Neighbourhood Watch: Versailles

Today, we’re taking a brief break from spiralling (out through Paris’s arrondissements, that is – we’re never really taking a break from spiralling in any other way) to head out of the city proper and into the historic ‘village’ of Versailles.

Versailles was born in the 1600s when King Louis XIV began to turn a royal hunting lodge in the area’s parkland into the Chateau de Versailles that we know today. As it grew so, too, did the royal household, which expanded outward into what’s now a very pretty, upmarket little town that’s become a staple of day-trippers.

Note: many Paris museums and attractions will require pre-booking during the Games. Make sure to check their websites to ensure you’re aware of any restrictions to access and to ensure you can visit on your intended date.

Main attractions of Versailles:

• The Chateau de Versailles
• l'Académie Équestre Nationale de Versailles
• Marché Notre-Dame
• The Gardens of Versailles
• The Gallery of Coaches

You’ll find it:

About 13 miles west of Paris in the Yvelines department. It’s far enough out not to feel like a suburb, but rather, its own place – but it’s still also very easy to access. You can drive to Paris easily enough (though we don’t recommend this during the Olympics, when parking will be tricky in town and non-existent at the competition venue) or catch a train, bus, or Uber without much trouble.

Train travel is generally the easiest way to move around Paris and its suburbs, and Versailles is well-served whether you want to get into the city or further out. You can catch the RER C from Versailles Château Rive Gauche or Versailles Chantier and be in central Paris in less than half an hour, or jump on SNCF Line L from Versailles Rive Droite, or Line N from Versailles Chantiers, and you’ll get there in just under 40. (The C, generally is easiest – it runs every five to ten minutes and stops at nine different stations within the city proper.)

Olympic sports held here:

Ahh, you know, nothing important, just the entirety of the equestrian sports roster. Oh, and also Modern Pentathlon, which will be held after the close of the Big Three, starting on August 8 and going until August 11. Eventing is the first of the sports on the timetable, and will be held from July 27 to 29, followed by dressage, which kicks off on July 30 and wraps up with the Freestyle on August 4. Finally, showjumping takes to the main stage from August 1 to August 6.

Olympic fanzones in the neighbourhood:

Fanzones are a great way for ticket holders and non-ticket-holders alike to enjoy the extraordinary buzz of Paris 2024 – for free. You can find lots more information on them here.

While it’s not strictly within Versailles, there’s a major fanzone hub not far away in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Club 2024 is located just 12km west of the town of Versailles, or 25 minutes or so by car, or you can take the N or U train, or the RER C, from Versailles to Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines station and walk about 20 minutes or so to get to the park, or grab a shuttle. There, you’ll find big screens, DJ sets, performances, plenty of food options, a roller disco, have-a-go sports zones, and much, much more.

---

So what’s the vibe, anyway?

The town of Versailles encapsulates a lot of what first-time Paris visitors might be hoping to find within the city itself – there’s distinctively French architecture, sweeping boulevards, cobbled streets, and history woven into its fabric. But unlike Paris proper, Versailles is compact, relatively calm, and can generally be a less overwhelming introduction to the city.

The town is centred around the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Chateau de Versailles, and understandably so – the palace is one of the most visited tourist sites in the world, and so its town has to accommodate some ten million visitors per year who either day-trip in from Paris, arrive by the coachload in tour groups, or come to stay and soak up the town.

That means that the bulk of the actual stuff to do is very much centred in the Chateau and its park – whether you’re adding in a trip around the palace itself, a wander through the grounds, or a visit to the Royal Equestrian Academy to your trip, the Chateau de Versailles shouldn’t be missed. (Our favourites, for what it’s worth? Marie Antoinette’s hamlet, the colossal and dramatic Gallery of Great Battles in the palace, and the opulent arena of the Academy, which you can easily add onto your Olympic day. Check out our guide here and find out how to get special access to a number of performances at the Academy, plus a special horse-centric exhibition within the Palace.)

But don’t write Versailles off as dull: it’s a beautiful, safe town with plenty of excellent restaurants and spots to wind down and soak up the culture and the summer sun. While you won’t be able to, say, hire horses for a ride around the estate during the Olympics – come back in a couple of months and tick that one off your bucket list – you can enjoy long, meandering walks past some of the region’s most beautiful buildings en route to your next big meal.

Or, in the spirit of slow travel, use your free time in Versailles to do something a little bit different, such as a private pastry class with a Cordon Bleu-trained pâtissière.

Paris’s market culture extends out to Versailles, with the Marché Notre-Dame taking place every day except Mondays and offering a huge array of fresh, seasonal produce, cheeses, meat, fish – and much more besides in a market square that dates back to the 1600s.

You can bring picnics into the Versailles park – though not into the competition venue or gardens – so pick up a wicker basket here, fill it with the good stuff, and enjoy a free afternoon under the trees of the Trianon end of the estate.

If you’d rather hunt for art and antiques, the crooked, cobbled Geôle et du Bailliage, very near the Marché, is packed with craftsmen, antiques dealers, and collectors buying and selling all sorts of treasures. From June 13 to August 11, they’ll be focusing on exhibiting horse-themed art and objects in a nod to the competitions unfolding at Versailles, so this is the perfect place to find an incredible souvenir. You’ll find paintings, silk scarves, bronzes, vintage competition posters, and much, much more here.

