Everyone comes to Versailles (map) to see the stupendous château, but few visitors realize that the town of Versailles itself is a good place to visit in its own right, with a comfortable French small-city atmosphere and a simply wonderful weekly market.

Most visitors coming from Paris to Versailles get off the RER train at the Versailles-Rive Gauche station and walk ten minutes to the Château to visit this amazing royal palace.

If you have time, you might even want to spend the night in Versailles, which allows you to visit some of the other sites in town and to arrive at the Château bright and early in the morning to avoid crowds.

Versailles' Tourist Office is midway between the Versailles-Rive Gauche RER station and the entrance to the Château. Here you can pick up a map of the town and learn about the other things to see and do in town.

The Tourist Office also promotes three Discovery Trails, or walking tours that introduce you to different aspects of this historic town.

Trail 1 - Notre Dame
This trail visits the Notre Dame district of the town, which was created by Louis XIV. Sites include the wonderful Marché Notre-Dame (market), the municipal theater, or Théâtre Montansier, the King's stables, and the Musée Lambinet, which contains decorative arts and other items from the time of the French Revolution. You can also visit the Église de Notre Dame de Versailles.

Trail 2 - Saint-Louis
This trail focuses on the oldest part of the town. Recommended stops include the King's vegetable garden, a 9 hectare (22 acre) garden created to feed the King and his guests. Other points of interest include the small stables and the Salle du Jeu de Paume, the spot where the oath of June 20 1789 marked the start of the French Revolution.

Trail 3 - Montreuil
This trail visits a former medieval village that is now part of the town. The Hôtel de Ville, or town hall, is visited on this walk, as are a number of hôtels particuliers, or large town houses, and the neo-Classical church of Saint-Symphorien.

Bus tours of Versailles are also available, and the Tourist Office can provide information.

Versailles offers a range of hotels, from the posh Trianon Palace (part of the Waldorf Astoria collection, located just off the Palace grounds), to the more modest Ibis, plus a variety of hotels in the middle price range. Many are near the Marché Notre-Dame.

Dining in Versailles is a pleasure, in large part because of the many restaurants around the market square, Place du Marché Notre-Dame. With fresh food coming into the market daily, the restaurants are able to offer a variety of menu items to fit all budgets and tastes.

The market area includes the wonderfully named Rue au Pain, or Bread Street, which seems an appropriate name for a street in the middle of a French market!

And, of course, it goes without saying that there is no shortage of souvenir shops in Versailles! There's always someplace to shop.

RER: Versailles-Rive Gauche or Versailles-Rive Droite

Versailles Tourist Office
2 bis, Avenue de Paris
78000 Versailles, France
Tel: +33 1 39 24 88 88

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