Versailles Full-Day Tour with the Estate of Marie-Antoinette
Description
Step into the splendour of the most prestigious royal palace in Europe on this full-day guided tour of Versailles. Walk in the footsteps of kings and queens through the glittering Hall of Mirrors, explore the opulent State Apartments, and stroll the grand gardens where lavish parties once captivated the court of the Sun King. In the afternoon, discover a more intimate side of Versailles with a visit to the private estate of Marie Antoinette. Explore the elegant Petit Trianon, her personal retreat hidden among manicured gardens. Finish your journey in her charming Normandy-style hamlet—complete with vineyard, farm, and vegetable gardens—created as a peaceful escape from court life. With expert commentary and access to both the main palace and the Queen’s hidden domain, this immersive experience reveals the full story of Versailles, from royal glory to private retreat.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide in central Paris and enjoy a short, escorted train ride to Versailles. On arrival, let them take you on a journey in the footsteps of the Kings and Queens of France. During the reign of Louis XIV - the Sun King - Versailles was the place to be and to be seen. Nowadays visitors from all over the world still come to Versailles to marvel at the splendors of this incredible palace. Our friendly local guides will steer you expertly through the crowds, bringing the famous figures who once inhabited this palace back to life.
Marvel at the glittering Hall of Mirrors, and hear the stories of the Kings, Queens and courtiers who played out their lives in this sumptuous setting. You'll learn how the Kings and Queens lived out their lavish lives in public, how they kept the gossiping courtiers under their thumb, and stole Italy’s thunder by making Versailles the artistic center of Europe. Discover a typical day in the life of Marie Antoinette; you’ll quickly understand why she hated the palace so much! Her opulent lifestyle here would ultimately lead to her tragic demise under the French Revolution; she left Versailles in 1789 never to return.
After visiting the royal apartments inside the palace, your guide will lead you through the spectacular gardens, once the setting of balls, parties and elaborate firework displays. On fountain show days you will discover the amazing waterworks, still running today as they did in the times of Kings and Queens. Otherwise, enjoy the beautiful Musical Gardens as you explore with your guide.
We then invite you join us and discover the secret parts of this incredible place. After a break for lunch, spend an afternoon exploring the beautiful hidden treasures tucked away in the expansive gardens. Away from the crowds, see places that only Queens, Kings and their closest friends were allowed access to. King Louis XVI gave a key encrusted with diamonds to his beloved wife Marie Antoinette. It opened the doors to a secret world, far removed from the public life at the palace and accessible to only a few. Follow in her footsteps, through the beautiful English style gardens, into the elegant and charming rooms of her home, furnished today as they were then. You will also peek into her tiny theater, built specially for her so she could perform on stage, to small audiences made up of friends and servants! This stunning theater is often called the hidden jewel of Versailles.
At Trianon Marie Antoinette lived a simple, country life. You will discover her Hamlet, a perfect replica of a Normandy village, complete with thatched cottages and vegetable gardens where, far from the elaborate rituals of the palace, she would play at being a shepherdess surrounded by farm animals. No visit to Versailles is complete without seeing the beauty of the Petit Trianon and Marie-Antoinette's peaceful hamlet. For the comfort of your visit we will take the 'Petit Train' to and from the Petit Trianon.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- From 1 April to 31 October, the gardens of the Palace feature special Musical and Fountain Shows. Fountain Shows take place on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on Tuesdays in May and June and on national holidays. Please note that the fountains operate according to a set schedule — they do not run continuously throughout the day. On the other days of the week during this period, the gardens host the Musical Gardens, where music is played throughout the groves.
- There will be a break in the gardens at the end of the morning tour for lunch, where there is a choice of restaurants or sandwich bars.
- Please note lunch is at your own expense
- You can cancel your tour up to 24 hours prior to departure and receive a full refund. Please note that refunds are not possible for missed tours.
- This tour requires a significant amount of walking. Comfortable shoes are recommended
- If you plan to arrive at the meeting point by taxi, please ensure you leave yourselves plenty of time, it can often take a considerable amount of time to find a taxi in Paris!
- Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before your tour departure time. We have to catch a train to Versailles and we cannot wait for late arrivals.
- Please note this tour requires a lot of walking. The tour is paced to be comfortable but you will need to be able to walk throughout the whole day. This tour is not suitable for guests with limited mobility.
Reviews(194)
Berrick was efficient and friendly getting us to Versailles. Claire was magnificent. Knowledgeable, funny and kind. We felt like a true group of friends at the end. We loved the little ‘surprises’ in the garden and her insight into the complex. A lovely tour!
My group met at the Montparnasse train station where a guide accompanied us to Versailles. He was so thorough with instructions on how to return at the end of the day. We appreciated him so much! At Versailles my guide, Stan, was excellent! He is so knowledgeable and was able to answer so many questions that my group had. I really like that our group original group was separared into about nine people, it made it very manageable to hear him amongst the crowd and we each felt attended to. My big issue with the tour is that I had originally purchased a ticket to go to Marie Antoinette's dairy, La Petite Trianon. I received notice just days before that that portion of my trip was canceled, which was disappointing. At Versailles I understood that I would be able to get there however the instructions given were not clear. I ended up walking really far to get there. Had TripAdvisor notified me to take my driver's license I would have been able to rent a golf cart. Also there are paid shuttles available that I did not know about until my way back because there was not clear information. TripAdvisor should have provided better guidance for this part.