Also worth checking out are the 'offshoots' of the Palace, which can be found scattered around it. Fairly niche but also very wholesome? The King's vegetable garden, or the Potager du Roi, is just a seven-minute walk from Versailles Château Rive Gauche RER station and a curiously peaceful departure from the gilded grandeur of the rest of the Sun King's efforts. Nestled within its high walls you'll find rows of fruit and vegetable trees and plants, beehives, and hen houses – and you can still get apples adorned with Louis XIV's effigy, which was something he insisted upon during his reign because, well, monarchs, you know?

If you're into history, or can be persuaded to be, the Musée Lambinet costs just a handful of euros to enter, and is a treasure trove dedicated to telling the story of how Versailles came to be – from its beginnings as a royal household to the expansive town it is today. It's very near Rive Droite station on the Boulevard de la Reine. On the other side of the front gates, you'll find the Salle du Jeu de Pomme – that's the royal tennis courts, and so it's interesting to anyone with any connection to the sport, but also to anyone who wants to follow the threads of revolutionary spirit that course through Versailles. It was hear the the Tennis Court Oath, a key milestone en route to the French Revolution, was made.

---

Where to stay:

This late in the day, you’ll struggle to find a hotel room in Versailles for the Olympics – but what you will find is a lot of good, last-minute house bookings as residents realise that they don’t fancy having their whole summer swallowed whole by the Games, and decide to head to the South of France instead. These ones aren’t tried-and-test thp recommendations, but consider…

• This sweet one-bed apartment, which is available throughout the Games at £241 per night and has all the amenities you’d expect from a home away from home, including a washing machine – a great boon if you’re planning to stick around for the entirety of the Olympics.
• This three-bed, two-bathroom family home, which starts at £657 per night during the eventing and rises to £816 during the showjumping – but for a group of friends, it works out as a steal. It has a double bed, two singles, two bunk beds, and a sofa bed, so if you fill all the available slots, you could be paying less than £100 per person per night.
• This cute one-bed, which isn’t in Versailles but is just a few kilometres away in Le Chesnay. It’s got free parking, which means you can scoot yourself on over to the station easily, or drive down and leave your car in the driveway all week while you rely on public transport instead. It starts at just £115 a night during the Games.
• Another family home with three bedrooms (and loads of books), this time located in Vélizy-Villacoublay, just a few kilometers from Versailles. You can comfortably sleep at least five here – there’s a double, two singles, and a sofa bed – and renting it for the entirety of the equestrian sports would run you £3,213 – that’s potentially just under £650 per person for a week and a half.

---

Where to eat:

There are plenty of restaurants within the Chateau de Versailles itself, although during the Games, getting seats might be easier said than done.

Instead, head into town for your sit-down meals – you’ll find plenty of great options there for all budgets and tastes.

• For Michelin-starred modern French cuisine, head to La Table du 11, which is situated just outside the front gates of the Chateau. You’ll want to make your reservations in advance, though there’s still excellent availability through the Games – and once you’ve got your table secured, plan to treat yourself to the tasting menu, which is €130 per person and a gorgeous way to spoil yourself after a long day cheering on your team.
• If you want an excellent meal on a friendlier budget, Gaberem is the go-to in Versailles town. It’s a bit further out from the castle – it’s a half an hour walk or so from the front gates of the palace, or fifteen from Versailles-Chantier station – but well worth the walk, with generous portions and a menu that changes daily to reflect the ingredients that can be sourced fresh and in-season. It’s not fancy, but it’s very, very friendly and its reputation means that it’s often full, so book ahead to make sure you can get a seat. You can get a prix-fixe lunch here for around €20, or have an à la carte dinner with mains starting around the same price.
• Chez Georges, just a couple of streets back from La Table du 11, is another budget-friendly option, with mains sitting just under €30. The menu here is compact, but the options presented are beautiful. Get the guinea fowl.
• Formidably good North African cuisine is one of Paris’s secret weapons, and in Versailles, you can find it at Chez Tiouiche, just behind the Grand Commun. Here, you can fill up on enormous tagines of couscous, slow-roasted lamb, and carby, perfect slabs of bourek.

• Vous is just around the corner from the palace and much-loved by locals, who head there for great wine, even better cocktails, and beautiful dinners made from locally-sourced ingredients by a young (and also beautiful, if we’re honest) team. The food is a creative French-Asian fusion, the soundtrack is hand-picked vinyl, and the setting is perfect, too, with a sun-drenched terrace that’s pure Paris.
• Le Petit Bouillon on the Rue Colbert is surprisingly budget-friendly – you can get mains here for under €12 – but it’s a mainstay for locals for a reason. The red benches and wall sconces feel a bit like you’ve stepped into the early 20^th century, and the food is hearty and reliable. You can’t go wrong with the beef bourgignon here.
• Long Story is just the ticket for cocktails, but if you're on the hunt for brunch, too, it's an unbeatable spot with great vibes and even better food.