🇫🇷Palace of Versailles Guide 2026: Tickets, Timing and How to Cover the Estate
Which ticket covers what, the two days of the week to avoid, how to get there on the RER, and how to cross an 800-hectare estate without destroying your feet.
2026-09-05
Versailles sits in the south-western suburbs of Paris. From 1682 to 1789 it was the royal palace and the seat of French government, and it remains the most extravagant building in France. Allow at least six hours including the journey.
Tickets (2026)
The estate splits into four parts: the palace (essential), the gardens (essential), the park (vast, peaceful, and a long walk) and the Trianon palaces (optional). The Passport Ticket covers all four.
| Season | Non-EU residents | EU residents |
|---|---|---|
| High season (Apr–Oct) | €35 | €32 |
| High season, after 16:00 | €28 | €25 |
| Low season (Nov–Mar) | €25 | €22 |
| Low season, after 15:00 | €18 | €15 |
Free for under-18s and for EU residents aged 18–25, though you still need to reserve a slot online. Free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month from November to March — book ahead.
Versailles Passport ticket (palace, gardens and Trianon)
GetYourGuide · from €35
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Versailles is included in the Paris Museum Pass, but pass holders still have to reserve a timed entry slot on the official site. People discover this at the gate.
Opening hours and the best day to go
- Palace: Tuesday–Sunday 9:00–17:30, last entry 16:45. Closed Mondays, 1 January and 25 December.
- Gardens and park: 8:00–18:00
Avoid Tuesday and Sunday. Monday is the palace's closing day, which pushes people onto Tuesday — and the Louvre is also closed on Tuesday, sending its crowd here too. Sunday is simply the busiest leisure day. Within any day, the first hour after opening is the quietest.
Getting there
Take RER C from central Paris to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, then walk 800 metres (about 10 minutes) to the palace. Single fare €2.55, journey 30–40 minutes. The line runs past Notre-Dame, the Musée d'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower on the way, and a day or week travel pass covers it.
Inside the palace
There are 700 rooms; the visitable route is on the first floor and takes about two hours. The sequence runs: Marble Courtyard → Royal Chapel → the King's State Apartments (Hercules, Abundance, Venus, Diana, Mars, Mercury and Apollo rooms) → the War Room → the Hall of Mirrors → the Peace Room → the King's and Queen's apartments → the Coronation Room → the Battles Gallery.
The Royal Chapel
The on-site photographs below come from two visits: autumn 2024 and summer 2025. The seasonal difference at the garden fountains is visible in the images themselves.
The Hercules Room
The Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces) is the one everyone comes for: 76 metres long, 13 high, 10.5 wide, with 17 arched windows facing 17 matching mirrors. The Treaty of Versailles was signed here in 1919.
The Coronation Room holds a copy of David's Coronation of Napoleon; the original is in the Louvre.
The gardens and park
The Orangery — sweeping curved lawns and a collection of orange and lemon trees from Portugal, Spain and Italy, some over 200 years old.
The Latona and Apollo fountains — the two landmark fountains on the main axis.
The Grand Canal — cross-shaped, 1.6 km on the long arm and 1 km across. Louis XIV staged mock naval battles on it.
The gardens and park cover 800 hectares, and the distances catch people out. It's 10–15 minutes on foot from the palace to the Apollo Fountain, and another 15–20 to the Trianons. If that sounds like a lot:
- Little train: €9 return
- Bicycle: from €8 per half hour
- Electric golf cart: €42 per hour, driving licence required
- Rowing boat on the canal: from €16 per half hour
The Trianon palaces
The Grand Trianon — Louis XIV's retreat from the formality of court life.
The Petit Trianon — built by Louis XV for his mistress, later Marie Antoinette's private domain, along with the deliberately rustic Queen's Hamlet nearby.
Hotels near Versailles
Booking · from €120
Most visitors day-trip from Paris; staying locally makes sense only if you want the first entry slot
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Back to the Paris travel guide to see how Versailles fits into a longer stay.