Palace of Versailles

Louis XIV turned his father's hunting lodge into the grandest palace in Europe and moved the French court here in 1682. The highlight is the Hall of Mirrors, where 357 mirrors face tall windows over the gardens, and the King's and Queen's apartments show how royalty lived until the Revolution.

The gardens, laid out by André Le Nôtre, stretch to the Grand Canal, and on weekends from spring to autumn the fountains play to music. Further on are the Trianon palaces and Marie-Antoinette's hamlet; a little train or a rented buggy saves a lot of walking.

Versailles is about 40 minutes from central Paris. The palace is closed on Mondays and busiest on Tuesdays, so we book a timed morning entry later in the week.