portraits throughout the Chateau. I like this one of General Lafayette (above). I only know of him because of the Hamilton musical.
The fresco above was quite impressive, but I find the next two paintings to be hilarious.
"I'm just so warm and snug in my comfy robe."
"Yo. I built that shit."
A random bedroom. Not too extravagant but comfy looking nonetheless.
Now let's see what the gardens have to offer.
Here is my beautiful wife in front of the orange groves. I think she looked very Parisian in her grandmother's scarf.
We had to pay an extra 11€ to see the garden so in total it was 37€ per person to visit Château de Versailles - not inexpensive.
The grounds are massive and the gardens are fairly extravagant in some areas...
but one thing that annoyed me was that we had to pay that extra fee that day because it was a Saturday, which is their musical fountain day.
Classical music was playing on the speakers throughout the gardens but only 2 or 3 fountains out of 20 or more were actually shooting water.
Apparently the main fountains don't shoot water until after 4pm or something but they don't tell you that at the gate or on the website, so we paid extra to see something that wasn't really available.
It was around noon and we weren't going to try and kill 3-4 hours there so unfortunately we didn't see any of the more elaborate fountain displays.
The grounds were still nice to wander through and explore though.
There were a lot of statues, sculptures and art pieces to see so it stayed interesting for quite a while.
With so much to explore on the grounds, you can really spend a lot of time in there.
There were a lot of tailored trees and shrubs planted in rows as well. I do like a well organized garden, I must say.
Wow, those are some awesome pictures! And a really great place. Looks like you had a wonderful time.
I really loved the place, when I visited it a few years ago! It is so beautiful. Only the waiting line was really way to long - well it was in pre-covid times.
But you're right, it is quite expensive compared to other cites.
Thanks for the great images and impressions.
Cheers,
@andy-plays
!gif wonderful
I'm glad that you got to experience it in person. Yeah I have heard that the lineups are very long typically. That was one positive thing about covid, there are no tourists so the line ups are short nowadays lol
Via Tenor
This is where I am born, at the clinic next to the palace. I spent my childhood in the gardens, every day after school. I left after high school, but Versailles was my town, my first night outs, and the performance I was mentioning No Woman No Cry was also in Versailles at Porchefontaine.
I always thought I should be the one doing the haveyoubeenhere about Versailles hahah, let me know where you're born so I can steal that from ya. 😌👍🤗
Joke aside, you did good here, thanks.
Grrrr
That's awesome. Versailles would be a really cool place to grow up. It seemed like a very posh town to us. We liked it a lot. I found a few invaders there as well which is always good.
I was born in a town in Ontario Canada. So good luck with that post! Hahaha
I guess for an adventurer like you, Versailles isn't worth your top 5. Psss!
Hahaha, in all fairness, Versailles is the most boring town ever, there were a rapper in Versailles that had a song about the town, "Sous Le Signe Du V", and in one sentence he said that "all streets have famous diseases names".
Everyone is old, and Versaillan. THere is even a Versailles dress code, your wife is nailing it btw hahaha.
Then you need the mocassin shoes, and a Lacoste jersey 😄
Bro, you don't know how serious I am about the way you bombed my town, I might hire someone on fiver to take pictures of Ontario for me, I'll pay that person handsomely, then I will make a fake post about Ontario, that "Isn't even my top 10 of my favourite place in Canada" and constantly talk shit hahaha.
Hahaha I really liked the town and the Castle is incredible but, I just think that there are other cool castles as well that are more unique lol.
That's actually super interesting. The town just moved up at least one rank in my book.
🤣🤣🤣 lmao
That would be epic. In that case then i should clarify that Ontario is the province and its bigger than the entire country of France, the city is called London. London Ontario Canada. Tbh It won't be that hard to dis lol. There are nice pockets in the city but there are a lot of bad neighborhoods as well. The saying "East of Adelaide" means that everything on the other side of the street is a shit hole Haha
Beautiful palace, reminds me a bit of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.
I haven't been to Schönbrunn Palace and had to Google it. Judging from photos online, it does look very similar.
Wow, a beautiful place. I saw your post a few hours ago but I still couldn't get to comment in any place or respond to comments in my post, a bit crazy day. But, I would pack now my suitcases (oops, actually I am doing it hahaha, but the destination is a surprise) and go to Versailles, so beautiful it is. But the nicest thing are you two on that photo in the mirror 😇
Sounds like you're packing for an upcoming vacation. That's exciting. Perhaps in an upcoming post we will find out where you went.
Yeah the Hall of Mirrors makes for a good spot to take a selfie. My wife took took the photo. I think it's a neat one.
Yes, perhaps :)) at the moment camera is sleeping still, but we have a nice time here where we are 😇
I been to Paris a few times, but don't think I've been to Versailles before despite it being so famous, so this is a nice tour. I hear the gardens are the most impressive and they truly are. I'm glad they still kept it so well maintained during Covid
There's is so much to do in Paris that it's impossible to do everything and Versailles is kind of far if you stay in the city, so I can see it being challenging to get there for tourists.
Yeah the grounds were well maintained even during covid. They opened up quite early actually. People were allowed to enter the gardens even when most indoor activities were closed for covid.
