Royal Stables of Versailles: Great Stables, Small Stables & Gallery of Coaches

The Royal Stables of Versailles consist of two buildings — the Great Stables and the Small Stables — located directly opposite the palace across the Place d’Armes. Built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1679 and 1682, they once housed up to 2,000 royal horses. Today the Great Stables contains the Gallery of Coaches (open weekends and school holidays) and the Equestrian Academy of Versailles. The Small Stables houses the Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery. Both galleries are included in the Full Access Ticket.

Visitors to Versailles often walk straight past the Royal Stables without realising they exist. Located directly opposite the palace across the Place d’Armes, these two monumental buildings are architectural masterpieces in their own right — and today house two of the least-crowded galleries on the entire estate. Here’s what to see and when to visit.

Top Tickets

# Full Access Ticket
# Guided Tour of Versailles Palace

History: The Great and Small Stables

The Royal Stables were commissioned by Louis XIV and designed by architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart — the same architect responsible for the Hall of Mirrors, the Royal Chapel, and the Grand Trianon. Construction took place between 1679 and 1682, and the two buildings were completed simultaneously. Despite their similar names, the distinction between them was one of function, not size:

• The Great Stables (Grande Écurie) — housed the royal saddle horses used by the King, Queen, and high-ranking courtiers for riding and ceremonies; at its peak it contained around 2,000 horses brought from Spain, Arabia, and Persia
• The Small Stables (Petite Écurie) — housed the coach horses and their carriages; despite the name it is architecturally the same scale as the Great Stables

Together, the two buildings could accommodate over 6,000 horses in total during the height of court life at Versailles.

The Great Stables Today

Gallery of Coaches (Galerie des Carrosses)

The Gallery of Coaches is the principal visitor attraction in the Great Stables. It houses a remarkable collection of royal carriages, sleighs, and ceremonial vehicles from the 18th and 19th centuries, including:

• The Coronation Coach of Charles X (1825) — one of the largest and most ornate ceremonial carriages in the collection
• The Coronation Coach of Napoleon III — used for the imperial coronation ceremonies of the Second Empire
• A selection of royal berlines, calashes, and landaus spanning the reigns of Louis XV, Louis XVI, and Napoleon I
• Children’s carriages and royal sleighs from the 18th century

The Gallery of Coaches is included in all standard Versailles tickets. It is consistently one of the quietest galleries on the estate — very few visitors make the short walk across the Place d’Armes to find it.

Equestrian Academy of Versailles

The Écurie du Roi — Equestrian Academy of Versailles (formerly the Bartabàs Academy) continues the tradition of classical horsemanship in the Great Stables. Performances of baroque equestrian art take place in the arena of the Great Stables, with horses and riders trained in the classical French riding tradition. Check en.chateauversailles.fr for the 2026 performance schedule and tickets.

Campus Versailles

Since 2024, the Great Stables also house Campus Versailles — an initiative dedicated to teaching the traditional crafts involved in the creation and restoration of Versailles: gilding, ironwork, fresco painting, stonecutting, cabinet-making, and tapestry. It includes the National School of Architecture of Versailles and the Centre for Research and Restoration of French Museums. Campus Versailles is not generally open to casual visitors but represents an important part of the palace’s long-term conservation mission.

The Small Stables Today

Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery

The Small Stables houses the Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery — a collection of original sculptures from the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre, alongside plaster casts of classical Greek and Roman statues from the late 17th century. Many of the original garden sculptures at Versailles have been replaced by copies to protect them from weathering; the originals are displayed here.

The gallery is open every Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm year-round. Entry is included in standard Versailles tickets. The courtyard of the Small Stables — the Royal Stables Courtyard — is also open to wander through and offers a quiet, less-visited corner of the estate with an impressive view of both stable buildings’ facades.

Visiting Tips

• The stables are across Place d’Armes, directly opposite the main palace entrance — a 2-minute walk; easy to combine at the end of a palace visit
• The Gallery of Coaches is weekends-only outside school holidays — check hours before visiting on a weekday
• Both galleries are far less crowded than the main palace — a pleasant contrast after the Hall of Mirrors
• The Royal Stables Courtyard is accessible independently and makes for good architectural photography

FAQs

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about The Royal Stables.

Related Guides

• Palace of Versailles: Complete Visitor Guide
• How to Visit Versailles in a Day
• Full Access Ticket — What’s Included
• Palace of Versailles Map
• Royal Tennis Court of Versailles
• Interesting Facts About Versailles