14THE ENCOUNTER
Walk towards the palace with the woman who remains its icon. From Versailles Rive Gauche station to the palace gates, Marie Antoinette welcomes guests to her city. She reveals the court, its codes and the challenges faced by a young archduchess who became Queen of France.
Outside the station, Marie Antoinette awaits travellers willing to hear her story. From an Austrian adolescent to Queen of France, she recalls the transformations that shaped her life: a new language, etiquette and the demands of a court where every gesture is observed.
On the way to the palace gates, the splendour of Versailles is joined by a story of the search for freedom. The Petit Trianon and the Hamlet enter the conversation as refuges from constraint. This theatrical hour prepares a visit to the estate through a human perspective, giving families and groups a way to understand court life.
