Louvre + Versailles Combo Ticket 2026: Two Royal Landmarks in One Trip

Paris has two palaces that defined French royalty: the Louvre and Versailles. The Louvre was the royal residence until Louis XIV moved the court to Versailles in 1682 — meaning these two buildings tell one continuous story of the French monarchy, with roughly 500 years between them. Seeing both is the closest thing a visitor can get to understanding the full arc of French royal history, from medieval fortress to Baroque masterpiece.

The combo ticket simplifies what would otherwise be two separate bookings with two different platforms. This guide describes the Louvre + Versailles combo in full — what’s included, the difference between Versailles ticket types, how to get between Paris and Versailles, and the ideal way to plan a two-day royal itinerary.

What’s Included in the Combo

When you book, here’s what you get:

• Reserved-access Louvre entry within a 30-minute booked window
• Palace of Versailles Passport ticket — the most comprehensive Versailles product
• Access to the Hall of Mirrors and the State Apartments (the main palace circuit)
• Access to the Grand and Petit Trianon — the royal family’s private retreats
• Access to Marie Antoinette’s Estate including the Queen’s Hamlet
• Access to the Gardens of Versailles — free on most days, ticketed on Musical Fountain/Gardens days
• Priority lanes at both venues via dedicated ticket-holder entrances
• 1-hour Seine River cruise included in some combo products (check your specific booking)
• Combined savings — typically 10–15% cheaper than buying each separately
• Mobile tickets — QR codes for both sites
• Different dates for each — Louvre is a half-day visit; Versailles is a full-day trip

The Versailles portion is specifically the Passport ticket, which is the most comprehensive option — it’s the only Versailles product that includes both the palace and the full Trianon estate. Non-passport tickets only cover the main palace.

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What You’ll See at Each Site

At the Louvre (half day, 3–4 hours)

The Louvre covers the full sweep of art from antiquity through the French Romantics. Priority highlights:

• Mona Lisa — Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic portrait
• Winged Victory of Samothrace — the dramatic Hellenistic sculpture
• Venus de Milo — Hellenistic Greek marble
• Italian Renaissance paintings — Raphael, Titian, Veronese, Caravaggio
• French Romantic masterpieces — Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa
• Napoleon III Apartments — lavish Second Empire state rooms
• Egyptian antiquities — the Seated Scribe, the Great Sphinx of Tanis

See our Louvre in One Day itinerary for a detailed hour-by-hour route.

At Versailles (full day, 6–8 hours)

Versailles is a full-day commitment, not a half-day stopover. The estate is enormous — the main palace alone has 2,300 rooms, and the grounds extend across 800 hectares (2,000 acres).

Main palace highlights:

• Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces) — 73 metres long with 357 mirrors in 17 arched bays reflecting 17 garden windows. The most famous room in France.
• King’s State Apartments — the bedroom, council rooms, and salons where Louis XIV ruled
• Queen’s State Apartments — Marie Antoinette’s bedroom, where the Queen was seen as “on display” to the court
• Royal Chapel — the spectacular double-height chapel where the royal family attended Mass
• Hercules Salon — with a vast ceiling fresco, one of the palace’s most dramatic rooms

The Trianon Estate (included in Passport ticket):

• Grand Trianon — the pink marble palace where Louis XIV escaped court ceremony
• Petit Trianon — Marie Antoinette’s private retreat, given to her by Louis XVI
• Queen’s Hamlet (Hameau de la Reine) — the fake peasant village Marie Antoinette built to play at rural life

The Gardens:

• The Grand Perspective — the iconic view from the palace, with the Grand Canal stretching 1.6 km to the horizon
• Formal French gardens — Le Nôtre’s geometric masterpiece with fountains, sculptures, and hedges
• Musical Fountain Shows — seasonal events (April–October) where the fountains run to classical music (extra ticket needed)
• Bicycle or golf-cart rental — the estate is massive; motorised transport is often worth it

Ticket Details at a Glance

How to Get to Versailles from Paris

Versailles is 20 km southwest of central Paris. You have several options:

RER C train (recommended)

The cheapest and most straightforward option. Board the RER C train toward “Versailles Château Rive Gauche” at any central Paris RER C station (Invalides, Pont de l’Alma, Champ de Mars, Saint-Michel, Austerlitz). The journey takes 40–50 minutes. The station is a 10-minute walk from the palace.

Cost: ~€4.50 one way.

SNCF train from Gare Montparnasse

Faster and more comfortable than RER C. Board at Gare Montparnasse toward “Versailles Chantiers” — 15-minute journey. The station is a 20-minute walk or short bus ride from the palace.

Cost: ~€4 one way.

Organised tour bus

Many tours include round-trip transport. Useful if you want logistics handled, but more expensive (€25–50 for transport alone).

Taxi or Uber

€35–60 one way, 45–60 minutes depending on traffic. Only worth it for families or groups.

Driving

Not recommended. Parking is limited and expensive, and central Paris has a low-emission vehicle zone requiring Crit’Air certification.

