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Versailles: Seat of the Sun King - Palace, gardens & the theatre of power
4
days
from
A$4,370
Book today with a deposit from
A$656
18th - 21st June 2027
Tour highlights
- Louis XIV’s theatre of power – one palace, five kings, from hunting lodge to museum.
- Three nights in the town itself, leaving unhurried time for palace, gardens and Trianons.
- Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos in the gilded Opéra Royal, with first-category seats.
- Vaux-le-Vicomte (1656–61), the house whose splendour Louis XIV could not forgive.
- In the company of Dr Jonathan Spangler, prize-winning historian of the Bourbon court.
From the Place d’Armes, where three great avenues converge from Paris, Saint-Cloud and Sceaux, the château of Versailles rises in court after court of brick, stone and gilding. Behind it, Le Nôtre’s gardens extend in parterres, fountains and the Grand Canal, which seems to run on to the horizon.
This was Louis XIV’s masterpiece, and no palace in Europe was more influential or more gloriously embellished. It was never simply a royal home. From 1682 it was the seat of the Sun King’s court and government, a theatre of power built to dazzle courtiers and overawe ambassadors, in which every ceiling, mirror and fountain played its part. Knowing the story behind the spectacle deepens the appreciation of it.
Versailles is also the work of five kings. At its heart still stands the modest hunting lodge of Louis XIII, which his son enveloped in a vast new palace rather than pulling down, and the palace went on changing for more than two centuries. Dr Jonathan Spangler, historian of the Bourbon dynasty and a lively guide to its personalities and intrigues, brings these layers to life.
Staying three nights in the town of Versailles, itself laid out by Louis XIV, puts the château on the doorstep: there is ample time in the State Apartments and Hall of Mirrors, a guided visit to the King’s Private Apartments, and a whole day in the gardens and the Trianons, including Marie Antoinette’s rustic hamlet. One evening brings a performance at the Opéra Royal, the château’s own opera house, inaugurated in 1770 for the wedding of the future Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. On the way home, Vaux-le-Vicomte offers a final pleasure: the house whose magnificence so outshone the king that its owner, Nicolas Fouquet, was arrested within weeks of his celebrated fête of 1661.
Itinerary
Leave London St Pancras at c. 9.30am by Eurostar for Paris. Drive to Versailles where all three nights are spent. Spend the afternoon immersed in the grandeur, the beauty and the symbolism of the King’s and Queen’s apartments, which culminate in the Hall of Mirrors.
Morning lecture followed by a walk to view the grand approach to the palace and some of the its dependencies in Versailles town. Continue with a guided tour of the King’s Private Apartments. Evening performance at the Opéra Royal (the château’s opera house): The Six Brandenburg Concertos (Bach); Ensemble Hemiolia, Emmanuel Resche-Caserta (violin and conductor).
Explore the palace’s gardens, which remain largely as Le Nôtre created them, the parterres, basins and sculpture around the palace and the avenues and canal which seem to stretch to infinity. Then visit the family retreats of Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon and the Domaine de Marie Antoinette.
The greatest country house and garden complex of its time (1656–61), Vaux-le-Vicomte was built by Nicholas Fouquet, Louis XIV’s finance minister. It is in many ways the predecessor of Versailles, for Louis XIV, after arresting Fouquet for corruption, plundered the property and later employed its chief designers and craftsmen at Versailles. Continue to Paris for the Eurostar arriving at St Pancras at c. 6.30pm.
Practicalities
Two sharing: A$4,870 or A$4,370 without Eurostar. Single occupancy: A$5,520 or A$5,020 without Eurostar.
Travel by private coach; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 1 lunch and 2 dinners with wine, water and coffee; all admissions to gardens and châteaux; first category (‘Prestige’) concert ticket; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Hôtel Le Louis Versailles Château, a modern 4-star hotel within walking distance of the château. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
There is a lot of walking and standing around. The gardens cover a large area and paths are often uneven so sure-footedness is essential. You need to lift your luggage on and off the train and wheel it within stations.
Between 10 to 24 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Smartraveller to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Testimonials
“Of all my many MRT trips this one must come near the top of my list – thank you – it was a really wonderful trip.
”
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