Louis XIII’s hunting lodge became Louis XIV’s seat of power from 1682. The palace has about 2,300 rooms. UNESCO listed the estate in 1979. Closed Mondays.

Get there. Take RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche (about 35–45 minutes from central Paris). Walk 10 minutes to Place d’Armes. A normal Métro t+ ticket will not cover this ride — buy a Zone 1–4 ticket both ways before you leave.

Book first. Timed palace tickets sell out. Buy on the official site and use Entrance A. The Passport ticket covers the palace, gardens and Trianon estate. Palace hours in high season are 09:00–18:30 (last entry about 17:45). Trianon opens at 12:00.

Walk this order. Cour d’Honneur and Marble Court → State Apartments → Hall of Mirrors (73 m, 357 mirrors) → King’s and Queen’s apartments → gardens by André Le Nôtre (Latona Fountain, Grand Canal) → Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon and Marie-Antoinette’s Hamlet if you have the energy. Palace interiors take 1½–2½ hours. The full estate is a long walking day.

When to go. Wednesday to Friday is quieter than Saturday, Sunday or Tuesday. Arrive for opening if you want the Hall of Mirrors before the crush. Skip it if you only have a half day in Paris — this stop is a full outing, not a quick add-on after the Louvre.