Thank you for sharing this, and we're genuinely sorry about the cancellation of the Petit Trianon portion, and that it left you working out the rest of the day with less guidance than you should have had. Stan is always there to help with exactly this kind of question, whether it's the golf carts (which do require ID to rent), the paid shuttles, or simply the best way to reach the far side of the estate on foot, so please do always feel free to ask, he's genuinely happy to help even beyond the guided portion of the day. We're so glad his knowledge and the smaller group of nine made the guided part of your visit feel so personal and easy to follow. We're taking this as a good prompt to put together clearer guidance for anyone affected by a cancellation like this in future.
Our guide, Claire, made the trip amazing! Her knowledge and fabulous personality brought the palace and its inhabitants to life.
Thank you Dawn! Bringing the palace and its inhabitants to life is exactly what a great guide does — and Claire does it beautifully. The stories of Versailles are so rich and extraordinary and we love that they came through so vividly for you. She'll be so pleased to hear this!
Our guide was fabulous. She was extremely knowledgeable and communicated very well with her English speaking group.
Thank you Catherine! A full day at Versailles really is the way to experience it properly — the palace, the gardens and the Estate of Marie-Antoinette each deserve the time, and together they tell such an extraordinary story. We're so glad your guide brought all of that to life so clearly for the group. Hope you had a wonderful time here in Paris!
Sarah is the best of the best! Fantastic tour. Versailles itself is beautiful as expected very crowded. The process to getting to Sara was a bit cumbersome as they were multiple groups traveling together but once with Sarah and our smaller group, it was a very educational and enjoyable experience. The second half of the day was magical. Sarah put it each step of the tour gets better and better. I highly recommend the full day over the half day!
Thank you Justin! Sarah really is exceptional and we're so glad she made the day so special. Our fantastic team of coordinators escorts all guests to Versailles to meet their guide — once with Sarah and your group, we love that the experience completely took over! The Estate of Marie-Antoinette is somewhere we are truly passionate about sharing — so few tours venture there and it really is magical. We couldn't agree more that the full day is the way to do it. We'll make sure Sarah sees your kind words — and we really appreciate the recommendation!
Excellent day at Versailles - everything worked smoothly from the meeting point, train trip out, tour through the Palace and Gardens and then afternoon at Marie Antionette's Petite Palace. Our guide was knowledgeable, very good at keeping s moving at a steady pace, very funny and personable, and helpful at the day's end when we made our own way back to Paris. Crowds are now terrible in the Palace and our guide was very good at getting us through these and still able to see so much.
Thank you for this wonderful review! A full day at Versailles covering the Palace, the Gardens and the Estate of Marie-Antoinette is such a special experience and we're so glad everything ran smoothly from start to finish. Ivan is a fantastic guide and it sounds like he was exactly what you needed — knowledgeable, great fun and brilliant at navigating a busy day. Versailles in peak season is quite something, and making sure everyone sees as much as possible is something we take real pride in. We'll make sure Ivan sees your kind words. Hope you had a wonderful time here in Paris!
Versailles will overwhelm one’s senses. It is beautiful beyond the ability of words to describe. The royal apartments are fascinating. The Hall of Mirrors is a sight everyone should have an opportunity to experience. Beyond the palace is the jardins, which are not to be missed. Rent a golf cart and tour them at your own pace.
A kindred spirit, I see! Versailles, as well you have experienced, was indeed conceived and carried out to overwhelm and still does a bang up job of that nearly fourhundred years later. That's where we come in, to give context and perspective on all that bling and beauty. It is a treat to do so, with humor to spice up our love for the place. We love to laugh as well as to learn - preferably at the same time. Thanks so much for this lovely review that makes our day!
Over the top , great to see Marie Antoinette Hamlet, which is a beautiful balance to the vast wealth and pompous life of Louis
Hello Stephen, there's nothing we love more than leading you through the full spectrum of Versailles, from the grandiose bling of the palace proper, that brings home why the queen simply needed an escape, and what it says about her and about history when you see what she did build for herself. We breathe life back into the palace heyday, all while keeping an eye to the present, making it all make sense to a modern eye. We had so much fun doing that for you and will hope our paths cross again!
An amazing tour. Sarah brought Versailles to life for us. She is an exceptional tour guide, always making sure that we were happy and our needs met. Be prepared for a lot of walking, but it is worth every step.
Hi Elizabeth! Memories tours specialize in time travel through the art of storytelling you back into history. Sara is a star at it, as you saw, as well as wrapping all that expertise in with a human touch that cares about your experience. A resounding yes to the the walking and a recommendation to others for solid footwear. We so appreciate your high praise and will transmit to Sara!
The beauty and vastness of Versailles is hard to describe. You have to see it to believe it! This tour is the way to do it. Our tour guide Marion was so knowledgeable she made our day a delight.
You are so right, Carol, that Versailles leaves you speechless, a larger-than-life experience that a Memories tour can make accessible to you through bringing history to life with an eye to the present. We on our end were delighted to have you and thank you for the kind words!
