The Gardens of Versailles are open 8:00 – 18:00 today. Allow 2 hours for the Palace's garden walk. Daytime entry is free except on Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days.
Updated Hours and entry Palace of Versailles: the Gardens and Palace of Versailles: practical information, read ; tour prices read
The Gardens of the Palace of Versailles start behind the building. The Park and the Grand Canal lie beyond them.
The design
André Le Nôtre designed the Gardens of Versailles. Louis XIV gave him the task in 1661. Work on the Gardens started with the work on the Palace and lasted 40 years or so.
Charles Le Brun drew a large number of the statues and fountains. Jules Hardouin-Mansart built the Orangery and reworked some of the groves.
The main axis runs east to west from the Palace. The axis is older than the reign of Louis XIV. Le Nôtre widened the Royal Way and dug the Grand Canal to carry the view further.
The trees are younger than the plan. The Gardens needed replanting about once every 100 years. They were fully replanted after the storm of December 1999.
Water runs by gravity. Reservoirs in the town and in the Gardens feed 55 pools and fountains.
What to see
Start your visit on the terrace behind the Palace. The Water Parterre is made of 2 large rectangular pools. The North Parterre and the South Parterre lie on either side.
Latona's Fountain comes next. It shows Latona, mother of Apollo and Diana, protecting her children from the peasants of Lycia. Jupiter turns the peasants into frogs and lizards. Latona's Parterre covers almost 3.5 hectares.
At the far end stands Apollo's Fountain. The gilded lead group shows Apollo on his chariot. The sculptor Tuby made the group between 1668 and 1670 to a design by Le Brun.
The groves stand in the woods on both sides of the axis. Look for the Ballroom Grove's cascade of 8 levels. It is the only cascade at Versailles.
The Colonnade is a ring of 32 Ionic columns, 40 metres across, begun in 1685. The landscaper Louis Benech and the artist Jean-Michel Othoniel redesigned the Water Theatre Grove. The grove opened in 2015.
The central gallery of the Orangery is more than 150 metres long under a vault 13 metres high. You can reach the Orangery parterre from the Gardens at no extra charge.
The main jet of the Dragon Fountain reaches 27 metres. The Dragon Fountain is under restoration, due to end in 2027.
Clipped shrubs line the paths. The Gardens hold 700 topiaries in 67 shapes.
What to do: If you want the main view, start your visit at the Water Parterre. For the groves and music, choose a daytime show visit.
Entry
The Gardens are free every day in low season. In high season, you need a ticket on Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days. Your visit is free on Mondays and days without a show. Check when the Gardens of Versailles are free before choosing your date.
The Passport covers the Gardens on daytime show days. On those days the high-season Passport costs €35, or €32 for residents or nationals of the European Economic Area. Children younger than 5 enter the Gardens free on daytime show days. Compare Versailles tickets before booking.
Show tickets are sold by the organiser online and at the entrances to the Gardens, not at the Palace ticket office. The Fountains Show page explains the three shows.
The Night Fountains Show needs its own ticket. The Passport does not cover it.
What to do: If you only want a walk in the Gardens, come in low season or on a high-season Monday, when the Palace itself is closed. If you want running fountains, plan a Musical Fountains Show day.
Opening times
The Gardens8:00 to 18:00. Every day
The Park8:00 to 18:00. Every day, last admission 17:30
Low season, 2 November to 31 March. open, you can enter open, last admission has passed
You can visit the Gardens every day from 8:00 to 18:00 in low season. In high season the Gardens close at 20:30 unless an early closure applies.
Bad weather can close the Gardens: the Palace names snow and violent winds.
Low season changes the Gardens. The fountains are switched off and the statues are covered.
In 2026, the Gardens closed in the late afternoon on Night Fountains Show days. Check your date's garden hours before you plan an evening walk.
For running fountains, plan your visit around the Musical Fountains Show. Water runs in timed sessions. Read the day's water timetable before you choose your Palace time slot.
Getting in and around
From the Palace, you enter through the Princes' Courtyard, next to Entrance A and the Palace exit. From the Park, you can enter through the Neptune Gate at the north end. The Little Venice Gate and the Menagerie Gate are at the west end by the Grand Canal.
Allow 2 hours for your garden walk. You must leave bikes outside the Gardens. Animals are not allowed either, except guide dogs with proof.
You can hire an electric vehicle to reduce your walking. Hire costs €42 per hour for a vehicle seating 4 people. You must be at least 24 to drive and leave your original driving licence as deposit.
If you have reduced mobility, the Palace advises arrival by car at the Flotille or Neptune car park, or on foot by the Queen's Gate.
Take your picnic to the Park, beyond the Gardens.
Use the free Palace app to find your way through the Gardens. The app has an interactive Versailles Gardens map and garden audio tours for your visit. The map of the Gardens and their entrances helps you plan your arrival.
You need a ticket for the Gardens of Versailles on Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days. Entry is free in low season, 2 November to 31 March, and on days without a daytime show. A Passport covers the daytime shows. Garden show tickets are also sold separately. The Night Fountains Show needs its own ticket.
Yes. You can visit the Gardens of Versailles without entering the Palace. The Gardens have their own entrances from the Park. Garden entry is free in low season and on days without a daytime show. On Musical Fountains Show or Musical Gardens days, you can buy a garden ticket separately. Palace visits need a booked time slot.
The fountains of Versailles work by gravity. Reservoirs in the town and in the Gardens feed the network. The historic network still supplies 55 pools and fountains. You can see the fountains running on Musical Fountains Show days. In low season the fountains are switched off.
The Gardens close at 18:00 in low season and at 20:30 in high season unless an early closure applies. Today the Gardens are open 8:00 – 18:00. In 2026, the Gardens closed earlier on Night Fountains Show days. Check your date's hours before you plan an evening visit.
Allow 2 hours for the Palace's garden walk, or 3 hours for the route through the Gardens and groves on a show day. If you also visit the Palace, allow 90 minutes inside. Plan your walk around your Palace time slot. You need a reserved slot even with free admission.
The Musical Fountains Show has scheduled water displays. Musical Gardens days give you open groves with baroque music. Your Passport covers the Gardens during either daytime show. If running fountains are your priority, choose a Musical Fountains Show day. For the groves and music, a Musical Gardens day is enough.
With a guide
A guide in the Gardens shows you which paths lead to the groves. Each tour below gives the Gardens their own part of the visit. The Gardens tours page compares more of them.
If you want a guide to explain the Gardens, choose a tour with an outdoor guided visit. For a walk at your own pace, use the free Palace app.
Garden walk with Palace entry
The guide walks you through the Gardens before independent Palace entry. Allow 3 hours for this visit with up to 15 guests. Choose Fat Tire if you want your guide outdoors.
from €65 per adult
See the tourPalace rooms and Gardens
Compared option: Classic Group Tour No Pickup
If you are arranging your own travel, meet at Versailles for Palace and Gardens guiding. The 2 hours 30 minutes route takes up to 20 guests through the rooms and garden paths.
from €85 per adult
See the tourGolf cart with estate cycling
Golf carts cover the Gardens before cycling around the Grand Canal. The 6 hours visit allows up to 15 guests and includes time at the Queen's Hamlet. Choose this if you want an outdoor estate visit.
from €189.99 per adult
See the tourPrices in euros per adult, read : the usual lowest price of each option, without short sales. The booking page shows the price for your date. We add no fee.
Nearby
The three shows and the ticket each one needs
Free entry, bikes, boats and the gates from town
The rooms on the route and the time slot