The King’s Apartments, Versailles

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During my stay at Airelles, Le Grand Contrôle, a hotel within the grounds of The Palace of Versailles, I was so privileged to be able to go on an after hours tour of The King’s Apartments within the Palace.

The Palace’s history is inextricably linked with Louis XIV. Although the location existed for centuries before he became King, he was the one who decided to extend it beyond the ‘modest’ Chateau that it was back then, and oversee the building of the masterpiece it is today. He also moved the Court there in 1682, where it remained (apart from a brief gap when it went back to Paris) until the French Revolution brought down the Monarchy in 1789.

The King’s Apartments were the King’s most important areas within the Palace, and they housed three generations of King Louis’ before the Revolution. There are two parts of the Apartments – The King’s State Apartments, and the King’s Private Apartments. The latter can only be visited by private tour even within opening hours, and we got to see all of the State Apartments, and some of the Private Apartments after hours with no-one else around. Words can’t describe how truly special the experience was.


Work on the Hercules Room was completed in 1736, when François Lemoyne finished the ceiling painting depicting The Apotheosis of Hercules. Sadly, despite being made First Painter to the King by Louis XV in return for his work, Lemoyne committed suicide a year later, in 1737, exhausted by this huge project which had taken four years to complete.

The Hercules Room


In this room Venus is depicted on the ceiling as the goddess of love, and the paintings in the arches all show great men or heroes from antiquity relating to famous love stories, but linked to Louis XIV’s own story. For example, the arch depicting Alexander marrying Roxana evokes the king’s own wedding, while the arch illustrating Emperor Augustus watching Roman circus games refers to the carousel in 1662, held in honour of Queen Maria Theresa.


In Ancient Greek mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the sister of Apollo, and was also associated with the moon. The central section of the ceiling, painted by Gabriel Blanchard, depicts Diana watching over navigation and hunting scenes. During gatherings under Louis XIV it was used as a Billiards Room, and two tiers of seating were even installed to allow people to watch the game.

The Diana Room


Initially a Guard Room, The Mars Room is dedicated to the God of War. In the centre of the ceiling is a painting by Claude Audran of Mars on a chariot pulled by wolves. The reds and golds really are imposing and militaristic in feel.

The Mars Room


The Mercury Room was originally the royal bedchamber in the King’s State Apartment, though it wasn’t often used as such, with the King using the Private Chambers instead. One of the rare moments in which the Mercury Room actually served as a bedroom was when the Duke of Anjou, the grandson of Louis XIV, was proclaimed King of Spain, and slept here for three weeks before travelling to his kingdom. It was also in this room that the coffin containing the body of Louis XIV was displayed from 2 to 10 September 1715.


The Hall of Mirrors, the most famous room in the Palace, was built to connect the King’s Apartments to the north and the Queen’s to the south. It took 6 years to build, and the entire 73m long room pays tribute to the political, economic and artistic success of France. And did you know there are actually 357 mirrors in the room – crazy!

The empty Hall of Mirrors

This room is so so special, and I cannot believe we got it all to ourselves. Amazing.


King Louis XV was very interested in science and especially astronomy. On the floor of this room there is a copper strip marking the Versailles meridian. The special clock giving its name to the room displays the time, day of the week, month, year and lunar quarter, and in the crystal sphere the planets can be seen rotating around the sun. This scientific and artistic monument was designed by Claude-Siméon Passemant, Engineer to the King, and built by the clockmaker Louis Dauthiau. It still works correctly today.

The famous clock (courtesy of Versailles website as I couldn’t get a good photo without reflections)


This library was designed by the architect Gabriel not long before the death of Louis XV in 1774. Although he already had several libraries on the upper floors (!), the King wanted a larger one on the same level as his apartment. I love libraries and this was my favourite room apart from the Hall of Mirrors.

The Library


Construction of the Royal Chapel was completed in 1710 at the end of the reign of Louis XIV, and was the fifth – and final – chapel built in the Palace. The Chapel was our final stop on our after hours tour and the perfect way to finish it off.


What a special, special experience this after hours tour was. I can’t tell you how amazing it was to see the Palace empty, I feel truly privileged to have done so. What do you think? Stay safe and happy travelling!

37 responses to “The King’s Apartments, Versailles”

  1. Wow, so stunning! Even more fortunate you got to see the Hall of Mirrors after hours without the crowds. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay inside the palace of Versailles. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It was a truly special experience for which I’m incredibly grateful. Seeing the Hall of Mirrors empty was just amazing! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Wow! I doubt there is a more opulent building anywhere! And how special that you got to see it on a private tour! Thanks for sharing!! Maggie

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I know, it’s absolutely incredible isn’t it – I can only imagine how much money it cost to build!!!

