The Gardens
Fountains, groves and the days with free entry
Versailles Fountains Show
The Passport covers the Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens for €35 on high-season show days. Allow 3 hours for the Palace's route through the Gardens and groves. The Night Fountains Show needs its own ticket.
Updated Shows and tickets Palace of Versailles: the fountain shows and Palace of Versailles: tickets and prices, read
Château de Versailles Spectacles runs the shows and sells your show tickets.
The three shows
What is the Versailles Musical Fountains Show?
| Show | When | Water | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musical Fountains Show | Daytime | Water in the fountains | Passport or show ticket |
| Musical Gardens | Daytime | Only in the automatic fountains | Passport or show ticket |
| Night Fountains Show | At nightfall | Fountains lit, then fireworks | Its own ticket |
All three shows are walks through the Gardens. Baroque music plays along the route. The groves, usually closed to the public, are open for them.
The Musical Fountains Show gives you scheduled water displays. On Musical Gardens days the groves are open and the music plays. Only the automatic fountains have water.
The Versailles fountains night show starts at nightfall. The fountains are lit. Fireworks close the evening.
Fountain specialists start the jets with a lyre key. The network works by gravity, from reservoirs in the town and in the Gardens.
Days and season
What days are the fountains on at Versailles?
The fountains run in high season only. In low season the fountains are switched off. The 2026 season ended on 1 November 2026.
In 2026 the Musical Fountains Show ran on Saturdays and Sundays, with extra Tuesdays in May and June. The Musical Gardens ran from Tuesday to Friday. The Night Fountains Show ran on Saturday evenings from June to September.
The calendar for 2027 was not on the official pages when the editor read them on 14 November 2026. The organiser publishes the dates and prices for each season.
You will not see all the fountains running throughout the day. The fountains play in sessions in the morning and the afternoon. Read your date's timetable before you choose your Palace time slot.
What to do: If running fountains are your reason to come, choose a published Musical Fountains Show date. If you only want the groves and the music, a Musical Gardens day is enough.
Tickets
Does the Versailles Passport include the Fountains Show?
The Passport covers the Gardens during the day, also on Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days. On those days the high-season Passport costs €35, or €32 for residents or nationals of the European Economic Area.
The Passport does not cover the Night Fountains Show. You need a Night Fountains Show ticket for that evening.
Without a Passport you buy a show ticket for the Gardens. The organiser sells show tickets online and at the entrances to the Gardens. The Palace ticket office does not sell them.
Your daytime show ticket allows entry and a return through a different gate. Musical Fountains Show tickets are not refunded or exchanged, even in bad weather. The Musical Fountains Show goes ahead whatever the weather.
Children younger than 5 enter the Gardens free on daytime show days. Prices for the 2027 season were not published on 14 November 2026. See when the Gardens of Versailles are free before choosing your date.
What to do: If you visit the Palace on a show day, the Passport already covers the Gardens. If you come for the Gardens alone, buy the show ticket from the organiser.
Opening times
Gardens hours on show days
7:009:0011:0013:0015:0017:0019:0021:00
The Gardens8:00 to 18:00. Every day
Low season, 2 November to 31 March.
The Gardens close at 20:30 in high season. Early closing can apply. On show days the groves and the music keep shorter hours than the Gardens.
In 2026, the Gardens closed in the late afternoon to prepare the Night Fountains Show. Check your date's garden hours before you plan your daytime visit.
Allow 3 hours for the Palace's route through the Gardens and groves on a show day. For a guided visit, compare Versailles gardens tours.
Questions about the Versailles fountain shows
When are the fountains on at Versailles?
The fountains run on Musical Fountains Show days in high season. In 2026 that meant Saturdays and Sundays, with extra Tuesdays in May and June. The calendar for 2027 was not published on 14 November 2026. Choose your date from the organiser's published calendar.
What time is the fountain show at Versailles?
The daytime shows run inside the opening hours of the Gardens, and the water plays in sessions. The Night Fountains Show starts at nightfall and ends with fireworks. Use the organiser's timetable for your date to plan your visit. Book your Palace slot around the water sessions.
How often do the fountains go at Versailles?
On a Musical Fountains Show day the fountains play in sessions and not all day. In 2026 the fountains of the main axis ran in the late morning. The groves and basins also ran in separate afternoon sessions at weekends. Check the timetable for your date before you plan your walk.
How did Versailles fountains work before electricity?
The fountains of Versailles work by gravity. Reservoirs in the town and at several points of the Gardens feed the network, which supplies 55 pools and fountains. Fountain specialists still start the jets with a lyre key on show days.
Is the Night Fountains Show included in the Passport?
No. The Passport covers the Gardens during the day only. The Night Fountains Show needs its own ticket from the organiser, Château de Versailles Spectacles. If you visit the Palace as well, keep your daytime entry and your night-show booking separate.
What is the difference between the Musical Fountains Show and the Musical Gardens?
The Musical Fountains Show has scheduled water displays across the Gardens. On a Musical Gardens day only the automatic fountains have water. Both are daytime walks with baroque music and the groves open. If you want running fountains, choose the Musical Fountains Show. For the groves and music, a Musical Gardens day is enough.
Nearby
More places at Versailles
Versailles tickets
Every Passport rate and where to book the time slot
The Park and the Grand Canal
Free entry, bikes, boats and the gates from town