Your guide will meet you in downtown Paris and accompany you to Versailles by local train. Once you reach the Chateau, begin your trip through time as you gain a vivid understanding of the royal personalities who inhabited the site. Versailles was the most splendid capital in the world during the 17th century reign of Louis XIV. Your pre-booked entrance tickets will guarantee you direct access, and your friendly local guide will ensure you see all these rooms and halls have to offer. Hear about how the royal family was continuously on display, how they subjugated the proud nobles, and recaptured preeminence in fashion and art production from Italy back to France. Enjoy astonishing anecdotes about the lavish lifestyle of Marie Antoinette, and you’ll understand how uncomfortable she was at this public palace, preferring her private domains. Upon completing your tour of the royal apartments, your guide will accompany you through the luxurious gardens of Versailles, the setting for promenades, performances, and pyrotechnics. On days when the fountains are active, you’ll appreciate the elegant and omnipresent bubbling jets of water.  After a break for lunch,  enjoy an afternoon excursion to the queen’s personal domain. During this three-hour tour you’ll visit the Petit Trianon, an exquisite private palace set in a luxuriant garden where Marie Antoinette spent much of her time. You’ll also wander through the queen’s Normandy village, featuring a vineyard, a dairy, and a vegetable farm, arranged for her to simulate the healthy simplicity of country life. For your comfort, and to reduce the walking distance on the tour, take the 'Petit Train' from the Palace to and from the Petit Trianon. After your tour it's a short walk to the train station where you'll catch the direct train back to Paris. You can also choose to add on a gourmet 3 course lunch with wine in the restaurant in the Palace run by Chef Ducasse.