Introduction to Versailles

21km (13 miles) SW of Paris, 71km (44 miles) NE of Chartres

Just 45 minutes southwest of Paris, Le Château de Versailles is the most sumptuous castle in Europe and forever associated with the Sun King, Louis XIV, and the doomed Queen Marie Antoinette. The palace's regal gardens were designed by the famous landscape architect, Le Nôtre, to create a French Eden and give the grounds a bucolic feel. But the town of Versailles -- practically synonymous with its decadent royal palace -- has its pleasures too, with stately streets ringing the Cathédrale St-Louis, colorful markets, and antiques shops.

Things to Do -- Get gold fever inside the palace's extravagantly gilded Petits and Grands Appartements, where royals and their sycophants lived under constant scrutiny. Few superlatives aptly describe the beauty of the chandeliered Hall of Mirrors where the treaty ending WWI was signed in 1919. The gardens contain a line-up of noble statuary, hidden bosquets (groves) and fountains adorned with frolicking Greek gods. Just outside the gates, wander the Sun King's vegetable garden, before exploring boutiques around the quartier St. Louis.

Where to Eat -- The Trianon Palace Hotel is home to Gordon Ramsey's wonderfully decadent restaurant, Gordon Ramsay au Trianon, which offers a Michelin-starred English take on French classics. Sample royal veggies at Le Potager du Roy or head to affordable rue de Satory, where crêperies, Thai, and Lebanese restaurants line the street.

Nightlife and Entertainment -- Try to catch the famous Grands Eaux Musicales, when the fountains dance majestically to the rhythm of classical music. During the summer, the gardens are also the setting for nighttime spectacles of opera, theater, fireworks and music, which capture the pomp of the celebrations the Sun King once hosted. If you're lucky, you can also catch "Les Fêtes de Nuit de Versailles," an impressive fireworks display around late August.