When Louis XIV set the architect Louis Le Vau, decorator Charles Le Brun and landscape artist Andre Le Notre to work on creating the Chateau at Versailles, he had a lot on his mind. Not least was simultaneously impressing and imprisoning, in a golden cage, the nobility that gave him such a fright when he was a child living at the Palais Royale in Paris. This tour of the Chateau and Park of Versailles not only takes you to see them in all their glory, it also provides insights into the psychology that gave rise to them.

From hunting lodge to site of the most spectacular festivities, Versailles for centuries was the measure of power and luxury for the entire world, and the Sun King meant it that way.

Our guided Versailles tour also drives you through Le Notre's magnificent park to visit the Trianons and Marie Antoinette's flight from gilded reality, her pastoral village. This private escorted tour of Versailles begins with a drive through the Parc de St. Cloud, also designed by Le Notre, giving you an idea what it was like to travel from Paris to Versailles in the 17th century.

Our guided Versailles tour also evinces the decadence of the reign of Louis XV and brings to light how Louis XVI unwittingly scuttled everything that his great, great grandfather had tried to achieve with his creation of the Chateau de Versailles.

There is enough to see in a tour of Versailles to entertainingly fill a whole day of touring, and some of our favorite restaurants in all of France are also found in Versailles. However, if you wish, Paris Luxury Tours can combine this custom tour of Versailles with either a tour of the Chateau at Vaux le Vicomte, or with a tour of Claude Monet's last home and gardens in Giverny, or even a tour of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Chartres.

To really understand the Chateau de Versailles, it helps a lot to visit its predecessor, where the same Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Notre first exercised their talents. Seeing Vaux le Vicomte, as Louis XIV first did, will evoke his fulgurant jealousy and add to your insight into his many reasons for creating the Chateau de Versailles.

Cost for 1-3 persons: 850 € per group
--- for 4-6 persons: 950 € per group
Includes driver/guide, luxury vehicle, fuel and tolls.
Meals, entry fees, drinks not included.

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