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With over 2,000 rooms, the Chateau de Versailles was built to entertain as many courtisans as possible. On any given day, over 20,000 people could be walking the grounds around the palace, and Louis XIV quickly realized that he needed a place to go to escape from Versailles! In 1687, the Grand Trianon was built for the king and his immediate family. Although it is much smaller than the palace, it is just as elegant. Then, in 1768, the Petit Trianon was added under Louis XV. It was meant to be a gift to the king's favorite, Madame de Pompadour; however, she died before its completion and instead it was offered to Marie-Antoinette by Louis XVI. Marie-Antoinette loved this "little country house", near which the "Queen's hamlet" was built in 1783. The hamlet was basically a small country village, complete with a farm where Marie-Antoinette would milk her cows and enjoy the quiet country life with her children.
As much as I liked visiting the Chateau de Versailles, I think I had an even better time walking around the gardens and visiting the other buildings spread throughout the park. It gets very crowded in the palace, so it's quite nice to escape to other parts of the estate (I guess I can understand Louis XIV's desire of leaving Versailles behind once in a while!). There are a few snack bars in the gardens where you can buy a baguette at a fairly reasonable price considering where you are, and nothing beats lying down by the Grand Canal after walking throughout the gardens. If you don't feel like walking it's possible to rent bikes, hop on the little train, or even rent a paddle boat to go on the canal, but all of these are rather expensive. So just make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and you're good to go! |
