Booking choice: The guided Palace tour with gardens access, from $79 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Plenty of tours are sold “with gardens access” as if the gardens always needed a ticket. They do not. The château's own rule is short: “Access to the Gardens is free except on days of fountains shows and musical gardens.” Those show days run from April to October. From November to March the gardens are free every day, and the wider Park around the Grand Canal is free all year.
This guide explains when you pay and how much, who goes in free on show days (fewer people than you might think), how to buy, the opening hours, the rules on picnics and bikes, and how long a walk through the gardens takes. For the show itself, read the Musical Fountains Show guide.
The quick answer
The Gardens of Versailles are free on every day without a show: every day from November to March and, from April to October, on Mondays. On Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days they cost €15, or €12 reduced, and only children under 6 go in free. The Passport includes the gardens, show days too. The Park is free all year. Picnics are not allowed in the gardens, only in the Park, and bikes are forbidden in the gardens.
Can you visit the Versailles Gardens for free?
Yes, on every day without a fountains show: every day from November to March, and on Mondays from April to October.
The official rule is that the gardens are free except on days of fountains shows and musical gardens. In 2026 the Musical Fountains Show runs every Saturday and Sunday from 4 April to 1 November, and the Musical Gardens every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 April to 30 October. That leaves Mondays as the free day in the high season, which is also the day the Palace is closed.
From November to March there are no shows, so the gardens are free every day; some groves are closed in that season. The Park, the wider grounds around the Grand Canal, is free all year. Today, in October 2026, the high season is still on: the gardens are paid on show days until the last show on 1 November.
How much does it cost to enter the garden of Versailles?
On show days, €15, or €12 reduced; children under 6 go in free. On every other day, nothing.
The reduced €12 applies to nationals and residents of the European Economic Area, and on show days to visitors under 18 and EEA residents under 26. That last point catches many families out. Versailles gives free admission to all visitors under 18, to EEA nationals or residents under 26 and to a few other groups, but the official wording is precise: it “only applies to the Palace and the Estate of Trianon (excluding access to the Musical Gardens and Musical Fountain Show in the high season)”. So the under-18 free admission does not cover the gardens on show days: a 12-year-old walks into the Palace free but needs a €12 reduced gardens ticket, or the reduced €12 Passport, which also gives priority access to the Palace. Only children under 6, and some card holders, go into the gardens free.
Here are the official 2026 prices that touch the gardens:
| Ticket | Price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Gardens on a show day | €15 (reduced €12) |
| Gardens on any other day | Free |
| Children under 6, show days | Free |
| Musical Gardens + Estate of Trianon | €20 (EEA €17) |
| Musical Fountains Show + Royal Serenade | €35 (reduced €31) |
| Passport, high season (includes the gardens) | €35 (EEA €32) |
| The Park | Free all year |
Want the gardens and a guide in one booking? A guided Palace tour with gardens access, the most reviewed on the site.
Check dates for the guided Palace tour with gardens accessCan you go to Versailles gardens without a ticket?
Yes, on any day without a show. On show days you need a gardens ticket or a Passport; the Park needs no ticket at all.
The Passport is the simplest alternative to a separate gardens ticket: it includes the Palace with a timed entry, the Estate of Trianon, temporary exhibitions and the gardens, on show days too. The official page describes show-day gardens access as a single admission, with a second entry possible through a different gate, so keep your ticket with you.
No GetYourGuide listing sells the gardens alone. On a show day the gardens-only ticket is sold by the château itself. The Full Access Passport on GetYourGuide is the official Passport resold, with separate options for EEA and non-EEA visitors (ID is checked), and its description calls the show an optional upgrade: check the option you pick.
The official Passport: timed Palace entry, the Trianon, the gardens and temporary exhibitions. Non-refundable, so be sure of your date.
Explore the Full Access Passport ticketHow to buy Versailles Garden tickets?
From the château itself, on site at the Palace ticket office in the South Ministers' Wing, or as part of a Passport or a tour.
The official FAQ says you can buy all the tickets on site, at the Palace ticket office. Only the Palace needs a time slot booked in advance; the other areas, the gardens included, are freely accessible during the day. Tickets bought from the château are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
If you book a tour, check what it says about the gardens on show days, because the listings differ. This is what each one says in its own words:
| Tour | Gardens on show days | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guided tour + Passport | Included (gardens tickets on show days) | 4.6 (6,876) | $88 |
| Passport ticket | Included; show listed as an option | 4.6 (47,666) | $17 |
| Coach from Paris | Show tickets on specific dates | 4.6 (7,509) | $89 |
| Train tour, fountains option | If the option is selected | 4.7 (1,021) | $101 |
| Bike day with the Trianons | Extra cost on show days | 4.9 (633) | $122 |
| Palace tour by train | No gardens ticket listed | 4.6 (1,413) | $70 |
What are the opening hours of the Versailles Gardens?
