Last entry tour of Versailles with Gardens or Fountains Show

Step inside one of Europe’s most opulent buildings on this fully-guided tour of the Palace of Versailles. From the immense fountains that punctuate Louis XIV’s gardens to the splendor of the King’s and Queen’s Apartments and the incomparable Hall of Mirrors, this tour immerses you in the sights, stories, gossip, and legends of France’s lost age of splendor.Your day starts in central Paris, where you’ll meet your expert guide and small group of no more than 19 fellow travelers and you'll make your way to the Palace of Versailles, in the outskirts of Paris. First built as a hunting lodge by Louis XIII, you'll see how his son, otherwise known as the Sun King, made it what it is today. Your tour will begin with the gardens and you'll see how they came to be considered the epitome of the French gardens that you can still see all over the world. You’ll also get the story of how Louis snatched his garden designer off another project essentially out of jealousy!As you go along, your guide will point out details like the various symbols of the Greek sun god, Apollo, which Louis used all over the grounds as a reference to, well, himself. The highlights of the gardens are the immense fountains, which are packed with beautiful statuary and run on a system of gravity-driven hydraulics that has not changed since they were first installed. If you are visiting during the week you’ll only see the architecture of the fountains but if you go on the weekend you’ll witness their full grandeur when they are turned on and water spouts from them just as it did over 300 years ago.After the gardens, you’ll enjoy skip-the-line entrance into the palace itself. It’s the final entrance of the day so Versailles will be peaceful and not too crowded. As you go from one unimaginably decadent room to the next, your guide will bring the palace to life with stories of courtly intrigue and royal plots, while also giving you insight into the everyday lives of the people who lived here (it may not be as glamorous as you expect).On your small group tour you will visit the most famous and impressive rooms in the palace, from the Royal private apartments, where the last of the Bourbon monarchs lived out their private lives; to the public state apartments, like the War Room and Peace room, which hosted balls, concerts and political functions. The most stunning of them all is the Hall of Mirrors, which is packed with so much art, symbolism and imagery, your guide will make sure to spend extra time there helping you decode it all. This is one of, if not the greatest and most ostentatious throne room ever created and it’s packed with diplomatic history. Be sure to ask lots of questions and soak it all up.Since you entered the chateau from the back, you’ll leave from the front, making your last view of Versailles also the most impressive.