We simply LOVE heading to Versailles for the day. Regardless of the season, Versailles estate is the most amazing historical site located only half an hour west of Paris. A lot of our clients decide on Versailles to propose to their girlfriend. Versailles gardens are definitely our favorite escape for a gourmet picnic and the perfect setting for a secret proposal.
Visits to the palace start at 9am while the Trianon estate opens at noon.You can purchase your tickets in advance through the official Versailles estate website. The palace as well as the Trianon estate are open every day apart from monday. The park and the gardens are open every days. There are three train stations running from Paris. Located on Boulevard de la Reine, the Queens gates give you access to the park with a car. There is a charge of €12 to access the park by car.
Map of Versailles gardens with the entrance by car via the Queens gates.
Planning your engagement in Versailles
Planning a gourmet picnic at the gardens of Versailles is easy. Simply head to our service page and start processing your order. Choose your picnic type & add a note saying that you would like to have a picnic at Versailles gardens.
If you are planning on a secret proposal in the gardens, you will find all of the details information in our proposal page. We will guide you every steps of the way once we receive your email with your date and package choice.
I invite you to go through our website. You will find other stories either in Paris or Versailles with our wonderful clients. Please note that we do cater for group picnic as well for up to 30 guests. If you are having a family reunion in Paris, a bachelorette party or even a corporate event, write us a note. we would be delighted to organize one of our picnic for your group.
“Love Picnic Paris” now proposes gourmet picnics to our clients at the gardens of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles was originally built in 1624 as a simple, countryside royal retreat for hunting purposes. King Louis XIV, the Sun King, developped a genuine liking for the surrounding countryside. Louis XIV had a vision & dedicated 50 years of his reign to fulfill his life long dream. In 1682, he moved both the royal residence and French seat of government to Versailles. Versailles is today one of the most extraordinary achievements of 17th century European architecture.
Versailles 350 year old pedunculate oak tree.
Versailles castle is located 1/2 hour west of Paris on the way to the Normandy region and the garden of Monet in Giverny. We simply adore going there for the afternoon. It is the perfect escape from city life. The park of Versailles is the most enchanted and peaceful destination rich in French history.
A gourmet picnic at Versailles.
We host our Versailles picnics either at the grand canal or at a park on the way to the Trianon palace. Strolling through the park is like walking through part of the history of France. From the French-style gardens in front of the Palace to the English garden at the Trianon, the Estate of Versailles is home to the most extraordinary species of trees. Today, specific Versailles gardens tours are organized in the park counting the history of some of the most amazing trees in France.
* We are sharing a brochure from the Versailles estate with some historal background on those Versailles admirable trees .
Park of the grand Trianon for a picnic.
We often host our gourmet picnics under the doyen of the historical trees planted in the park over 300 years ago. This pedunculate oak tree which dates from the time of Louis XIV will shed you from the afternoon sun. Planted in 1668, it is 36 metres high and the circumference of its trunk is more than 5 metres! It was grown from seed planted in 1670 when Louis XIV and architect André Le Nôtre initiated the construction of the Park.
Famous landscape designer André Le Nôtre was commissioned to design the park from 1661 onwards. A number of full-size adult trees were dug up from the forests of
Normandy and replanted at Versailles. Nurseries were set up in the park, helping boost homegrown tree production over time. The woodland of the Park is still today mainly composed of beautiful oaks and chestnut trees. At the time of Louis XIV’s death, they were known to cover 5,000 acres of the Estate’s entire area.
Versailles’ park heritage has expanded over the years to include rare trees from far-off lands such as the American tulip tree and the Japanese Pagoda tree. Along side our Picnic ancestral Oak tree trone some magnificient cedar trees from Lebanon planted around 1770. You will also find a bald Cypress, an English oak trees, a Ginkgo Bilobas trees, as well as a purple cooper beech trees planted in the surroundings.
From the brochure of Admirable trees of Versailles.
“Love Picnic Paris” collaborates with a few experienced professional guides who customize private guided tour of the estate. Here is the link to the official Versailles estate site where you can also purchase your day pass. We recommend that you visit the castle in the morning. You will venture through the State apartments that includes the King’s & Queen’s Chamber, the famous Hall of Mirrors.
You can then head down to the canal for a well deserved lunch. We will have one of our gourmet picnic all set up & waiting for you. Our goumet picnics can be catered for up to 30 guests. A typical menu would include French traditional baguette, a selection of cheeses, a selection of cold meats, a vegetable market salad, a French vegetable quiche, seasonal fruits and a chocolate cake.
*A few options are available such as flowers, professional photography, champagne.
*We could aslo arrange for a car service as well as a professional tour guide.
Versailles logistic map & day planning.
The palace and the gardens are open to public every day of the year. While the main palace opens at 9:00 AM, the Palace of Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s Estate open at 12:00 PM.
The park is open to the public every day of the year from 7:00 AM to 8:30 PM.
1/ Your driver can enter the park via the “Cours de la reine entrance” and drive you all the way down to the grand canal. The entrance fee is €12 for a day pass for the car. Alternatively, your driver can drop you off at the main entrance in the morning if you have purchased your tickets online. The Estate morning visits starts at 9am.
2/ Following your morning visit, you can walk all the way down to the grand canal across the main gardens. Your gourmet picnic will be waiting for you either at the canal or at the petit Tricanon park. We will geo localize the exact picnic location 1/2 hour prior to your arrival time. The picnic set up time is usually around 12h30. (spots are marked 2/3 on the map) All that you have to do is enjoy your picnic hour with family and friends. We will be on call if needs be. We will also dismantle your picnic once you have finished.
3/ You can then carry on with your afternoon visit being well rested. The grand trianon and the gardens of the queen will be steps away for you to enjoy.
Versailles Engagement photo serie shot by our photographer in the gardens of Versailles. The picnic was set up under this beautiful oak tree we talked about.
We LOVE our job at ” Love Paris Picnic “. We get to meet wonderful clients. It is fun and exciting to prepare our gourmet picnics in traditional wicker baskets every day. We take great pleasure to set them up at different beautiful locations in Paris and Versailles. A picnic birthday celebration is a blast specially when our client is turning one year old. We had a special request for a chocolate and vanilla strawberry cake which our bakery at Versailles prepared for us. It was all Yummy! Dad and Mum ordered salmon and chicken sandwiches that we served with a market vegetable salad along side a selection of goat cheeses.
Olivier, our creative photographer was part of the game. He produced gorgeous lifestyle family photos along the water where we had set up the picnic with cushions and umbrellas for the sun. Mum and Dad had a wonderful time as well. Those family photos are really to die for. I specially love the one where she played with our red balloons.
Our little princess has already booked us for her two year old birthday anniversary. So long till next year at Versailles gardens for another fabulous gourmet picnic birthday celebration.
Favorite Versailles Picnic Location.
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