Hotels near Chateau de Versailles Gardens

Chateau de Versailles is the standard Paris day trip, but the case for doing it in October rests on the gardens rather than the palace. Andre Le Notre laid out 800 hectares of formal parkland from 1661, and the avenues of clipped hornbeam, lime and chestnut turn together in mid-autumn, producing the same architectural effect in colour that the garden has in green. The Grand Canal, 1.5 kilometres long, holds the reflection.

Palace entry is timed and the Hall of Mirrors is busy whatever the month. The gardens are free on most days outside the fountain show season, which typically ends in late October, so check before assuming. The estate of Marie-Antoinette and the Grand Trianon sit a 30-minute walk across the park and drop the crowd density by an order of magnitude.

Pro Tip: Take the first RER C of the morning, do the palace at opening, then spend the afternoon walking out to the Grand Trianon. Almost everyone has left by 3pm, and the long avenues in late-afternoon October light are the part nobody photographs.