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Paris Excursions

Versailles Palace © Versailles

Versailles

The Château de Versailles stands 15 miles (24km) southwest of Paris and is one of France's noted attractions. Most of the palace was built between 1664 and 1715 by Louis XIV (known as the Sun King), who turned his father's hunting lodge into the grandest palace ever built. The 'Old Château' still exists but is enveloped by the vast white stone façade of the New Château. This lavish statement of monarchical power was to become a symbol of the excess that would lead to the revolution of 1789. Perhaps the most famous room in the palace is the Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces) where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, signifying the end of the Great War. Within the palace visitors can also see the former Royal bedchambers, the grand staircase and other staterooms, and within the vast landscaped park and gardens are many wonderfully ornate fountains and ponds. There is a small train that ferries visitors from the palace to the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon, former love nests where both the Sun King and Napoleon enjoyed the company of their mistresses.

E-mail: cirquededemain@cirquededemain.com; Website: www.chateauversailles.fr; Telephone: (01) 3083 7800; Transport: Buses, trains and the métro all go to Versailles from Paris; Opening time: 9am - 6.30pm (3 April to 31 October); 9am - 5.30pm (1 November to 2 April). Closed Mondays; Admission: The Palace (includes state apartments, Museum of the History of France and the Coach Museum) : €20 one day pass on weekdays. €25 from 7 April to 30 September and some public holidays. Under 18 free.

Fontainbleau

Fontainebleau

In the 16th century, Henry II and Catherine de Medici commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant to build a new palace here within the Fontainebleau forest 40 miles (64km) south of Paris. Italian Mannerist artists Rosso Fiorentino and Primaticcio came to assist in the interior decoration, helping to found the School of Fontainebleau. Visitors will see the long Gallery of François I, which the artists adorned with scenes like The Rape of Europa and the monarch holding a pomegranate, a symbol of unity, as well as the richly adorned Louis XV Staircase and the Ballroom with its monumental fireplace and frescoes. The palace was a refuge for French monarchs from the days of the Renaissance; they valued it because of its distance from the slums of Paris and for the rich hunting grounds that surrounded it. Many important events have occurred here, perhaps none more memorable than when Napoleon stood on the grand steps in front of the palace and bade farewell to his shattered army before departing for Elba. Compared to the glories of Versailles, however, Fontainebleau can be a bit of an anticlimax; it is best to see it before Versailles.

Address: 4 Rue Royale; E-mail: info@fontainebleau-tourisme.com; Website: www.fontainebleau.fr; Telephone: (0)1 6074 9999; Opening time: Daily except Tuesdays 9.30am to 6pm (until 5pm from October to May); Admission: €5.50, €4 for 18-25s, free for under 18s