Like the other Châteaux, we did a private tour of Château de Versailles and we’re so glad we did! We toured the inside of the castle, the gardens and the estate of Trianon. Along the way we learned a lot more about Marie Antoinette too!
The Castle
We walked through the castle as our guide gave us some history. We saw the hall of mirrors, the painted ceilings, and the (seperate) bedrooms of the king and Marie Antoinette. See that little door to the left of Marie’s bed? That’s where she escaped during the Revolution. Throughout the tour we learned that she maybe wasn’t as horrible as she was cracked up to be. But made to look bad publicly by the other nobles because they did’t like her. For instance, the phrase, “Let them eat cake,” was made up to make the people despise her.
The Gardens
I hate to say it but the gardens were a little underwhelming. They are huge no doubt, but since we were there during the week the fountains weren’t on.
I was also thinking there would be smaller hedges creating designs, but instead there were tall hedges sectioning off several “groves”. We looked in on a few of these areas, including the Enceladus Grove, seen above.
The Estate of Trianon
In an attempt to gain some brief respite from courtly etiquette, the kings of Versailles built themselves more intimate spaces close to the main palace. It was a beautiful walk on gravel paths through gardens, with areas with ponds and flowers.
Adjoining the Petit Parc, the estate of Trianon is home to the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon palaces, as well as the Queen’s Hamlet and a variety of ornamental gardens. Even the smaller “intimate” spaces were massive with over the top decorations.
