Versailles after closing
A private visit to the palace after the public has gone, with the Hall of Mirrors.
Versailles and Paris, Privately
Two nights in the grounds of Versailles, then three in Paris.
- Five nights
- Two stays
- France
- Culture, palaces, private guiding
Five nights that begin inside the grounds of Versailles, with the palace visited privately after it closes, the Hall of Mirrors included. A morning in the Royal Library among the letters of George Washington and Marie-Antoinette, an evening at the Royal Opera, then Paris from an apartment on the place du Trocadéro.
- Length
- Five nights
- Pace
- Two stays
- Style
- Culture, palaces, private guiding
- Route
- Versailles to Paris
- Best time
- Open year-round
- VersaillesTwo nights
- ParisThree nights
01
Days 1 to 3 · two nights
Versailles
Driven to Versailles. A private visit to the palace after public closing, the Hall of Mirrors included, then the gardens, the Petit and Grand Trianon and the Queen's Hamlet, and afternoon tea with Marie-Antoinette in period costume. A further morning in the palace, with access to the Royal Library to see the correspondence of George Washington and Marie-Antoinette, an electric boat on the Grand Canal, and an evening at the Royal Opera can be arranged.
Where you stay
Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle
Le Grand Contrôle is a hotel within the Château de Versailles, with rooms restored in the style of the 18th century, period furniture and views over the palace gardens. A personal butler looks after each stay, Alain Ducasse runs the restaurant, whose terrace faces the Orangery, and the spa works with LBA.
02
Days 3 to 6 · three nights
Paris
Into Paris. A full private day that includes the Eiffel Tower behind the scenes, and a half day through the neighbourhoods, boutiques and food markets. On request, a private visit to the Louvre with a guide who has been a curator there for more than 10 years, straight to the masterpieces and on into parts of the collection most visitors miss, and an after-hours visit to the Catacombs by a private route, into areas normally closed to the public. Evenings back on the place du Trocadéro, with the tower across the river.
Where you stay
La Réserve Paris Apartments
The La Réserve Paris apartments are 10 private homes at 10 place du Trocadéro, from 140 to 300 square metres, with the Eiffel Tower as a neighbour. A butler, concierge and housekeeper come with each, and a car takes guests a few minutes to the hotel's spa, pool and restaurants.
Arranged on request
The Royal Library
Access to the palace's Royal Library to see the correspondence of George Washington and Marie-Antoinette.
An evening at the Royal Opera
An evening in the palace's Royal Opera, arranged from Le Grand Contrôle.
Falconry at Rambouillet
A falconry demonstration in the Forest of Rambouillet.
The Louvre with a curator
A private visit with a guide who has been a Louvre curator for more than 10 years, with direct access to the major masterpieces and to parts of the collection most visitors do not see.
The Catacombs after hours
The Paris Catacombs after closing, on a private route that reaches areas normally closed to the public.
Subject to availability.
Ways to make it yours
- A morning at the Hermès atelier in Pantin, watching the Birkin, the Kelly and other leather goods being made, then time at the flagship store.
- A ride on horseback across the Versailles estate, the estate from a vintage car or a light aircraft, or a falconry demonstration in the Forest of Rambouillet.
- A day in Champagne at a small family-run house, where the producer walks you through the vineyards to explain the terroir, then shows the small production rooms before a tasting.
This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.
Made around you
Most travel is bought. This is designed.
Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.
The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.
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