Versailles, France

Versailles France

Versailles is a city in the Yvelines département in the Île-de-France region, world-famous for the Palace of Versailles and its gardens, both designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Situated in the western suburbs of the French capital, about 17 km from the centre of Paris, Versailles is today a well-off suburban town with a service-based economy and a major tourism industry. In 2008 its population was 88,641, down from a peak of 94,145 in 1975. Founded as a new town at the behest of King Louis XIV, Versailles served as the de facto capital of the Kingdom of France for more than a century, from 1682 to 1789, before becoming one of the birthplaces of the French Revolution. After losing its status as a royal city, it became the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Seine-et-Oise département in 1790, and later of Yvelines in 1968. It is also the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese. Versailles is historically associated with major international agreements such as the Treaty of Paris, which brought the American Revolution to an end, and the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War. Today, the Congress of France – the body formed when both houses of the French Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, meet together – convenes in the Palace of Versailles to vote on amendments to the Constitution.
Recommended airport
Charles De Gaulle (CDG)
Nearby destinations
  • Paris a 17.50 km
  • Disneyland Paris a 48.21 km
  • Étampes a 41.16 km