I’ll admit it, when I

I’ll admit it, when I first visited Versailles, I came for the palace. Who wouldn’t? All that glitter and grandeur, the Hall of Mirrors, the fountains performing water ballet, the rustic hamlet that was the playground of doomed Queen Marie-Antoinette… it’s one of the most iconic visits in France. But then, as so often happens in France, wandering off the beaten track revealed a whole other level to this chic town - secret courtyards, cobbled alleys, historic districts, and the enduring legacy of royal occupation. History on every corner The gilded Palace of Versailles Cobbled streets hung with chandeliers in the Antiques District VERSAILLES There’s more to the royal city than the Palace… It is impossible not to be swept off your feet by the golden grandeur of the Palace of Versailles, but did you know that the town of Versailles is a fabulous visit in its own right? Although a suburb of Paris, Versailles is more like a small city, its streets are lined with majestic buildings, museums and markets says Janine Marsh as she takes a royal ramble. Versailles is a ‘new town’, albeit one that is several centuries old. In 1624, King Louis XIII built a hunting lodge, “nothing much to be proud of,” wrote a courtier, in what was then a small village surrounded by forests, vineyards, and meadows, not far from the main royal residence in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (see page 108). The hunting lodge became a small château, and when Louis XIII was succeeded by his son, Louis XIV, he became so fond of it that in 1661, he began embellishing the château and then transforming it into a palace that would leave the world in awe. But his grand ambitions extended way beyond the palace. Louis XIV turned his attention to his surroundings and ordered the construction of a town. He appointed the most brilliant 16 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 17