The Trianon Estate covers 150 hectares at the far end of the Versailles estate, about 25–30 minutes on foot from the main palace (or 20 minutes by Little Train). It includes the Grand Trianon (Louis XIV’s marble palace), the Petit Trianon (Marie Antoinette’s private palace), and the Queen’s Hamlet — a charming farm village built for Marie Antoinette. The Trianon Estate opens at 12 pm on weekdays and 9 am on weekends (April–October). It is included in the Full Access Ticket (€32).
Most visitors to Versailles spend the majority of their time in the main palace and run out of energy before reaching the Trianon Estate. That’s a significant mistake. The Trianon Estate is where Versailles becomes intimate — where the scale shrinks from overwhelming grandeur to something more human, and where the personal stories of the French royal family feel most vivid. If you only have time for one part of the estate beyond the main palace, make it the Trianon.
Top Tickets
Table of Contents
Overview: The Three Parts of the Trianon Estate
| Area | Built For | What You’ll See | Distance from Main Palace |
| Grand Trianon | Louis XIV (1687) | Marble palace, Empress Apartments, State Apartments, French gardens | ~25 min walk / 20 min by Little Train |
| Petit Trianon | Louis XV; given to Marie Antoinette | Queen’s bedchamber, Movable Mirror Room, neoclassical interiors | Adjacent to Grand Trianon |
| Queen’s Hamlet (Le Hameau de la Reine) | Marie Antoinette (1783–1786) | Farm village, Queen’s House, kitchen garden, artificial lake | Short walk from Petit Trianon |
The Grand Trianon
The Grand Trianon was built for Louis XIV as a private retreat away from the formality of the main palace — a place where he could eat informally, entertain close companions, and escape the relentless ceremony of court life. Completed by architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1687, it is constructed from pink and white marble and features a long colonnade (the peristyle) that allows views of both the courtyard and the gardens simultaneously — considered a marvel of architecture at the time.
Inside, visitors can explore the Empress Apartments (used by Napoleon I and Empress Marie-Louise), the State Apartments, and the Private Chambers. The surrounding gardens are planted in geometric French style, with seasonal flowers including daffodils, wallflowers, and anemones that Louis XIV had cultivated here at considerable expense. The Grand Trianon is fully accessible to visitors with reduced mobility, with ramps located after the gateway on the Cour des Bouches.
The Petit Trianon
The Petit Trianon is a smaller, more intimate palace that is most famously associated with Marie Antoinette. It was originally commissioned by Louis XV for his mistress, the Comtesse du Barry. When Louis XVI gave it to Marie Antoinette in 1774, she transformed it entirely to her own taste — replacing the formal interiors with a lighter, more personal neoclassical style.
Marie Antoinette considered the Petit Trianon entirely her own domain: she controlled who was invited, redesigned the gardens in the fashionable English style, and spent as much time here as possible away from the pressures of Versailles court life. Visitors today can explore the Queen’s Bedchamber, the Movable Mirror Room (where mirrored panels could be raised to close off the windows and create an intimate interior), and the billiard room and dining rooms on the ground floor.
Access to the Petit Trianon’s ground level is accessible for visitors with limited mobility. The English Garden designed for Marie Antoinette surrounds the palace — a romantic, informal landscape of winding paths, a small lake, a belvedere, and a grotto, deliberately contrasting with the formal French geometry of the main gardens.
The Queen’s Hamlet (Le Hameau de la Reine)
Marie Antoinette’s Queen’s Hamlet is one of the most enchanting — and most misunderstood — places at Versailles. Often caricatured as an aristocratic fantasy of rural life, it was in fact a working farm, designed by architect Richard Mique between 1783 and 1786, where the queen genuinely retreated to escape the suffocating formality of court.
The Hamlet consists of ten small Norman-style buildings arranged around an artificial lake, including the Queen’s House (her private residence within the Hamlet), a farmhouse with real livestock, a windmill, a dovecote, a dairy, and a boudoir. The surrounding kitchen garden cultivated 120 plant varieties, 700 vine plants, and two orchards. Walking through the Hamlet today — especially in the morning before crowds arrive — feels genuinely removed from the scale and grandeur of the main palace.
Opening Hours
| Season | Weekdays | Weekends |
| April to October (high season) | 12 pm – 6:30 pm | 9 am – 6:30 pm |
| November to March (low season) | 12 pm – 5:30 pm | 9 am – 5:30 pm |
Note: The Trianon Estate closes 30 minutes after the ticket office shuts. The Trianon opens on weekends at 9 am — which means you can visit it before your palace entry slot if you’ve booked an afternoon slot. Plan your one-day itinerary accordingly.
How to Get to the Trianon Estate
| Method | Duration | Cost | Notes |
| On foot | 25–30 min from main palace | Free | Flat, straightforward route through the Park |
| Little Train | ~20 min | €9 return / €5 one way | Stops at Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon; best for limited mobility |
| Golf cart rental | ~15 min | €42/hr | Hire from South Terrace; covers gardens and Trianon |
| Bike (Park only) | ~10 min | From €8/30 min | Hire from Petite Venise; Park route, not through formal gardens |
Note: Access to Petit Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet is only possible through the Grand Trianon entrance — there is no separate entry point for the Petit Trianon alone.
Which Ticket Covers the Trianon Estate?
The Trianon Estate is included in the Full Access Ticket (€32). The Palace-Only ticket (€21) does not include the Trianon Estate. If you want a guided experience of the Trianon as well as the main palace, the Skip-the-Line Guided Tour includes Trianon access after the 90-minute guided palace section (self-guided).
FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about the Trianon Estate.
Which ticket should I book to visit Trianon Estate?
Book Versailles Palace and Trianon Estate Tour, which covers entry to Versailles Palace, Gardens, and Maria Antoinette Estate.
Please buy your tickets online to avoid last-minute disappointments.
Is the Trianon at Versailles worth it?
Yes. Unlike the Versailles Palace, the Trianon Estate is less crowded, and you can spend more leisure time strolling around.
Apart from Palaces, there are gardens and groves where you can relax.
How do I get from Versailles Palace to Trianon?
You can go on foot, which takes 30 minutes from the main Palace building.
Or take the mini-train, which takes you to the Grand Trianon in 6 to 7 minutes.
You can also rent a bike.
Who lived at Trianon?
The family of Louis XIV and his successors—Louis XIV built the Grand Trianon, and Louis XV and XVI expanded it. Marie Antoinette spent time in the Petit Trianon.
