logo
To Avoid the Day-Trippers at the Palace of Versailles, Book a Night in Town

To Avoid the Day-Trippers at the Palace of Versailles, Book a Night in Town

I arrived in Versailles just after midnight and, stepping out of a taxi, I looked up at the eerily quiet palace at the town's heart. It could have been a night in 1789 during the French Revolution, after a Parisian mob had escorted the royal family off the palace grounds. Across the street, I entered Les Lumières, a pair of 17th-century mansions converted into a boutique hotel. A doorman whisked my bag through splendid hallways, past a grand staircase and beneath glittering chandeliers to an ornate chamber.
It was a suitably theatrical introduction to a stay in Versailles, known to most travelers for the extraordinary Palace of Versailles. Years before, I'd joined the armies of day-trippers on the 15-minute train ride from Paris, and fought alongside them through the 2,300-room estate, which sees almost as many visitors as the Louvre. But, recently, a friend from Versailles, a community of around 83,000 people, had suggested I stay overnight for a calmer, more immersive experience.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Drake postpones concert due to 'travel logistics'
Drake postpones concert due to 'travel logistics'

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Drake postpones concert due to 'travel logistics'

Drake has postponed his planned Manchester, England concert at the last minute due to "travel logistics". The One Dance rapper was scheduled to perform as part of his co-headlining concert tour with PartyNextDoor, titled Some Special Shows 4 U, at the Co-op Live arena on Monday night. However, a representative for the venue announced on Sunday evening that the show will now take place on 5 August. "Due to unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics, tomorrow's performance in Manchester on July 28th has been rescheduled," a post on the arena's website reads. "The good news is that Drake will now perform in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5th, and it's set to be an unforgettable night." All tickets remain valid for the new date. Drake has not yet commented on the news. The 38-year-old dropped the collaborative album, Some Sexy Songs 4 U, with fellow Canadian star PartyNextDoor, real name Jahron Brathwaite, in February. The Some Special Shows 4 U Tour marks his first trek of Europe in six years, following his Assassination Vacation Tour in 2019. Drake and PartyNextDoor will next play a trio of gigs at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam starting on 30 July.

The Friends We Meet On Vacation
The Friends We Meet On Vacation

Fox News

time16 hours ago

  • Fox News

The Friends We Meet On Vacation

'If I am not perched on top of the mountain, I am down in the sea.' – Fouad Zarrou Fouad Zarrou is a tour guide in Nice, France, who swapped Paris for the sea, sunshine, and slower pace of the French Riviera. Passionate about nature, food, and local culture, he joins Janice to relive their adventures and share how he crafts unique experiences that connect people to the heart of Nice. Learn more about France Azur Excursions here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

Dozens of Wildfires Burn in Greece and Turkey as Temperatures Soar
Dozens of Wildfires Burn in Greece and Turkey as Temperatures Soar

New York Times

time17 hours ago

  • New York Times

Dozens of Wildfires Burn in Greece and Turkey as Temperatures Soar

Wildfires are burning across Greece and Turkey, as southern Europe confronts a series of heat waves that have scorched parts of the continent this summer. In Greece, thousands of people were forced to evacuate from their homes over the weekend, including from a village near Athens. Officials said on Sunday that the fire had been contained but warned that swirling embers threatened to rekindle the blaze. Temperatures have soared, reaching close to 111 degrees Fahrenheit, or 44 degrees Celsius, on parts of the Greek mainland on Saturday before cooling slightly on Sunday. The fire service would not have been able to cope if 'there had been another two or three fires like the one near Athens,' Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis, Greece's fire service spokesman, said in an interview. Firefighters were still battling to control major blazes on Kythira, an island popular with tourists, and Messinia, on the Peloponnese peninsula, Mr. Vathrakoyiannis said. In Turkey, firefighters were fighting 84 blazes on Saturday, Ibrahim Yumakli, the agriculture and forestry minister, told reporters, adding that the country would be on high alert until October. 'We are going through risky days,' he said, as he called on people in the country to work to prevent fires from starting. Extreme heat has gripped much of Europe this summer, breaking records, stalling city life and endangering residents. Temperatures have hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in several areas, and reached above 110 in countries, including Portugal, Spain and Greece. Greece faces a challenge as it tries to preserve its image as an idyllic tourist destination while also facing the growing threat of wildfires. Authorities say there has been an uptick in both the number and the intensity of blazes in recent years, which many experts attribute to climate change. Earlier this month, a blaze forced 1,500 people to evacuate from homes and hotels on the popular tourist island of Crete. 'We must do all we can to restrict every possible risk,' Giannis Kefalogiannis, Greece's climate crisis and civil protection minister, said on Saturday. 'We have injured firefighters, human lives were put at risk, homes were burned and forestland destroyed.' Mr. Kefalogiannis said the government had deployed a record number of firefighters to prepare for the fire season. This weekend alone, almost 500 firefighters have had to contend with five major blazes across the country. On Kythira, the Coast Guard had to remove bathers from beaches on Saturday as the fire approached. In Messinia, heat and high winds were continuing to fuel the fire overnight. Greek television coverage of the fire in Drosopigi, the village near Athens, showed residents fleeing by car and explosions at factories containing flammable materials. In the footage, two people on a roof used a water hose to beat back giant flames from a neighboring house. The Greek climate crisis and civil protection ministry said that the wildfire threat would remain high into at least Monday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store