Château de Versailles

This world-famous destination, just outside Paris, is the epitome of splendor. In the reign of Louis XIV, the Château de Versailles became the official residence of the Court of France. The “Sun King” spared no effort to remake his father’s modest château into the grandest palace the world had ever seen, and a symbol of the French ruler’s undisputed power. The extraordinary state apartments and Hall of Mirrors are among the highlights of its magnificent interiors, while the grounds include an orangery, stables, gardens and Queen Marie-Antoinette’s favorite residence, the Petit Trianon, which she famously transformed into a picturesque fantasy landscape garden and village. The collection of 60,000 works spans sculptures, paintings and decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the late 19th century. Major exhibitions in the palace and ground are regularly staged, in the past for artists including Jeff Koons, Anish Kapoor, and Joana Vasconcelos.