Together with your guide, you’ll cycle your hired bicycle to the RER train station to make the 20-minute trip by train to Versailles. The first of many highlights on this active day out is a visit to Versailles’ village market to buy baguettes, cheese, ham, wine and whatever else you desire for your delicious picnic lunch in Versailles’ gardens. These picnic provisions are purchased at your own expense.

The next highlight today is a bike ride through the gardens behind Versailles palace. You’ll leave foot visitors behind on your tour of the palace by bicycle, as visitors on foot can visit only a small fraction of the palace gardens. Versailles’ gardens and forests are crisscrossed by a network of fantastic trails and tree-lined paths, so bring your camera for picture-perfect views in every direction.

Arriving at the far end of the Grand Canal, you’ll settle down for a picnic in the exact spot where Louis XIV, XV and XVI ate in order to marvel at their palace. Relax on the grass in peace where only your cycling group will be able to easily reach this end of the Grand Canal.

After lunch, pedal back towards the palace itself for an unforgettable view into the lives of the French monarchy before their removal from power by the Revolution in 1789. You’ll visit the Hall of Mirrors (site of the treaty ending World War I), the King’s State Apartments and the amazing King’s Chapel (audio guide available). After your visit to Versailles you’ll return to Paris via RER train.

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Monet lived at Giverny from 1883 to 1926, and it was here that he created such paintings as his famous “Nympheas” water lily sequence. Monet was the master of Impressionism, inspiring many visiting American Impressionist artists who walked through the gardens you’ll visit on your Giverny tour. The Japanese bridge crossing the famous water-lily pond also featured in Monet’s paintings.

Your tour continues to Versailles, where you’ll enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch it’s time for the glory and splendor of Versailles when you enter the gilded world of King Louis XIV. You’ll visit the opulent Grand Apartments, the stunning chandelier-lit Hall of Mirrors and the Queen’s Apartments. Along the way your expert guide brings the past alive with illuminating details of courtly life in the palace. While visiting Versailles you have free time to visit the formal gardens “a la Francaise”.

Versailles Fountain Show Special Program (April 01–October 26):
For a selected time you have the option to see the magnificent fountain displays, which reveal the skill and artistry of three centuries of French garden design and engineering. The display is accompanied by music composed at the time of Louis XIV’s court.

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You can choose from a half-day tour, either in the morning or afternoon, or a full-day tour including lunch. On both the half-day and full-day tours you’ll also be able to wander around the garden’s groves and pools. If you visit Versailles on a Saturday or Sunday during April to October, you’ll can see the famous fountain show in the gardens. The display is accompanied by music composed at the time of Louis XIV’s court.

Half-day:
Choose from a morning or afternoon departure from Paris. Your guide will provide commentary and expert advice to help you plan your time at Versailles. Your tour of the Palace of Versailles includes free time to explore Louis XIV’s fabulous suite of rooms, the grand Hall of Mirrors and the apartments of the Dauphin and Dauphine.

Full-day:
Your full day tour of Versailles begins with a guided tour of the Royal Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, Queen’s Bedroom and the Gallery of Battles, where an audio-guide is available in eight languages. Your small group tour of Versailles begins with a guided tour of the Royal Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, Queen’s Bedroom and the Gallery of Battles, where an audio-guide is available in eight languages. Enjoy lunch at La Flotille restaurant in the Palace Park facing Versailles’ Grand Canal.

After lunch, it’s time to explore the palace gardens and take a visit to the Queen’s Hamlet, where Marie-Antoinette played at being a shepherdess in the 1780s. You’ll then take a guided tour of the Grand Trianon, a mini palace where Louis XV and Louis XVI liked to lead a quiet life outside the court of Versailles.

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