Versailles Pass: the Passport ticket for the whole estate

What is the Versailles Pass (Passport)?

The “Versailles Pass” is the common name for the Passport, the most complete ticket from the official ticket office. It’s the only ticket that combines, in a single day, palace entry with a guaranteed timed slot and access to the whole estate: the Trianon Estate, the Queen’s Hamlet and the gardens.

In practice, with a Passport you don’t have to choose between the palace and the rest of the park: everything is included. It’s the option I recommend to 90% of visitors discovering Versailles, because the estate is enormous and it would be a shame to stop at the golden gates.

What the Passport includes

• The palace: the King’s and Queen’s State Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors, the Royal Chapel and temporary exhibitions, with entry at your booked time.
• The Trianon Estate: the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet, Marie-Antoinette’s rustic retreat.
• The gardens and the park: groves, parterres, the Grand Canal.
• The Musical Fountains and Musical Gardens on show days (high season) — fountains flowing to baroque music.
• The palace audio guide, included.

How much does the Versailles Pass cost in 2026?

The price depends on the season and where you live:

• Low season (Nov–Mar): €25 full price, €22 for EEA residents.
• High season (Apr–Oct): €32 for EEA residents, €35 full price on Musical Fountains days.
• Evening Passport: late-afternoon entry at a reduced rate (from €15–18), ideal for avoiding the crowds.

Compared with buying a Palace ticket (≈ €21) and a Trianon ticket (€15) separately, the Passport works out cheaper as soon as you visit both. Indicative prices based on the official site.

Passport or Palace ticket: which to choose?

For a complete one-day visit, the Passport offers the best access-to-price ratio.

A detailed one-day itinerary with the Passport (hour by hour)

Here’s a minute-by-minute run-through that makes the most of the Passport, working with the rhythm of the crowds rather than against it. The palace opens at 9am (until 6.30pm in high season); the Trianon Estate only opens at 12pm. So build your day around that constraint.

• 8.45am: arrive at Entrance A (Pavillon Dufour) with a palace slot booked for 9am. You’re among the first, the queue is short.
• 9–11am: the State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors almost deserted. Audio guide in hand, take your time: this is the only moment the gallery can be photographed without crowds.
• 11am–12pm: the Royal Chapel, temporary exhibitions, then out to the gardens on the Water Parterre side.
• 12–1.30pm: lunch near the Grand Canal and a wander through the groves while the coach groups invade the palace.
• 1.30pm: head for the Trianon Estate (open since 12pm), on foot, by little train or by bike.
• 2–5pm: the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, the Queen’s Hamlet — in the afternoon, the atmosphere there is peaceful.
• 5–6pm: a slow return through the gardens, in season set to the Musical Fountains.

This sequencing reverses the logic of the majority: you see the palace empty in the morning and the Trianon calm in the afternoon, avoiding the 10am–1pm peak flagged by the official site.

What to see with the Passport at the palace

The palace alone would already justify the visit. With the Passport, palace entry is guaranteed at your chosen time; here are the highlights not to miss.

• The Hall of Mirrors: 73 metres long, seventeen arcades of mirrors facing the windows that look out over the gardens. This is where the 1919 treaty was signed. Aim for opening or late afternoon to photograph it without crowds.
• The King’s State Apartments: the run of salons (Venus, Diana, Mars, Mercury, Apollo) leading to the King’s Bedchamber, the heart of the rising and retiring ceremonies.
• The Queen’s State Apartments: the Queen’s Bedchamber, restored in its summer silks, where the royal children were born.
• The Royal Chapel: a masterpiece by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, its light-bathed nave seen from the royal tribune.
• The temporary exhibitions: included in the ticket, they change several times a year.

Allow a good two hours for the main circuit. Flash-free photography is allowed; put away the tripod, which is banned in the rooms.

The Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet in detail

This is the part of the estate the Palace ticket doesn’t cover — and that the Passport makes accessible at no extra cost. The Trianon Estate opens at 12pm (closing at 5.30pm or 6.30pm depending on the season).

• The Grand Trianon: a pink-marble palace conceived by Louis XIV as a retreat away from court etiquette. Its peristyles and flowered parterres offer a breath of air after the gilding of the main palace.
• The Petit Trianon: an elegant neoclassical residence given by Louis XVI to Marie-Antoinette, who made it her private domain.
• The Queen’s Hamlet: a rustic village of thatched cottages beside a pond, designed so the queen could play at country life. With its farm and mill, it’s the most photogenic and soothing spot on the estate.

