• HOME
  • photography
  • Life
  • Adventures
  • decorate
  • shop
  • craft

Mrs. Midcoast

Mom Blogger - Musings from the Heart of America

Adventures Uncategorized

Europe Trip Stop 12: Chateau de Versailles – Versailles, France

May 12, 2018

May 9, 2018

The Palace of Versailles was the place I was most looking forward to visiting before the trip. I guess if you can be a fan of a dead royal person, I am one. The story of Marie Antoinette just fascinates me and I have always wanted to visit her palace. 

We left Breda, Netherlands in the morning and set out for about a 4.5 hour drive to Versailles.  We drove through Paris. I showed Eloise the Eiffel Tower from the window of the car. We didn’t stop though. Lindsay and I lived in Paris for a few weeks one summer with a host family, and it is a neat place, but it’s not somewhere that I would set out to visit multiple times since we were there for so long. Plus, I usually prefer exploring outside the big cities. 

Versailles is one of the most visited destinations on the planet so I knew it would be crowded. I did some research on how to visit the palace where it is less crowded. I came up with the plan to visit Versailles in REVERSE!!!

This was the best way to see it!  When we first got to the palace we drove past the main entrance to the Palace and went in the side entrance which most people probably don’t even know exists. No line! walked right into the gate near the Estate of Trianon. We got a macaroon then spent a few hours visiting the Hamlet and Petit Trianon which is the little Village that Marie Antoinette had built with little houses, gardens, animals, a real working little country village of her own.

Next up we walked to the Petit Trianon. Which was a gift to Marie Antoinette from Louis XVI in 1774 so she could escape court life. 

After that we got back in the car and drove 10 minutes to the main gate and parked in the 3rd row. The last admission to the palace is at 5:00pm. Our plan was to get there around 4:30 and that was about what happened.

During the day the lines are hours long stretching out the main gate. We walked right up and into the palace. We walked easily through every room, most of which were empty of tourists. It was seriously the coolest thing!  Standing in the giant hallway of Versailles with NOBODY else in it was breathtaking. 

If we would have gone to the main palace first we would have been crushed in a mob of people and it would have taken hours to walk through the whole place. We walked through the whole palace in about 45 minutes. Then went out to the gardens and Grand Canal to watch the sun start to set. 

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles is probably the most famous. It has giant mirrors that reflect the Grand Canal out the windows. It was so pretty. 

versailles hall of mirrors empty

The Palace of Versailles was a huge success! We didn’t see everything, but I don’t think it’s possible in one day with 4 year old kids. It is a lot of walking so comfortable shoes are a must. 

After visiting the Palace of Versailles that afternoon we went to our hotel. We wanted to stay in a real castle and we actually found one that was surrounded by a moat. It was pretty fantastic!  

The hotel is about 40 minutes west of Paris and about 30 minutes from Versailles, so it was a great location to stay if you don’t want to stay in Paris. 

Chateau de Villiers le Mahieu  

The Château de Villiers-le-Mahieu 4*, was built in the 13th Century and was originally a fortress. But over the centuries and under different owners, its function changed somewhat. The Marquis of Attily rebuilt it in 1642, and under his stewardship it gained the status of a château. After him, a number of owners oversaw the château, up to the Count Charles de Rohan Chabot, who restored it, giving it its present appearance. Its charm was what attracted the painter Bernard Buffet, who lived in the château until 1979.

In 1981, Jean-Luc Chaufour has been using his passion for old buildings and for history to help restore and adapt this magisterial site, so that guests feel right at home in this superb four-star Château-Hotel and its breathtaking, otherworldly setting.

Our room was in the tower! I tried to get some pictures of us in the windows, but it was kinda hard without having my professional camera with me. Hey, iPhone cameras have come a long way though and when traveling through Europe with a 4 year old, I’m already carrying enough stuff. So it is what it is. 

RELATED

Spring Europe Road Trip: Netherlands, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium
January 12, 2019
Europe Trip Stop 14: Antwerp, Belgium
May 14, 2018
Europe Trip Stop 13: Giverny, France – Claude Monet’s House and Gardens
May 13, 2018
Europe Trip Stop 12: Chateau de Versailles – Versailles, France
May 12, 2018
Europe Trip Stop 11: Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 11, 2018
 
0

Hi! I'm Sarah, mom of four, living the dream in the MidCoast. This is my journey of moming, crafting, traveling, shoping, saving, living, loving, learning, etc. I'm really good at run-on sentences. I don't have time to proofread and I assume if you are here you are a busy mom as well, so you don't care. Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo,
Mrs. Midcoast

Categories

Featured Posts

Seabrook Washington Beach Cottage

White Sands New Mexico

Disneyland Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Photography Tips

family vacation in tulum mexico

Adventures in Tulum, Mexico

family on main street at magic kingdom

Our Epic Walt Disney World as a Family with Four Small Children Summer Adventure

family photography sanibel florida

Sanibel Island Florida Family Vacation

Disney World Art of Animation Resort Lion King Suite Room

My Favorite Items for Traveling with Kids

maroon bells aspen colorado

Our First Road Trip with Four Kids to Colorado

the netherlands tulip fields

Europe Trip Stop 1: The Netherlands – Tulip Fields of Lisse Holland

hotel with castle view Mosel cochem Germany

Europe Trip Stop 2: Cochem, Germany – Castle on the Mosel River

Burg Eltz Castle

Europe Trip Stop 3: Burg Eltz Castle – Wierschem, Germany

neuschwanstein castle Bavaria Germany

Europe Trip Stop 4: Neuschwanstein Castle – Schwangau, Germany

Europe Trip Stop 5: Principality of Liechtenstein

lauterbrunnen_switzerland_vacation

Europe Trip Stop 6: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

eguisheim_fountain

Europe Trip Stop 7: Eguisheim, France

Europe Trip Stop 8: Colmar, France

Europe Trip Stop 9: Luxembourg

Europe Trip Stop 10: Zaanse Schans, Netherlands

Europe Trip Stop 11: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Europe Trip Stop 12: Chateau de Versailles – Versailles, France

Europe Trip Stop 13: Giverny, France – Claude Monet’s House and Gardens

Europe Trip Stop 14: Antwerp, Belgium

Spring Europe Road Trip: Netherlands, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium

Back to top