The chateau of Versailles is one place that will not only live up to but positively exceed your expectations.
Everything inside was built on a truly grand scale. Where on a normal palace houses on the estate would be small affairs, the Trianons are also rather elegant and elsewhere would be magnificent but they, of course, are nothing compared to the palace itself.
To really do it justice, you should stay in the town and give yourself a full day to cover the palace and the grounds. What better place to stay than the "works caravan" for the palace construction? Today this is the Hotel de France and contains many of the features that were later built in the palace itself. Here you'll find a mini hall of mirrors (very popular for wedding receptions), the sweeping marble staircases, etc. Yes, it's a little more expensive than the ordinary hotels in the town, but it's a lot cheaper than you might think.
But what about the palace itself? It's best to start your tour of the main building early in the day as the queues build quickly with the arrival of the tour buses and this'll also give you a chance to get a better view of the innumerable paintings, statues, decorations and furniture throughout the palace.
Probably the most spectacular room is the hall of mirrors but that's merely the highest peak of many peaks throughout the chateau.
Outside you'll find the magnificent gardens which contain numerous set-pieces that are beautiful in their own right. There's so much to see that many people miss features that would be attractions in their own right were they not basking in the glory of the palace itself.
You'll see the fountains just in front of the palace but don't forget the two Trianons. The Petit Trianon was used to house Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV.
Each presently holds smaller collections of art and furniture than the palace but which are equally splendid.
The nearest airports are in Paris which are served by all the major airlines along with the likes of Ryanair, Easyjet, etc.
It takes about 40 minutes to reach Versailles from Paris on the train.