Allow at least an hour and a half for this area. The hamlet is a little out of the way: follow the signs or take the little train, one of whose stops serves the Trianon.

Musical Fountains and Musical Gardens included

In high season, on show days, access to the Musical Fountains and the Musical Gardens is included in the Passport — one of its great strengths, because these are the only days when garden entry becomes paid (€15, €12 EEA residents) for other tickets.

During the Musical Fountains, the fountains in the groves play in cascade to baroque music by Lully, Rameau or Charpentier. The Musical Gardens, meanwhile, offer a stroll set to music without the full waterworks in the groves, at a gentler price.

• When: mainly weekends and certain spring–summer days. Check the calendar on the official site before booking.
• The showstopper: the Three Fountains Grove and the Neptune Basin, whose final water display rounds off the afternoon.
• Our tip: save the gardens for late afternoon, when the jets are still running and the palace crowd has dispersed.

Off-season, the gardens remain free but without a fountain show: the Passport then keeps its value for the palace and the Trianon.

Getting around the estate: little train, buggies, bikes and boats

The estate is vast: from the palace to the Grand Trianon, reckon on about twenty-five minutes on foot, and the Grand Canal stretches 1.5 km. Several paid services, on top of the Passport, ease the journeys.

• The little train: it links the palace, the Trianon and the Grand Canal with several stops. Ideal for reaching the Trianon without wearing yourself out; you can hop on and off freely depending on the option.
• Electric buggies: hired by the hour, free to drive on the permitted park avenues. Perfect for exploring at your own pace with children or anyone tired.
• Bikes: hired near the Grand Canal, lovely for circling the park and reaching the most remote areas.
• Rowing boats: on the Grand Canal, in season — a romantic, restful break in the middle of the day.

These services aren’t included in the Passport, but they turn a long day’s walking into a comfortable visit. For a family, the buggy or the little train is often the best purchase of the day.

Passport or Paris Museum Pass: the difference to know

Many visitors arrive with a Paris Museum Pass thinking they’re covered. Careful: it’s not equivalent to the Passport.

• The Paris Museum Pass covers entry to the palace, but not the timed-slot booking — which is compulsory — nor the paying gardens on Musical Fountains days.
• The Passport, on the other hand, includes the guaranteed slot, the Trianon Estate, the gardens and the Musical Fountains in season, all in a single ticket.

In practice, if you hold a Museum Pass you still have to book a free palace entry slot on the official site, or risk waiting or being turned away at peak times. For a complete visit with no nasty surprises, the Passport remains the simplest solution.

Accessibility, cloakroom and practical services

A few useful points to know before the day, applying to the Passport just as to the other tickets.

• Accessibility: entry is free for visitors with disabilities and their carer — but the timed slot still has to be booked, and proof is required at the entrance.
• Cloakroom: a free cloakroom is available, but its capacity is limited. Large bags and suitcases are not allowed: travel light.
• Footwear: the visit is on foot, with more than 3 km of route inside the palace — comfortable shoes are essential.
• Photography: flash-free photography is allowed in the rooms.
• Mobile ticket: it’s accepted at the check, no need to print. Keep your battery charged.

Bear toilets in mind too, located mainly at the entrances and near the Grand Canal: plan your breaks, as they’re scarce in the heart of the park.

Booking your Passport: slot and tips

The Passport requires you to choose a palace entry time when you book. In high season the morning slots (9–10am) often sell out several days ahead. My tips:

• Book early if your date is fixed, especially from April to October.
• Aim for a morning slot to enjoy the palace before the crowds.
• Turn up 10 to 15 minutes before your time: you can’t go in early.
• The Trianon and the gardens have no slot: go whenever you like during the day.

The mobile ticket is enough at the check: no need to print.

Who is the Passport less suited to?

The Passport isn’t always the best choice. If you have only half a day, want to see only the palace, or are coming back for a focused visit (an exhibition, for example), the Palace ticket is enough and costs less. Likewise, a garden lover visiting off-season can enjoy the park for free and doesn’t need the Passport if they’re not planning to go into the palace. To each their own ticket: the key thing is to book a slot whenever the palace is involved.