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  3. Absolutely incredible! I feel almost overwhelmed by the intricate beauty everywhere, I cant imagine how much more so to be there. And to have the place to yourself was certainly a once in a lifetime experience 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree, I just kept oo-ing and ahh-ing as we walked through each room, seemingly each more opulent than the previous, It was a completely incredible, once in a life time experience 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I must do this one day, what a dream!! The first time we walked through there were kids field trips and one of the kids I think had a bloody nose, I got out of there fast. We took a wrong turn and ended back at the start and we could see it again with about 30% of the crowds. I don’t think we saw the library though.

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    1. It was an absolute dream to have it to ourselves. That’s cool you managed to see it twice by going the wrong way (and much quieter too the second time through), but I hope you get to return one day and have it all to yourselves. It was such a special experience! 🙂

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  5. How awesome to go on an after hours tour of the King’s Apartments and not have to deal with the swarms of tourists. I love the Hall of Mirrors and the library.

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    1. It was really special, a once in a lifetime for sure 🙂

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  6. Stunning! I can’t believe you were alone in the Hall of Mirrors!!

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    1. It’s just so amazing isn’t it, I couldn’t believe it!!! 🙂

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  7. Cool. That private tour alone is reason enough to stay there!

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    1. I completely agree, such an amazing experience!

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  8. Talk about over the top opulence, wow! What an incredible opportunity to experience such grandeur without the crowds; so cool.

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    1. I couldn’t believe it, I just kept gasping. Such a unique and special experience, which I will never forget!! 🙂

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  9. A masterpiece, indeed – magnificent! Such splendor in stunning, ornate architecture and exquisite artworks…beauty abounds, Hannah! Thanks for sharing your adventures, my friend 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Phil, that is so lovely of you to say 🙂 Enjoy your weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Okay well, the king’s definition of the word “apartment” is *very* different from mine. Holy cow, it’s elaborate and intricate! I did enjoy the Diana room, for obvious reasons 🙂 The clock also looks really interesting and I’m impressed that it still works. And the hall of mirrors… wow!

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    1. That made me laugh – it’s very different to mine too! I think the Diana room is beautiful 🙂 The Hall of Mirrors was something truly special, so lucky to have had such an incredible experience!

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  11. I am envious of your private visit. I would love to see the Hall of Mirrors in particular, alone (rather than visit it with large numbers of people).

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It was truly special, an experience I feel incredibly blessed to have had 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the tour!

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  12. How beautiful Hannah. I’d love to also visit the King’s Apartments sometime.

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  13. Definitely on my list after reading your post. I was so many times to Paris, but so far never to Versailles

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  14. Wow! What a stunning and interesting place to visit!

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Wow, what a truly incredible experience! I can’t begin to fathom how amazing it must have been to have the palace, especially the Hall of Mirrors, all to yourselves.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It was a really incredible and special, an experience I’ll never forget 🙂

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  16. Outstanding! And completely Over The Top! 🙂 Mel

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  17. Wow, the history in this place is just mind blowing! It’s hard to pick a favourite room, but the Hall of Mirrors is spectacular (lovely pictures of you there). And you’re right, the library is a good second place 🙂. I can understand why it had to be an incredible experience.

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    1. It’s just absolutely amazing isn’t it, I couldn’t believe how amazing it was to see empty. Feel very lucky 🙂

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  18. The Palace of Versailles is an absolute marvel of history and grandeur!

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  19. I’ve been to Versailles a few times already but it was always packed with tourists, so I feel like I discovered it again through your words and pictures. It must have felt so special to have all of this to yourself!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much Juliette, and I’m really glad you found the post interesting 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  20. […] with a sweeping atrium housing the honour staircase. Whilst much more understated than the opulent King’s Apartments within the main Palace of Versailles, the entrance is still beautifully and tastefully done. The […]

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  21. The Hall of Mirrors does take the prize, however, all the rooms are exceptional. An incredible privilege to have this place just to yourself and see it at your own pace. Thanks for the wonderful and informative tour, Hannah.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It’s just an amazing place isn’t it, opulent beyond belief and seeing it to ourselves was truly magical.

      Liked by 1 person

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About the author

Hi! My name is Hannah, I’m a travel blogger from the UK who fits travel around a full time (and full on) job. In this blog I share my adventures around the world and hopefully help you to find some inspiration for destinations, things to do or places to stay. Thanks for stopping by – stay safe and happy travelling.

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