That's a nice post with great photos. I recognize myself in the guy with the comfy robe. The heater in my office is busted and I haven't been able to get the required spare part since October. Some supply chain crap. :-)
With the gardens you got ripped off, I suppose due to Covid. They're magnificent when all the waters are going. Other than the grounds, I agree with you: there are nicer chateaux in France, although some individual features of Versailles are truly unique and the dimensions are beyond good and evil. The guy who "built that shit" was really something else.
Lastly, allow me to point out a typo (?) to you: the place is called "Château de Versailles." A term of two French words written in the English manner really looks very odd, at least to me.
Out of curiosity, what are your favorite castles in France - like maybe top 5 or so?
Haha yeah I'm totally with you with the robe thing. Our house is old and doesn't maintain the heat very well. I basically go around each day wearing two pairs of pants and two sweaters lol.
Yeah the fountains are probably pretty awesome when they are all running and there are definitely some very interesting things to see inside. I think some areas might have been closed off because of covid when we went (just guessing) because it seems like a pretty small tour considering how big the place is.
Yeah you're right. Thanks for pointing out that typo 🙂
Aww, Versailles (sigh) 😁. I had fond memories back in 2004. Gosh that long ago, getting old. It's refreshing to see your photos now though and how well preserved it is. You're so lucky to have seen the full Hall of Mirrors. 50% of it was under restoration when we went.
Your wife is so pretty, such a stunning photograph!
I remember visiting the surrounding buildings outside the gates for lunch and an expensive yet delicious bowl of pasta. We spent the entire day there, 2 to 3-hour visits inside the palaces --all three, the Main Palace, Grand Trianon, and petit Trianon, the rest were spent exploring the grounds and the formal gardens. So opulent!
I'm glad that you got to experience the Chateau during your time in France.
Yeah there is so much to see there, one could easily make an entire day out of it. We didn't end up seeing the Grand Trianon or the petit Trianon. I don't know why. I guess we just forgot to go and search for them hahaha.
It's not surprising because these two mini palaces are really lost in the middle of the wooded areas and gardens within the park. One could just spend hours exploring the vast gardens. It's quite magical, I can just imagine back then why the royals preferred staying in these two smaller chateaux which are more charming and quaint than the massive main palace.
Yeah that's true.
I think Marie Antoinette lived in one of those ones as well. Don't quote me on that though, I could be wrong
Beautiful baroque architecture, I am surprised it is not in your top 5 places and there are even better palaces than this. So many details, someone has spent a lot of time. Restoration must be lengthy as well I would imagine.
It kinda reminds me of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, which is an example of baroque architecture too. I was dreaming to visit it, hopefully, will do soon.
I guess it is worth complaining about the price for the fountains? I mean when we don't get the service we pay for we get a refund, right? 😅
Yeah, it's definitely a grand palace and quite impressive overall. I just found that there are a lot of other castles in France that are very similar but on a smaller scale, so Versailles isn't very unique in that regard. It's also much busier and more crowded and more money and there are some other really cool castles out there. I'm judging it on the overall experience really. It probably doesn't help that it was the last castle that I've been to in France so it seemed a bit repetitive to me. If it was the first then my opinion may be different lol.
The Winter Palace in St Petersburg would be amazing. I haven't seen it myself but hope that you get to see it.
Wow that's a totally beautiful castle. I love everything from the scenery around to the decoration in the castle. Thanks for sharing! @leaky20
Yeah the scenery of the gardens are especially nice.
If it is not in your top 5, what is your choice for top castle?
Chennonceau was probably my favorite. It's a castle and a bridge, really. The gallery or hall is over the water and you can watch the water go by from the windows. Chambord is pretty amazing as well.
Wow, more great pics!
Thanks. I forgot Chantilly. its very cool as well because it was a summer home for Louis the 14th and it's been turned into an art museum so there I a ton to see inside. OK I'm done lol.
Wow, that entry way is incredible!
Woww. I love history and palaces a lot. I love to explore the past and know how the rulers and people used to live then. Thanks for sharing this and now this place is definitely on my wishlist. :)
Yeah I like learning the history of these places as well. Such an interesting time back then.
The palace manages to convey the majesty that once resided there. Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures 😀
You're welcome.
Yeah it's quite the place. Hard to imagine that such a place was built for one person lol. A lot of people would have lived there permanently but still. Crazy
Imagine the wealth inequality between an average farmer and Kind Louis. You would think it's insane. But put the wealthiest of today in perspective against an average farmer from a random poor country we know today. People like Bezos, Zuckerberg and Musk are the Louis of our age. And like back in the day, we worship them. Do you think we've learned much over time?
Here's an interesting page to put wealth inequality into something visual:
Happy scrolling... https://mkorostoff.github.io/1-pixel-wealth/
Yeah, not much has changed throughout history. We just keep repeating the same things over again, often just under different names so that they appear different at first glance, even though they are more of the same.
Indeed!
Want to also note that I do really like your pictures :)
Thanks. I'm glad you like them
Wow, your photos really left me enchanted, I would love to visit it, its structure looks sensational!
Well I'm glad you liked them. I hope you get a chance to see it at some point or maybe a different castle in France.
what a beautiful picture you share.
Thanks! I'm glad you liked them 😊
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