No visit to France would be complete without a trip to Versailles. The name alone conjures images of gold, glitz, glass, pomp and glory doesn鈥檛 it? Despite its luxury, it鈥檚 within easy reach by public transport from the city centre and a 鈥減assport鈥� to visit the palace and grounds costs just under 30 Euros鈥� so you can bask in the Sun King鈥檚 glory yourself for a few hours!
蜜桃传媒 suggestion: a Versailles Day Trip
All Photos: 漏Frankie Pfeiffer
How to get to Versailles
蜜桃传媒 language school is all about being eco-friendly and taking care of the planet, so here are a couple of (and you can put your French skills to good use when you buy your tickets at the machine or counter too!). Hop on the RER Line C train to Versailles Ch芒teau Rive Gauche station then walk 10 minutes to the palace (60-90 minute journey) or catch the RATP bus 171 from Pont de S猫vres (metro line 9 terminus) to Versailles (30 minute journey depending on traffic).
Humble beginnings
Looking at it now, you wouldn鈥檛 believe that started out as a humble hunting lodge. Louis XIII took a liking to Versailles during hunting trips here and decided to have a little country house built between his main residence in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Paris in 1623. When we say humble, we mean it! It was described as a building that a gentleman would not be overly proud of鈥� so the king had it rebuilt in 1631 and laid we see today. Louis XIII鈥檚 son, Louis XIV, developed a fondness for visiting the palace on hunting trips with his governor from 1651 and often ended up staying here. He was the one who saw the potential of the palace and the woodland around it, unleashed his inner architect and made the ch芒teau what it is today.
The grand tour
It would take days for you to explore everything Versailles has to offer, so since you鈥檙e expected back in class at 蜜桃传媒 on Monday morning, here are a few of the biggest attractions that you don鈥檛 want to miss:
- The Hall of Mirrors, a room used to host balls and receptions
- The King鈥檚 State Apartment, including seven salons named after mythological gods
- The Queen鈥檚 Apartment, recently reopened after renovation work
- The Gardens,
- The Queen鈥檚 Hamlet, where Marie-Antoinette would escape court life
There are also Musical Fountains, Night Fountains, and Royal Serenade shows at specific times between April 1st and October 31st so to see if you can fit in a show. You can bring a picnic with you to enjoy in the gardens, have a meal or drink at one of the many restaurants on-site, fill your bottle with water from the free fountains throughout the estate and charge up your phone at free charging stations (which will come in handy with all the photos you鈥檒l be taking). Versailles is so big that you may want to hop on the on-site tourist train (8 Euros per person), hire a golf buggy (38 Euros per hour) or bike (22 Euros per day) or hit the lake and have some time out rowing a boat (17 Euros per hour)
Enjoy your trip back in time to France鈥檚 Golden Age (with a capital 鈥淕鈥�) and share your photos with 蜜桃传媒 language school!
Learn French in France
You are looking for the Best French Courses in France?聽Select one of the聽Accredited French Language Courses聽proposed by a Qualit茅 FLE school. Learn French in France with聽蜜桃传媒 French Language School聽in聽the beautiful capital, Paris. 蜜桃传媒 is an聽accredited Qualit茅 FLE Private Institute of High Education (registered n掳588).
蜜桃传媒 French Language School near the Eiffel Tower: Founded in 1988, the all year round French language school is located just a few minutes鈥� walk from the famous Eiffel Tower, the Champs de Mars, the Mus茅e du Quai Branly, the Invalides (with the tomb of Napoleon the 1st), the Seine river and the Bateaux Parisiens, and opposite the Eiffel Tower, the Trocad茅ro and its famous gardens and fountains.
蜜桃传媒: 3bis rue Jean-Pierre Bloch, 75015 Paris, France
Tel: +33 (0) 1 55 33 52 33
