A stroll through the King’s State Apartments; the crowds are usually worse!
Visiting the Château de Versailles isn’t always a simple thing to do on your own. In a constant state of renovations, you just never know when part of the chateau will be closed or open. When I went last Saturday, the Chapel and portrait gallery were closed for a private ceremony for the Knights of Malta. Hmph. The Opera and the Petit Trianon are still closed for renovations (although the latter should have been open by now; hmph again).
On the bright side, the Hall of Mirrors is finally completely restored and looking quite snazzy.
The new visitor’s entrance is still under construction, and the newly restored main gate is up but not open. The Marble Courtyard facade is still under scaffolding, but they put a cute picture of the actual facade up there so it wouldn’t look as ugly in photos.
This is the main entrance, those with tix on the right, those who need tix on the left. The new gate entrance still shrouded in the center.
A close-up of the shiny new gate.
The new visitor’s entrance.
The Marble Courtyard.
If you go on the weekend this summer to see the fountains, don’t forget that your Paris Museum Pass does not cover the garden entrance on the weekends (it’s another €8), and that the fountains are only on part of the day (11am-noon and 3:30-4:30pm), so be sure you time your visit well.
For those of you who have been to Marie-Antoinette’s Hameau in the past few years, it’s worth noting that the entrance gate directly into the Hameau is now open (so you can have your driver/taxi meet you here to avoid walking all the way back to the Petit Trianon).
This is the first thing visitors see when entering Versailles: a plaque commemorating John D. Rockefeller Jr’s generous contributions to restore the chateau just after WWI. Who says they don’t appreciate us? 😉
I think this bed, once belonging to one of Louis XV’s daughters, would look fabu in my flat. If anyone sees a copy at Ikea, drop me a line.
Thanks! Don’t let the scaffolding put you off. Still lots to see! The chateau is 400 years old, gotta plan on some renovations… 😉
Ooof! I’m a Chicagoan making my very first trip to Paris this August (heck, it’s my very first trip out of the USA!), and am super bummed about the marble courtyard at Versailles. I snooped around online trying to find if anyone knows when it’s going to come down. As far as I can tell, it’s been up since at least last September. Any clue? By the by, this blog has been my favorite place to come and see what’s going on over there. Thanks so much for all your efforts!!!