Versailles was the royal residence of France for little more than a century (from 1682 until 1789) when the French Revolution began.

Louis XIII built a hunting lodge at the village of Versailles outside of Paris in 1624. The small structure became the base on which was constructed one of the most costly and extravagant buildings in the world. It became the palace of Louis XIV, the "Sun King", who boasted of himself, "L'Etat c'est moi" or "I am the state." Louis XV and Louis XVI also called Versailles home.

The restoration of the Palace is still ongoing today. In 1986 the apartments on the ground floor, once occupied by the Dauphin and Dauphine, or prince and princess, were opened to the public. Funded by two French government grants, more than 80 rooms were involved in the largest single restoration in Versailles history.

Today, the Palace of Versailles is one of France's many national monuments. The building is so large that only a small portion of it is open to the public.

It takes about 40 minutes to reach Versailles from Paris by train.