Château de Versailles
The Palace of Versailles (French: Château de Versailles) is a château and historic monument in Versailles in the Yvelines department of France, southwest of Paris. It served as the principal residence of the French kings Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI.
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Key facts
- Created
- 1661
- Listed as
- classified historical monument (31/10/1906), World Heritage Site
- Style
- Neoclassical architecture, French Baroque architecture
- Architect
- Louis Le Vau, François d'Orbay
- Visitors
- 8 132 518 visitors in 2018
- Location
- Versailles
- Official website
- en.chateauversailles.fr
What to know
The king, the court, and the royal government lived there permanently from 6 May 1682 until 6 October 1789, except during the Regency years (1715–1723). Conceived by Louis XIV to glorify the French monarchy, the palace became the most important architectural project of his reign and is considered one of the masterpieces of French classical architecture. It exerted major influence across Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries in architecture and the decorative arts.
The palace forms a vast and complex ensemble of courtyards and buildings designed to maintain architectural harmony. It covers about 63,154 square metres and contains roughly 2,300 rooms, around 1,000 of which belong to the National Museum of the History of France housed in the Palace and the Trianons.
The park of the Palace of Versailles covers 815 hectares today, compared with more than 8,000 hectares before the French Revolution. Of this area, 93 hectares are formal gardens. The estate includes numerous features, such as the Petit Trianon and Grand Trianon—later used by Napoleon I, Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis Philippe I, and Napoleon III—as well as the Hameau de la Reine, the Grand and Petit Canal, a former menagerie, the Orangerie, and the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses. As one of the most visited sites in Europe, the estate is central to ongoing discussions about managing overtourism.
On your route
Driving through France or Belgium? Vaut le Détour places this stop on your itinerary with your real arrival time, a lunch spot open at that hour, and fuel or charging.
Nearby
- Bastille, 19.0 km away
- Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou, 18.1 km away
- palais des Tuileries, 16.7 km away
- palais du Luxembourg, 16.6 km away
- jardin des Tuileries, 16.4 km away
- catacombes de Paris, 15.9 km away
- École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, 16.6 km away
- château de Vincennes, 23.5 km away
Frequently asked questions
- What is there to see near Château de Versailles?
- Nearby: Bastille (19.0 km), Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou (18.1 km), palais des Tuileries (16.7 km), palais du Luxembourg (16.6 km). Each one can become a detour on your route.
- How do I buy tickets for Château de Versailles?
- Tickets for Château de Versailles are sold online (Tiqets ticketing, instant confirmation, tickets on your phone). The booking link is on this page.
- When was Château de Versailles created?
- Wikidata gives 1661 as its date of creation or foundation.
- Is Château de Versailles a protected monument?
- Yes: classified historical monument (31/10/1906), World Heritage Site (source: Wikidata).
- How many people visit Château de Versailles?
- The latest visitor count recorded in Wikidata is 8 132 518 visitors in 2018.
Facts and key figures: the Wikipedia article “Palace of Versailles” (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0), retrieved on 2026-08-05. Opening hours and prices are deliberately left out: they change too fast to be reliable anywhere but the official website.