Oriented to reflect the sunset, the Grand Canal, 1.6km long and 62m wide, is traversed by the 1km-long Petit Canal, creating a cross-shaped body of water with a perimeter of more than 5.5km.
Grand Canal
Versailles
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
9.28 MILES
There are different ways to experience the Eiffel Tower, from a daytime trip or an evening ascent amid twinkling lights, to a meal in one of its…
11.82 MILES
Home to Europe's largest collection of modern and contemporary art, Centre Pompidou has amazed and delighted visitors ever since it opened in 1977, not…
11.42 MILES
Visit Sainte-Chapelle on a sunny day when Paris’ oldest, finest stained glass (1242–48) is at its dazzling best. The chapel is famous for its stained…
11.18 MILES
It isn’t until you’re standing in the vast courtyard of the Louvre, with its glass pyramid and ornate façade, that you can truly say you’ve been to Paris.
10.49 MILES
It’s gruesome, ghoulish and downright spooky, but it never fails to captivate visitors. In 1785, the subterranean tunnels of an abandoned quarry were…
10.15 MILES
Even if you're not an art lover, it is worth visiting this high-profile art museum to lose yourself in its romantic gardens.
10.92 MILES
This famous inner-city oasis of formal terraces, chestnut groves and lush lawns has a special place in Parisians' hearts.
11.22 MILES
Elegant and regal in equal measure, the massive neoclassical dome of the Left Bank's iconic Panthéon is an icon of the Parisian skyline. Louis XV…
Nearby Versailles attractions
0.27 MILES
At the eastern end of the Grand Canal, the Bassin d'Apollon was built in 1688. Emerging from the water in the centre is Apollo's chariot, pulled by…
0.42 MILES
In the middle of the park, approximately 1.5km northwest of the main building within the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette are Versailles' two smaller palaces,…
0.52 MILES
Within the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, the ochre-coloured Petit Trianon, built in the 1760s, was redecorated in 1867 by Empress Eugénie, the consort of…
4. Château de Versailles Gardens & Park
0.57 MILES
The section of the vast gardens nearest the palace, laid out between 1661 and 1700 in the formal French style, is famed for its geometrically aligned…
0.76 MILES
On the southwestern side of the palace, the Orangerie, built under the Parterre du Midi (Southern Flowerbed), shelters tropical plants in winter.
0.78 MILES
The gardens' largest fountains include the 17th-century Bassin de Neptune, a dazzling mirage of 99 gushers 300m north of the palace, whose straight side…
0.79 MILES
Northwest of Versailles’ main palace is the Domaine de Trianon. Admission includes the pink-colonnaded Grand Trianon, built in 1687 for Louis XIV and his…
0.84 MILES
Part of the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, this mock village of thatched cottages, a pond and a photogenic mill was constructed from 1775 to 1784 for the…