Only a 2,95 euro RER train ride away, Versailles is 23km south west of Paris, but being that far out makes it hard to think of it as a suburb of the city. The main draw of course, is the magnificent château de Versailles, once home to the French monarchy, and the country’s most extravagant palace. With a desire to get out of the city, we thought we’d do the traditional holiday activity, and go on an excursion to the former home of King Louis XIV.
The French definitely seem to have got their public transport sorted out. All of our trains have been punctual, clean, and pleasantly busy, and the RER today no exception. A halfway house between a proper train and a Tube carriage, the RER travels on lines both under and over the ground, criss-crossing the city, and running double-decker services on some of the tracks. And while not new, they have a used patina you’re happy to accept. With the metal exterior looking like something from behind the former Iron Curtain, the interior space amazed me, and whenever we’ve used one, I’ve always made a dash for the upper deck, just because it’s such a novelty.
The sun king’s former residence glowed golden today in the French sunlight
The 40-minute service was timely and quiet, and we arrived in Versailles suitably relaxed. Work started on the château around 1664, and almost lasted until his death in 1715. Home of the French monarchy until the Revolution in 1789, the château itself and its sprawling estate are vast, with many decorative and structured gardens. It seemed right we were at the sun king’s former residence, as for the third day in succession, the warm sun shone down on us as we walked the sometimes shady paths around the grounds.
We didn’t get all the way around of course – you’d arguably need more than an afternoon for that – but we enjoyed what we saw. Fresh from a clean up, the sandy-coloured building glinted in the fine weather, while the renaissance-style statues sparkled across our camera lenses. The gardens provided great scale and contrast, and the shimmering Grand Canal which runs down the centre of the grounds immediately behind the house, only added to the summer feel of the day. Definitely worth a visit.
Opulence and grandeur are the order of the day at the château de Versailles
Back in the city, the Latin Quarter beckoned us once more for our evening meal, and with its three-course simple and cheap menus, it’s undoubtedly the best – and most vibrant – place to eat. More night-time pictures at Notre-Dame made for another special evening. Just like the Eifel Tower yesterday, the best time to see it is probably in the dark, when the carvings and stunning intricacies of the gothic cathedral are shown to their best effect, bathed in a golden glow.
Gothic Notre-Dame is even more stunning at night than it is in the daytime
And, while a singer performed a strangely out of place English 1960s and 1970s set to fellow snappers and tourists down at the front of the building, at the back we reflected on our penultimate and tiring day, and looked forward to our last full day’s activities.
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