The best way to understand the scale of Le Nôtre's design: out past the Trianons, then along the whole Grand Canal with the palace at the far end.
Photo: Château de Versailles / Thomas Garnier
Distance
9.1 km
Time
2 h 40
Difficulty
Easy
Start
Grille de la Reine (Queen's Gate), boulevard de la Reine – paid street parking, or 15 minutes on foot from Versailles Rive Droite station
Past
Petit Trianon (Marie-Antoinette's estate), Grand Trianon, the full length of the Grand Canal, 1,670 m, the Apollo Fountain and La Petite Venise
Season
All year. The two garden gates on the route cannot be used when the château is closed (Mondays). Muddy in wet weather – Visorando advises shoes that can cope with mud. Crowded at weekends and in school holidays.
With children
Flat avenues; pushchairs are allowed in the park and gardens (château). The little train and bike hire at La Petite Venise can shorten it; La Flottille by the canal has food and toilets.
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