Your guide meets you at the palace gates, right beside the bronze statue of Louis XIV, which is hard to miss. Before you head inside, they'll give you a quick rundown of what you're about to see and how a modest hunting lodge turned into one of the grandest royal palaces ever built.

Nothing quite prepares you for the Hall of Mirrors. It runs 73 meters long, with 357 mirrors lining one wall and 17 arched windows on the other, flooding the whole gallery with light. Your guide explains what made this room so powerful, from Louis XIV's bold statement of wealth to the historic treaty signed here in 1919.

Self-Guided: Once you step outside, the scale of the gardens really hits you. Designed by André Le Nôtre, the grounds are laid out with long straight paths, sculpted hedges, and enormous fountain basins that seem to go on forever. This is your time to explore freely, so wander as far as you like.

Self-Guided: A short walk through the gardens brings you to the Grand Trianon, a smaller pink marble palace that Louis XIV built when he needed a break from court life. It's quieter and more personal than the main palace, and you're free to explore the rooms and gardens at your own pace.

Self-Guided: Your last stop is Le Petit Trianon, the neoclassical retreat that Marie Antoinette made completely her own. She redesigned the gardens, redecorated the interiors, and used it as a private escape from the rigid rules of palace life. Explore it at your own pace and take in the story of the woman who turned this small palace into her personal sanctuary.