Visiting Versailles
Everything you need for your own day at court. Updated September 2026; always confirm times on the Château’s official website before you go.
Take the RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, a 10-minute walk from the gates. Trains from Gare Montparnasse (Versailles Chantiers) and Gare Saint-Lazare (Versailles Rive Droite) are about 18 minutes’ walk away. Buy a round-trip ticket.
The Palace is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m., until 6:30 p.m. in high season and 5:30 p.m. in low season. It is closed on Mondays, and on December 25, January 1 and May 1. Book the first time slot, see the Palace in the quiet morning, then walk to the Trianon when it opens at noon.
The Passport covers the whole estate: €35 in high season, €25 in low season. Palace visits need a timed entry, booked ahead. A Trianon-only ticket is €15.
Les Grandes Eaux Musicales set the garden fountains dancing to Baroque music on selected days from April 1 to November 1, 2026. In summer, the Grandes Eaux Nocturnes light the gardens at night and end with fireworks.
Marie Antoinette’s domain is the Estate of Trianon: the Petit Trianon, her gardens, and the Queen’s Hamlet, the storybook farm where she played at country life. Allow at least two hours.
Ore, Alain Ducasse’s café in the Pavillon Dufour, serves tea time from 3 to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday. Angelina, the Parisian tea room famous for its hot chocolate, also has a tea room on the estate.
Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle, is a hotel inside the estate itself, in a 17th-century building on the estate, and its guests are offered private visits of the Palace.
Wear flat, pretty shoes: the gardens are vast and gravel. Bring a light layer for the Trianon and a silk scarf for photographs in the Hall of Mirrors.