Palace of Versailles
Okay…. I kind of felt like Versailles deserved it’s very own post because…. come on. If you know me at all, you know that if I could spend every single afternoon having a picnic in the gardens of Versailles.. I would. In a heart beat.
We dedicated an entire day to Versailles because you kind of have to. It’s about 40 minutes outside the city by train and it is massive, you really want to allow yourself plenty of time to wander and just get lost.
We started the day early with a to-go latte & pastry. We hopped right on the metro that takes you to the major train station that links to Versailles. The train was so easy to get on and it was very crowded with English speaking tourists because half of the people were headed to Versailles and the other half were headed to the Ryder Cup (side note : my ultimate bae Jamie Dornan was in attendance and i’m honestly offended Justin didn’t suggest we should go. jk, but seriously). I’m not going to lie, it was kind of nice to hear a train car full of english speaking tourists since you really don’t get to talk to anyone else while visiting a different country.
The train pulls up in the cutest little town and the palace is seriously a 5-7 minute walk from the train station, it’s so easy. Since we got there so early, it was really dead, which, hellooooo, meant prime photo taking opportunities. We chose to get the Passport ticket, which gets you access to the main palace as well Marie Antoinette’s private chateau & gardens.
*Tip - get the audio guide! They are only 5 euros and so worth it so you really understand what each room was used for.
Even though I had been before, it still took my breath away walking inside and getting to experience it all over again. You get to walk through all of the Royal Family’s private quarters, their libraries, their dining rooms, etc… Since Justin is such a huge history buff, he was really taking his time listening to each room’s audio guide and soaking it in. I did not mind because I got all the time in the world to capture the exquisite architecture and really admire the romantic patterns on the walls and the stunning moldings on the ceilings and door frames. Each room honestly has a completely different theme and they just get more and more beautiful as you go through the palace.
I don’t think you can really be prepared for the overwhelming feeling of beauty when you turn the corner and enter the Hall of Mirrors. Maybe because it is so iconic, or just that it’s that beautiful, your heart honestly skips a beat. During the days of Marie Antoinette (and long before), having a mirror was a sign of wealth. Mirrors were extremely expensive, so the fact that the palace has an entire hall of them really shows you just how wealthy they were and what they used their money towards.
After we toured the palace, we stopped at the Angelina restaurant in the palace for some lunch. It was a short line for a table, and when we sat down it was so wonderful to be in such a beautiful part of the palace having a meal, we honestly felt like royals for half a second! (And then realized we were not at all….. ). The Angelina Cafe honestly had one of the best Caesar salads I have ever had and the best coffee! It was such a little treat after a long morning of walking.
After lunch we headed to….. surprise surprise! (can you guess???) Laduree! Yes…. There is a Laduree INSIDE the palace! When you think of Marie Antoinette, you think of macarons, pastries, pastel peonies and luxurious gowns, so it only makes sense to have a Laduree there.
After buying things I really didn’t need at Laduree (including the worlds best smelling candle ever), we headed outside to tour the gardens and the Chateau. For someone who has never been to Versailles, it is a little overwhelming to see just how big the property is. Justin was absolutely blown away at how big it was. We saw people renting golf carts to drive along the property and, since I had hurt my ankle, we decided to rent one! It was so much fun to goof around and drive around this luxurious palace in a golf cart! When we pulled up to Marie Antoinette’s Chateau, I was immediately blown away. It was so surreal to be in a place where she spent so much time and raised her children. You got to walk through her actual bedroom, her sitting room, the kitchen, etc… It was just as grand and pastel blue as you would imagine Marie Antoinette’s Chateau to be. There isn’t that much to see in the actual chateau except walk through the rooms, so we headed outside to the gardens!
The gardens were the place I felt most at peace. I had the time of my life wandering with Justin and getting lost in the trees and the flowers. I wish I had a long dress on to frolic through the gardens. The sun was shining so beautifully through the trees and I felt like we were in the French countryside in a secret garden.
While I was waiting for Justin to return the golf cart, I happened to look over and notice you could rent a canoe! We wandered over just to see how long you could rent it for, and it was only 13 euros for 30 minutes! We had to do it. We had so much fun laughing and trying to maneuver the canoe in this smell body of water with all the other boats. Our 30 minutes went by SO fast and we were sadly heading back to the city after the loveliest day. We both completely passed out on the train back since we had been walking all day long.
One thing that was very important to Justin to see in Paris was General Lafayette’s grave. Lafayette means a lot to Justin (as he should, he fought for America’s independence!), so he really wanted to go pay his respect and lay flowers at his grave. Believe me when I tell you, the cemetery is very difficult to find. It is tucked waaaaay back in this little garden that you have to ring a bell to get into. It is an extremely eerie feeling to be there, but it meant a lot to Justin to see.
After laying flowers by Lafayette, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower to go up it! I will be completely honest with you, when it gets closer to night time, the surrounding areas of the Eiffel Tower can be a little sketchy. There are these men with blankets set out that are selling little Eiffel Tower trinkets (keychains, statues, etc..) and they all sell the exact same thing! They kind of harass people that walk by, so I would just be cautious walking there at night :) I felt completely safe with Justin, but if I was alone or with girlfriends I probably wouldn’t have felt very safe.
We chose to go up to the second level of the tower since the top was just a liiiiiittle too high for me and Justin. I’m not too queasy with heights, but the top seemed just a little out of my comfort zone.
When we got up, it was just a few minutes before 8:00 p.m., which is the first time for the light show! Even though we had seen it twice at this point, I was still giddy waiting for it as every minute passed. It was SO neat to see the sparkles from the actual tower! We truly felt like we were in the middle of glitter falling on us, everything lit up. I would absolutely recommend going right when the light show is starting. Not only do you get to be in the middle of it all, it happens right as sunset, so the whole city turns pink and it is truly special.
Here are some tips for visiting Versailles!
Get there early! We couldn’t believe how busy it was when we left and it was so cool to actually get photos of the front of the palace with no one in the photos.
Get the audio guide! It is so inexpensive and it helps so much as you go through the palace.
Bring a picnic! This is something I planned on doing, but it completely slipped my mind and I was SO sad when we got there and I saw all the picnics going on. Bring a baguette, some strawberries, some cheese, maybe some fresh iced tea or lemonade, and a cozy blanket and just sit by the water soaking up the sun and the views. It definitely would have been a trip highlight if I wasn’t such a space cadet!
Be patient. Since I have traveled quite a bit more than Justin, this was his first time kind of dealing with really large, rude, pushy crowds. I didn’t really notice it because these crowds are every where you go in Europe… It’s just something you can’t avoid. There are going to be loud families, pushy people, absolutely rude people who cut you in line and are totally oblivious to it, and people who stand directly in front of you, etc… You just have to be patient and try to get around it.
Wear comfortable shoes!!!! I cannot stress this enough. The first time I went to Versailles 10 years ago, I wore flip flops with absolutely no support… I was MISERABLE. I remember trying to find a chair in every room because my feet hurt so bad. This time I wore my adorable new Puma’s and I was so happy.
Give yourself enough time. Versailles is massive and you honestly cannot miss a second of it. It is such a special, exquisite, luxurious place, you really need to explore because you will find new things everywhere you turn.
Buy the Passport ticket. It is only about 10 euros more and you get to see so much more that you wouldn’t get to see otherwise!
Angelina Restaurant Versailles
