Park of Versailles

The park of Versailles is free to enter and is open all days of the year except during extreme weather conditions.

Apart from its alluring greenery, the Park has two characteristic water bodies, the Grand Canal and the Lake of the Swiss Guards.

Despite losing some sections during the Revolution, the Park kept its original structure and spans almost 800 hectares of land.

1,670 meters long, the Grand Canal of the Park of Versailles took 11 years to be built.

The Canal was the point for some glorious parties and the sailing point of various Louis XIV’s boats.

During winters, it was used for skating and sledding.

To transform this stagnant water body in the Southern part of the Palace of Versailles, a 5-year long excavation period started.

This new lake, the Lake of the Swiss Guard, emerged from this transformation and marked the end of the north-south axis.

Excavated soil from these efforts helped establish the Royal Vegetable Garden.