The Best Hotels in Versailles

Sleeping inside the grounds of Versailles is not a metaphor here: this small luxury hotel occupies a 17th-century building within the palace estate, with a private entrance to the gardens and butlers in period-appropriate attendance. Ninety percent of the 18th-century furniture was recovered from auction houses using pre-Revolution inventory records. Alain Ducasse oversees the restaurant, which holds a Michelin star. The hotel holds a Forbes Four Star and three Michelin Keys.

1. Michelin Guide 3 Keys
2. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
3. The 50 The 50 Discovery

The light-filled corridor looking onto manicured gardens sets the tone the moment you arrive at this grand palace hotel, perched on the edge of the Versailles estate. The building has been around forever, and the bones show it, though the rooms and suites read more contemporary than dusty. Polished service, refined dining, and a spa round out a stay that makes the train from Paris feel like a very sensible decision.

1. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Recommended

At check-in, you receive a small book telling the story of the philosopher your room is named after, which sets the tone for this luxury boutique hotel sitting directly beside the gates of the Château de Versailles. Crystal chandeliers and an Belle Époque staircase in the common areas, then rooms with sage coffered walls and cherry-red duvets. The Michelin Guide awarded it one Key.

1. Michelin Guide 1 Key

A modernist chandelier fit for a Sun King hangs over the emerald-and-gold lobby bar, which sets the tone for this boutique hotel a ten-minute walk from Versailles. The 19th-century facade gives way to parquet floors and trompe l'oeil ceilings, and the restaurant, Alcôve, runs modern French rather than period pastiche. Small enough to feel intimate, central enough to make the palace an afterthought.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels