The creation of “Marie-Antoinette’s Estate” is part of the “Grand Versailles” project that aims to show Versailles’ contrasts: Classical and Baroque, destitution and extravagance, male inspiration from Louis XIV and female inspiration from Marie-Antoinette to Madame de Pompadour, to name just a few.

The Petit Trianon and its gardens are inseparably linked from Marie-Antoinette: she was the only queen who imposed her personal tastes on Versailles, scoffing at Court traditions. In the Trianon estate, which Louis XVI gave to her in 1774, she found a haven of privacy that allowed her to escape from the rigours of Court etiquette. No one could enter without her personal invitation.



The reestablishment of the enclosure under Napoleon who took over the majority of the old layout (ramparts, portals, railings, and ha-has) means that today the Petit Trianon estate is still a unified area, private and preserved, centred on the palace in a wholly intimate setting. This layout shows the refinement and eclecticism of Marie-Antoinette, translated by her way of living and freedom of thought that was inspired by Enlightenment theories.

The company Watches Breguet SA, Major Partner of the Ministry for the Culture and the Communication, allows to engage an important programme of restoration of the Petit Trianon, French Pavilion, Belvedere and its Grotto.

>A new numerical plan of the tour of Marie-Antoinette’s Estate

Within the framework of the project “Grand Versailles Numérique”, the Château de Versailles offers to the visitors to Marie-Antoinette’s Estate a new tour guide that is free and available from the Petit Trianon reception. Thanks to a small pocket-sized computer or an MP3 player, you will be accompanied by commentary, videos or music, as you follow the route.

This multimedia tour will give a better understanding of :
▪ The Petit Trianon, the Chapel
▪ The French Pavilion, the Formal Garden, the Queen’s Theatre
▪ The Belvedere, the English Garden, the Grotto
▪ The Hamlet and its Follies, the Mill, the Queen’s House, the Marlborough Tower, the Dairy
▪ The Temple of Love
With the participation of the Diact and the support of the industrial groups Apple, Cisco,HP, Microsoft, Transnumeric and VeasyMedia

Experimental project carried out with the support of Briq and of the producers Aphelia, Camera Lucida, Cinétévé, Comox, Eclectic and Editions Montparnasse.
Walking towards the Petit Trianon...

>Practical information

High season : 4 July - 31 October 2006
The « Marie-Antoinette Estate's » opens every day except bank holidays and for official ceremonies.from 12pm to 7.30pm (access inside until 6pm) Visit the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, Chapel, Queens’s Hamlet, Queen’s Theater, Belvedere, Temple of Love, Grotto, Landscaped Garden, Refreshments Dairy, French Pavilion.
>fees
age 18 and over : 9€
from 4pm: 5€
under 18 : free

** Exceptional free entrance : 1, 2 and 3 July 2006**

Low season: 1 November 2006 – 31 March 2007
Visit the Grand Trianon and the Gardens of the Petit Trianon.
> fees
Age 18 and over : 5€
under 18: free
annual subscription : 20€

For further information, you can visit the website dedicated to this event:
Chateau Versailles Opening of the Estate of >Marie-Antoinette.