Today we’re off to the VERY opulent Palace of Versailles.
Versailles is outside of Paris, so you have to take the train or join a bus tour to get out there (assuming you don’t have a car). We decided to take the train so we could tour the palace on our own schedule. It’s pretty easy to ride the train out there – just find a station on the RER C line, buy train tickets to Versailles, and hop on! Exit at Versailles Rive Gauche, I think it was the last stop. The palace is a short walk from the station.
I’ve said this every week, but I’m going to say it again: get there early! Versailles opens at 9 and we arrived around 9:30, so there was hardly any line. That means not only did we get through the line quickly, but we were also able to take pictures in front of the palace without anyone else in the picture. By the time we left, the line was massive and this area was filled with tourists.
To say Versailles is opulent is a serious understatement! I’ve never seen so much gold leaf and marble in my entire life!
My favorite room (and the most popular) was the Hall of Mirrors. It’s absolutely gorgeous!
The room is also full of historical significance - the Hall of Mirrors is where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 to mark the end of World War I.
After we finished touring the inside of the palace we explored a small portion of the garden. You could spend half the day getting lost in the gardens of Versailles.
From there we took the tram to the Grand Trianon. The tram is an additional fee, but will save you a lot of walking. The grounds of Versailles are massive and we had already done enough walking the past 2 weeks, so we were more than happy to dish out a few extra Euros for a ride.
Unfortunately, the Grand Trianon doesn’t open until noon, so we had to kill some time before it opened. I took the opportunity to get some pictures before the crowd rolled in and just sat around enjoying the beautiful weather and hot potato from a nearby food vendor. Oh, and of course we did plenty of people watching too.
Once the doors finally opened we were some of the first people inside. The Grand Trianon was built as a retreat from the Palace and court life. It’s not as fancy as the main palace, but it’s still very beautiful (love the pink marble).
The hallway in the Grand Trianon was beautiful and so full of light. I would love to have floor-to-ceiling windows like that in my house!
Once we finished at the Grand Trianon we hopped back on the tram. It stopped at the Petite Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s hamlet, but by then we were tired and ready to head out.
On our way back to the train station we stopped at McDonald’s to see if the royale with cheese mentioned in Pulp Fiction really does exist…it does! Of course we had to order one to show my dad – Pulp Fiction is one of his favorite movies.
From there we did a little shopping in the area and then took the train back to Paris. The ride is only about 30 minutes long, so we were back in the city in no time. We stopped in a little shop on our way back to the hotel and bought the most amazing dessert I’ve ever ate. It was cake, cream, fresh berries, chocolate shavings and pure heaven – I would have filled my carry-on with them if I could! The airport shuttle was picking us up the following morning before dawn, so we had an early dinner and went to bed.
We had such an amazing time in London and Paris. We really couldn’t have planned a better trip and I’m so thankful that I got to share this experience with my mom! We’re already saving up and planning our next trip!
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