The Great Waters at Versailles

A visit among the fountains and groves at Versailles during the Great Waters.

The fountains are put in water regularly during a show called the Grande Eaux. The rest of the time they do not work because it is necessary to save water. The Grandes Eaux take place mainly on weekends during the good season (see the official website for the precise dates). The timetable of the fountains is not easy to understand. Some fountains only run in 10-minute cycles.

The Grandes Eaux are subject to a fee (8.5 euros), which prevents access to a large part of the park. Access to the Grand Canal is always free.

If you want you can always visit the park for free on another day but you will miss the spectacle of these magnificent waterworks.

Interest: ratinggood (1 user)
Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 3 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

The Apollo basin

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The Apollo basin
It is 3 pm, the crowd is massed in front of the basin to attend the opening of the gates and the watering of the Apollo basin.

Perspective on the park.

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Perspective on the park.
If you don't want to pay you can always see the Apollo pool from here. To tell you the truth, you will hardly see anything.

The Bosquet of the Colonnade

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The Bosquet of the Colonnade
Magnificent exterior garden all in marble.

The fountains

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The fountains
The fountains of the Bosquet de la Colonnade.

Mirror Basin

Mirror Basin
While the other water features are simple, the Mirror Pool offers a variety of water features that evolve to the rhythm of Lully's music.

Mirror Basin

Mirror Basin
The water jets in the Mirror Basin are activated every 10 minutes.

View of the Castle

View of the Castle
The crowd is always very big but the park is so big that you can easily find a quiet place to rest. On the other hand there is not much shade.

Putting the pond in water

Putting the pond in water
Baroque music from the time of Louis XIV accompanies the watering of most of the basins.

The park seen from the terrace of the Castle

The park seen from the terrace of the Castle
Very nice perspective on the whole park.

modern art

modern art
For several years the park has been hosting contemporary artists who exhibit their work. Here a work made with colored bottles.

Waiting to visit the Castle

Waiting to visit the Castle
The Château de Versailles is always crowded, but you should try to avoid weekends in the summer if you don't want to wait long.

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