Palace of Versailles Tour with Entry Tickets & Garden Access

About this experience

What sets this tour apart is the combination of expert guidance and genuine flexibility. You make your own way to Versailles, meet your guide at the palace entrance, and skip straight past the queues with fast-track entry. From there, your guide walks you through the Grand Apartments and the dazzling Hall of Mirrors, giving you the context that transforms a beautiful room into a compelling story. Once the guided portion wraps up, the rest of the estate is yours. Roam the formal gardens freely, then continue to the Grand Trianon and Le Petit Trianon at your own pace. With a small group size, you'll never feel crowded or rushed.

What to expect

1. Stop 1 · 15min

   Meet your guide beside the bronze Louis XIV statue on the palace forecourt, an easy landmark right before the gates. Your guide runs through the plan and gives you a sense of the scale of the former royal estate before you head toward the entrance.

2. Stop 2 · 30min

   With timed entry, bypass the long general admissions queues and head through security before stepping straight into the marble-lined interior. Your guide leads you through the Grand Apartment of the King and the Grand Apartment of the Queen, sharing how painted ceilings, gilded frames, and carved paneling shaped daily court ritual under figures such as Marie Antoinette.

3. Stop 3 · 30min

   Soon, you'll reach the Hall of Mirrors, the gallery where daylight catches row upon row of mirrors and chandeliers. Your guide explains how the room shaped royal image-making and later hosted the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

4. Stop 4 · 15min

   Self-Guided: Once you step outside, the scale of the gardens really hits you. Designed by André Le Nôtre, the grounds are laid out with long straight paths, sculpted hedges, and enormous fountain basins that seem to go on forever. This is your time to explore freely, so wander as far as you like.

5. Stop 5 · 15min

   Self-Guided: Your last stop is Le Petit Trianon, the neoclassical retreat that Marie Antoinette made completely her own. She redesigned the gardens, redecorated the interiors, and used it as a private escape from the rigid rules of palace life. Explore it at your own pace and take in the story of the woman who turned this small palace into her personal sanctuary.

6. Stop 6 · 15min

   Self-Guided: A short walk through the gardens brings you to the Grand Trianon, a smaller pink marble palace that Louis XIV built when he needed a break from court life. It's quieter and more personal than the main palace, and you're free to explore the rooms and gardens at your own pace.

Tour & ticket options

Options may have different inclusions and meeting points. Choose your option when booking on Viator.

Meeting & pickup

• Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. Our friendly guide will meet you at the equestrian statue of Louis the XIV in the Place d'Armes. A representative will be there holding a sign with ''The Tour Guy'' on it.

End point

• The tour will conclude after the guided tour, you are welcome to upgrade your visit to Versailles by including the gardens upon location.

• Large bags, backpacks, luggage, umbrellas, tripods, strollers and metal baby carriers cannot be brought into the Palace of Versailles. In general, any items exceeding 55 cm x 35 cm x 20 cm are not permitted. There is a coat check at the palace entrance, however, the tour ends in a different area. If you choose to leave anything at the palace coat check, you will be responsible to retrieve it on your own after the tour. • Please read our meeting point directions thoroughly in advance. It is the responsibility of all visitors to be at the meeting point 10 - 15 minutes before departure. Guests arriving after departure cannot be accommodated, & missed tours or tickets cannot be refunded. • We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any walking impairments that require special assistance on our group tours. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages. • All participants are required to carry a valid government-issued picture ID on them during our tours. • Depending on the size of your group, headphones may be used for some tours. In this case, headphones will be provided. You may use your own earphones if you wish. • We will be subject to a security check at the entrance to all sites. Depending on the volume of visitors, we may have a short wait in the security line. • The museums, sites and monuments we visit on our tours are among the most popular in the world. Careful planning helps limit crowd exposure, but please be aware that some locations may be unavoidably busy during standard hours/high season. • We will do everything within our power to ensure timings and itineraries are respected, however, due to issues beyond our control, timings and sites are subject to last-minute changes on rare occasions. • The Gardens of Versailles is included in this tour, but as a self-guided experience. Your guide will share helpful tips, then leave you to explore independently.

Before you go

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• This tour is wheelchair accessible with some limitations. Please contact us in advance to arrange suitable access.
• Your Versailles ticket is valid only with this tour and cannot be reissued if you miss your start time, so please keep your day flexible.

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.