Jardins de Versailles

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About Jardins de Versailles

The gardens were designed by André Le Nôtre for Luís XIV from 1661 onwards. The layout follows an axis that runs out from the palace, down the Parterre de Latone and the Allée Royale, also called the Tapis Vert, and ends at the Grand Canal, a cross-shaped water mirror about 1.6 km long. On both sides of the axis are the bosquets, rooms of vegetation enclosed by hedges, each with its own fountain or sculpture.

The fountains are the centre of the spectacle. The Bassin de Latone shows Apollo's mother surrounded by peasants transformed into frogs and lizards; the Bassin d'Apollon, at the start of the Grand Canal, depicts the god emerging from the sea in his chariot; the Bassin de Neptune, to the north, is the largest of all. The 17th-century hydraulic system is still used, which is why the fountains are not running all the time.

On Grandes Eaux Musicales days the fountains are set off to baroque music, and the bosquets are opened. In 2026 the season runs from early April to 1 November, on Saturdays and Sundays, with some additional weekdays between May and July; on Saturdays from June to September there are also Grandes Eaux Nocturnes at night, with lighting and fireworks. On other days of the season there are usually Jardins Musicaux, with music but without the fountain spectacle.

Next to the palace is the Orangerie, built by Hardouin-Mansart to shelter orange trees and palms in winter; in summer the trees are placed on the Parterre de l'Orangerie. For those who want to rest their legs, rowboats and bicycles can be hired by the Grand Canal, and a little train links the palace to the Trianon.