Between April and late October, on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, the gardens of Versailles are put back into their working condition. Fifty-five historic fountains — most of them silent for the rest of the year — are switched on in choreographed sequence to music by Lully, Rameau and Marais played over concealed speakers hidden in the topiary. The show is called the Grandes Eaux Musicales. It is the single most beautiful thing you can see at Versailles. It is also easy to see badly.
The problem
The fountains do not all run at once. They are grouped into clusters, and each cluster runs for a specific window during the day. The garden covers 800 hectares. Between fountain windows you may have long walks with nothing happening, or arrive at a fountain that stopped playing five minutes ago. Most visitors, working without a route, see three or four fountains and miss the other fifty.
The remedy is simple: plan the route in advance, in the order in which the fountains switch on. The following itinerary sees virtually all of them.
The route (afternoon show, 3.30–5.30pm)
- Arrive at 3.15pm at the Château entrance to the gardens (behind the Palace). The Water Parterre — the two large reflecting basins directly beneath the Hall of Mirrors — is already running. Look at it from the terrace balustrade before descending.
- 3.30pm — Latona Fountain. Walk down the Latona steps. The central fountain, sculpted by Balthasar Marsy, shows the goddess Latona defending her children by turning peasants into frogs. The fountain plays for the first 20 minutes of the show.
- 3.45pm — Bosquet des Trois Fontaines. Bear right at the base of the Latona steps into the wooded bosquets on the north side of the Tapis Vert. The Three Fountains grove — Le Nôtre's own favourite — is small, formal and stunning.
- 4.00pm — Salle de Bal. Continue south-west into the Ballroom Grove, a small amphitheatre of cascading water steps. Rameau plays here. Stay for the full ten-minute cycle.
- 4.15pm — Bassin d'Apollon. Walk down the Tapis Vert to the great fountain of the Sun God rising from the sea on his chariot. This is the axial climax of the whole garden; the fountain runs continuously during the show.
- 4.30pm — Bosquet de l'Encelade. Return partway up the Tapis Vert and turn right into the grove containing the gilded figure of the giant Enceladus, half-buried in rock and struggling upward. Water jets from his mouth to a height of 25 metres.
- 4.45pm — Colonnade. Continue north-east to the Colonnade — a circular ring of 32 marble columns and 32 water-jets. This is the most architecturally sophisticated bosquet on the estate.
- 5.00pm — Bosquet des Bains d'Apollon. A short walk brings you to the grove sheltering François Girardon's marble group of Apollo tended by nymphs. Run in the final half hour.
- 5.15pm — Bassin de Neptune. Walk north through the parterre to the vast Neptune Basin — 99 water-jets culminating in a single central spout 35 metres high. The show finishes here at 5.20pm with a five-minute grand finale accompanied by the fanfares of Marais's Alcyone. Do not miss it.
Tickets and timings
Musical Fountain days require a separate garden ticket (€12 adult, €10.50 reduced). If you are already visiting the Palace, buy the Passport ticket for €32 which includes both. See ticket comparison. Book online at least a day in advance; the show sells out on summer weekends.
Two shows run each day: the morning show 9.00–12.00 and the afternoon show 3.30–5.30. The morning show is quieter and cooler; the afternoon show has the grand finale at Neptune. If you can only see one, choose the afternoon.
Practical notes
- The walk described covers approximately 4 kilometres. Wear proper walking shoes; the gravel paths are hard on any other footwear.
- The bosquets are open only on Musical Fountain days. On any other day the wrought-iron gates are locked and you cannot see the grove interiors.
- A summer evening variant — the Grandes Eaux Nocturnes, from June to September, Saturday evenings — combines illuminated fountains with a fireworks display over the Grand Canal. The ticket is separate (€35) and the atmosphere is entirely different.