The Ideal Two-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Louvre

9:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Louvre highlights — Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Italian paintings, French Romantics

12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch at one of the Louvre cafés

1:30 – 3:00 PM: Continue with Sully (Egyptian antiquities) and Richelieu (Napoleon III Apartments, French sculpture)

3:00 PM onwards: Rest, Tuileries walk, or combine with another Paris activity

Day 2: Versailles (full day trip)

8:00 AM: Leave Paris (RER C or SNCF train)

9:00 AM: Arrive in Versailles; walk to palace

9:30 AM: Enter palace at booked time slot — spend 2–3 hours on the main circuit (Hall of Mirrors, State Apartments)

12:30 PM: Lunch — options at the palace café or in Versailles town

1:30 PM: Head to the Trianon Estate (20-minute walk from the main palace, or take the little train for €8)

2:00 – 4:30 PM: Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, Queen’s Hamlet

4:30 – 6:00 PM: Gardens of Versailles — the Grand Perspective, the fountains, the groves

6:00 PM: Return to the RER C station

7:00 PM: Back in central Paris for dinner

Total estimated time: About 11 hours from leaving your hotel to returning. This is why Versailles is a full-day commitment.

Who This Combo Is For

The Louvre + Versailles combo suits specific visitors:

First-time Paris visitors on a 4+ day trip — enough time to do both properly.

History-focused travellers who want to understand the French monarchy from medieval fortress (Louvre) through Sun King to Revolution (Versailles).

Bucket-list travellers — both sites are genuine once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Visitors who want booking simplicity — two separate tickets handled in one platform.

Budget-conscious combo shoppers — typically 10–15% savings vs. separate tickets.

If you’re only in Paris for a weekend, Versailles may be too ambitious — consider skipping it and focusing on the Louvre plus other central Paris sights. If you’re visiting 3+ major attractions including the Louvre and Versailles, compare this to the Paris Museum Pass which covers both.

What to Expect on the Day

At the Louvre

Standard Louvre visit — arrive 10–15 minutes before your time slot, use the priority lane, clear security (5–15 minutes), explore at your own pace.

At Versailles

Arrive at the palace 15–20 minutes before your booked time slot. Security screening is thorough — bag limits strictly enforced, liquids restricted. Queues at the main palace entrance can be long even with a timed slot, so arriving early is important.

Once inside the palace, the self-guided route takes you through the Hercules Salon, the Apollo Salon, the Hall of Mirrors, and the King’s and Queen’s State Apartments. The free Château de Versailles app provides excellent audio commentary — download before arriving since Wi-Fi at the palace can be patchy.

After the main palace circuit, you exit into the courtyard. From there, you can walk or take the little train (€8 round trip) to the Trianon Estate. The gardens are accessible all day.

Practical realities of Versailles

It’s big. The estate covers 800 hectares. Comfortable walking shoes are essential. Most visitors walk 8–12 km across a full day.

The palace interior gets very crowded between 11 AM and 2 PM. Book the earliest possible time slot (9:00 AM) or the latest (3:00 PM onwards, which also has a discount).

Lunch options at Versailles are limited. Consider bringing a picnic for the gardens, or eating at Ore (Alain Ducasse’s palace restaurant) if you can get a reservation.

The fountains only run on certain days. April–October Tuesdays and weekends typically have Musical Fountain shows (extra ticket).

Practical Information

Entry rules

Louvre: 55 × 35 × 20 cm bag limit. See Louvre Rules.

Versailles: Similar bag limit. No food allowed inside the palace (allowed in the gardens). Water fountains are available throughout the estate.

Photography

Non-flash photography is allowed throughout both venues’ permanent collections. No tripods, no selfie sticks, no drones.

Accessibility

Louvre: Extensively wheelchair-accessible. See Louvre Accessibility.

Versailles: Designated step-free routes and lifts in the main palace. The estate is large and involves cobblestones outdoors — consider lightweight wheelchairs or hiring a mobility scooter.

Children

Children under 18 enter both the Louvre and Versailles free. Bring photo ID or a document showing the child’s date of birth. The combo is an adult product — kids enter free with paying adults.

Weather for Versailles

Most of Versailles’ appeal is outdoors. In rain, the palace interior remains comfortable but the gardens are less enjoyable. In cold months (November–March), the gardens are less impressive (fountains off, many shrubs bare). April–October is the ideal window.

When to Book

• Peak season (April–October): 3–4 weeks ahead — morning Versailles slots sell out fastest
• Shoulder season: 2 weeks
• Low season: 1 week

Critical timing notes:

• Louvre is closed Tuesdays — don’t book a Tuesday Louvre slot
• Versailles is closed Mondays, Dec 25, Jan 1 — don’t book a Monday Versailles slot
• Versailles can be its hottest and most crowded in July–August — consider shoulder season for a better experience

Tips for Making the Most of the Combo

Don’t do both in one day. Even the most energetic visitors struggle. Versailles alone is a full day. Louvre alone is a half day. Split them across two days.

Book an early Versailles slot. 9:00 AM entry means you see the Hall of Mirrors before peak crowds. By 11 AM the crowds are dense.

Or book a 3:00 PM+ slot. The “after 4 PM” discount is real and the crowds thin dramatically in the late afternoon. Plus the Hall of Mirrors is gorgeous in late-afternoon light.

Pack a picnic for Versailles. The gardens have designated picnic areas. A simple lunch on a bench overlooking the Grand Canal is one of the best Versailles memories you’ll make.

Download the Versailles app before arrival. Wi-Fi at the estate is unreliable; download the audio tour in advance.

Rent a golf cart or bicycle for the Gardens. The estate is so large that walking everywhere is exhausting. Bike rental is ~€9/hour, golf carts ~€38/hour for four people.

Budget for the little train between palace and Trianon. €8 round-trip saves a 20-minute walk each way.

Take the RER C train, not a tour bus. You save money and have more schedule flexibility.

Check fountain show schedule. If you’re visiting on a fountain day (usually Tuesdays, Saturdays, Sundays from April–October), upgrade to include the show — the gardens come alive with music and spray.

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