Versailles Palace

France travel guide ranks the Versailles Palace in France (alternately known as the Château de Versailles) as one of the most visited France tourist attractions. A UNESCO designated World Heritage Site, this Chateau or the country palace in Versailles was home to King Louis XIV and his family from 1682 to 1789. This palace was the center of power until the angry Parisian mob ravaged the Bastille fort in the 1789 and ousted the much-hated French monarchy. The site where the Versailles Palace in France now stands was chosen after much consideration. The royal people who ruled over France during Louis XIV's coming of age wanted a palace to be built away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded Paris. However the site, at the same time, was to be near Paris. After a lot of deliberation they zeroed in on Versailles, a country village located just a few kilometers away from the French capital.

In the initial days, the minor king had put up at the royal hunting lodge at Versailles. The following decade saw an extensive construction program and when the construction ended, Versailles Palace in France became the largest palace in the world. This palace came to be associated as the symbol of absolute monarchy and remained so till the French Revolution in 1789. Though the palace was built under the rule of Louis XIV, there was a small palace standing in that area from as early as 1624. A famous hunting ground of the Louis XIII, he ordered a hunting chateau to be built on that ground. Philibert Le Roy designed the hunting palace. The palace was made of stone and red brick with a slate roof on top. The real expansion however took place during Louis XIV's reign. He brought all the government offices here. The royal bedrooms were decorated in grandiose fashion. The king's love for megalomania and pomp and grandeur is evident in every nook and corner of this palace. The art galleries that are housed in this palatial building make for great sightseeing in France.