Would A teenager like the Palace of Versailles?

Question

Im going to Paris with an 18yrold and 15 yearold. The 15yrold wants to go see the Palace of Versaille but only because she liked the movie Marie Antoinette with the fashion etc, however ive heard that Varsaille is just gardens and i have a feeling she would be bored. Is it worth the travel? How long should we spend there half a day or a whole day?

Answer 1

I am in complete agreement with the first three answers here. My own daughter was fascinated and delighted by Versailles and insisted on returning to see it again each time I took her to Paris. On our trips I always allowed her to select a friend of hers to come with us and all of them also loved seeing Versailles.

Versailles is more than just gardens . There is main chateau and two other, smaller palaces, the Grand and Petit Trianons. Therer is the "Hamlet" of Marie Antoinette, the Belvédère, the Temple of Venus, the decorative fountains, and even a small functioning farm.

There is also, and I count this as very important, a wonderful opportunity for you, as a parent, to teach your children some very important moral lessons from the history of this place.

Look at the magnificence of Versailles and recall that, in its day, every monarch in Europe aspired to copy it. All over Europe there are palaces patterned on the principle chateau where the manners, ettiquette and style of Louis XIV, called the "Sun King" were also copied. Yet all this splendor and the monarchy itself came to ruin in a mere 77 years.  

Ask your children to reflect upon the transitory nature of  power. This building, once the center of a king's government is now a museum for us all to gawk at.

Consider also when looking at all this magnificence that at the time it was built the average French citizen was a farmer living in a hut with a dirt floor and a hole in the roof for the fire on that floor to escape. He lived on corse bread and boiled onions, ate meat on only  a few feast days a year, and dressed in a simple smock and wooden shoes if he had shoes at all.

When you tour the "Hamlet of Marie Antoinette" a fake country village built by the Queen for her friends to cavort in while pretending to be "simple folk" consider how utterly outrageous such a display was in the face of the general poverty of the people.

Discuss with your children the arrogance of power, the blindness of wealth to the suffering of the poor, and the terrible consequences of both. The Queen who frolicked here, along with many of her friends, would be dragged thru the streets of Paris and die by the guillotine in front of a mob howling for vengence.

So yes, take your children to Versailles and give them memories of not only a beautiful historic site but also a lesson from history that will inform their lives.

Answer 2

is it worth the travel? of course it is, I'm French and my parents didn't bother to take me to Paris or Versailles when I was a child, it's a pity because it would have given me such great memories. Versailles is a jewel, no one should leave France without visiting it, if you don't take your children there, they will reproach it to you later. It takes a whole day to visit and you should buy the guided visit, which allow you to see the theater; every tourist is amazed by the magic of the place, it's a unique piece of history as you will rarely find elsewhere. I can tell you that the castle of Disneyland will seem very sad to you once you have discovered the castle of Versailles. You should also tell the story of the Palace to your children before, if they are informed they can't find it boring.

Answer 3

I think that both of them would love Versailles. Especially the 15 year old if they have seen the movie, then they can see the real place where the movie was filmed. And Versailles is not just gardens, you can see the palace, the gardens in the back (which are magnificent!), you can take a rowboat out on the lake (I think it depends on when you go, maybe you can't in the winter), and you can go see the small village of Marie Antoinette, which is my favorite. I think everyone will love and both times that I went there were younger children and teenagers everywhere.

It is definetly worth the travel, but I will advise you to try and go in the morning, because the lines to buy tickets are very long (unless you have already bought them) and just to make sure you have time to see everything. My boyfriend and I went around 11 in the morning and waited in line for around 2 hours and didn't get to see the gardens as much as we wanted. But mind you this was in the summer, so maybe it will be different when you go! Hope this helps! You are going to have a great time!

Answer 4

Hmm the other posters have pretty much said it all but as a 17yr old who visited palais de versailles a couple of years ago I will say that I really enjoyed it - you might want to go in for half a day because, as with all historic buildings there's only so much teens can take of it lol. But don't forget the queues can be quite long, as is the journey there.

But then, the town itself is pretty nice with some pleasant restaurants, chocolate shops etc so its worth having a wander around there too.

Have fun!

Answer 5

no matter your age, you'll enjoy everything in france- from its food to its landmarks to its people.

I was just in France last June, and I LOVED Versailles. I only had about an hour to see it all, but I didnt want to leave!!!

I love the paintings, interior decor, fountains and gardens. You'll learn so much, and plus you can keep your eye out for the "Marie Antoinette" ghost. But of course, that's a whole different story....:)