In the high season every day 7:00 to 20:30, last admission 19:00; in the low season every day 8:00 to 18:00.
The Park keeps the same hours, every day. On show days the groves open from 9:00 to 19:00, with music from 10:00 to 19:00. On summer Saturday evenings, when the Night Fountains take over, the gardens close to day visitors at 17:30, and they did the same on 14 July.
- High season: 1 April to 31 October, 7:00 to 20:30, last admission 19:00.
- Low season: 1 November to 31 March, 8:00 to 18:00; some groves closed.
- Early closing at 17:30 in 2026: the Musical Gardens on 27 to 30 October; the Fountains Show on 25 October, 31 October and 1 November.
- The Palace: 9:00 to 18:30 in the high season, closed on Mondays.
See the Palace with a guide first, then take the gardens at your own pace.
Check dates for the guided Palace tour with gardens accessCan you picnic or cycle in the Versailles Gardens?
Neither. Picnics are allowed in the Park and at the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses; bikes are allowed in the Park on designated paths.
The official French FAQ is clear that picnics are not allowed in the Gardens of Versailles. Take them to the Park, or to the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses, which lies outside the estate facing the Orangerie. No food or drink is allowed inside the museum areas, and smoking is forbidden in the gardens and Park too. Dogs must be on a leash.
Bicycles are forbidden in the gardens and courtyards, even pushed. You can see the gardens on foot, by the little train (every day except Mondays) or in a small electric vehicle hired on site, every day 10:00 to 18:45. Bike hire is at Little Venice on the Grand Canal, daily from 10:00, closed from mid-November to mid-February; rowing boats run every day, closed from mid-November to late February. So bike tours such as the skip-the-line bike tour ride the Park and the Grand Canal, and you see the formal gardens on foot.
Ride the Park and the Grand Canal with a guide, then walk the formal gardens. Market picnic included, eaten where picnics are allowed.
Explore the skip-the-line bike tour from ParisAre the Versailles Gardens worth it?
On a free day, certainly worth a walk; on a show day, the €15 buys the fountains running to music in a garden designed by André Le Nôtre.
Le Nôtre began work in 1661, and it lasted about 40 years. The scale is the point: the gardens and park cover 800 ha, with 55 fountains, 620 water jets fed by 35 km of piping, and about 2,100 sculptures. The Grand Canal is about 1.5 km long and 62 m wide. The Latona Fountain was built from 1668 to 1670 and the Apollo Fountain from 1668 to 1671. After the storms of December 1999, replanting brought the gardens back towards their Louis XIV appearance.
If you want the water, come on a show day; if you want the space and the walk, come on a free day, and the Park is free whatever the date.
How long does it take to walk the gardens of Versailles?
It depends how far you go: the gardens and park cover 800 ha, and the walk from the Palace to the Trianon alone takes about 30 minutes.
The official ideal day gives the gardens and park two hours, from 10:00 to noon, after the Palace at 9:00 and before the Trianon from noon to 16:30. The little train or an electric vehicle cuts the Palace to Trianon trip to about 20 minutes. If you want the Palace, the gardens and the Trianon in one visit, the château's advice is to spend the whole day; the best time to visit guide lays out that day hour by hour, and the Trianon guide covers the far end of the walk.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Park of Versailles free?
Yes. The Park, the wider grounds around the Grand Canal, is free all year and keeps the same hours as the gardens.
Do under-18s go into the Versailles Gardens free?
Not on show days. Free admission for under-18s does not cover the gardens on Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days; they pay the reduced €12. Only children under 6 go in free.
Can you bring a picnic to Versailles?
Yes, but not into the gardens. Picnics are allowed in the Park and at the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses, facing the Orangerie.
Are bikes allowed in the Versailles Gardens?
No, not even pushed. Bikes are allowed in the Park on designated paths.
Ready to book
Choose your Versailles visit
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before, except Full Access Passport Ticket, which is non-refundable. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Palace Tour and Gardens Access
- Skip-the-line entry ticket to the Palace
- 90-minute guided tour of the main Palace
- Access to the gardens (no guide there)
Full Access Passport Ticket
- Entry to the Palace at a selected time
- The Trianon estate and Marie Antoinette's Estate
- The gardens, Musical Gardens or Fountains Show days included (check the option)
Guided Palace Tour and Passport
A guide, then the whole estate, show days included
