6 Best Hotels in Versailles, Side Trips from Paris

Set in the 17th-century quarters of Louis XIV's finance minister, this exquisite hotel—which actually abuts the château grounds—faithfully re-creates the "palace" experience, from bathing (your personal butler will draw your bath for you) to dining (with Alain Ducasse--designed menus) to the staff (dressed like footmen and -women). The gorgeous common areas and guest rooms—all with period antiques and bespoke fabrics and wallpapers—hew to the epoch, with the exception of the state-of-the-art amenities. Rooms are blessedly TV-free, but anything seems to be available for guests if you just ask (yes, that includes a television). The lovely Valmont spa includes a 50-foot indoor pool, sauna, hammam, and a small fitness area. France is full of château hotels, but this is the only one that offers views of Versailles's orangerie gardens from your bathtub and exclusive before- or after-hours visits to the palace minus the crowds.

A great choice for families and travelers on a budget, this rustic-contemporary hotel just outside the palace grounds fills a much-needed niche in this upscale city. The chic lodge’s 30 raw-wood-paneled rooms—some with spacious garden terraces—are spare, bright, and serviceable and can sleep up to four people. Hostel-like dormers are well-suited for families, solo travelers on a budget, and groups, with shared rooms for up to six people starting at €26. The on-site bistro’s all-day hours and spacious terrace make it a pleasant spot to enjoy a well-priced menu of homemade wood-fired pizzas, copious salads, and traditional French favorites from breakfast to late-night drinks or snacks in a “no-fuss” atmosphere.

Built in 1676, this unpretentious option is in a corner of the market square, close to the château and strongly recommended if you plan to explore the town on foot. Some rooms around the old stable courtyard have their original wood beams; several have been brought up to date and redecorated in pastel colors (the most spacious, No. 108, is also one of the few rooms with a bath rather than just a shower).

Enjoy the pleasures of both village and countryside at this charming hotel a pleasant 20-minute walk from Versailles. A Relais & Château property, this sophisticated hotel features a large spa, both a bistro and a Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurant, and a magical lakeside setting (where Impressionist artist Corot once lived and worked). Rooms mix contemporary elegance with country touches, featuring elegant black-marble baths, some with spacious terraces. Be sure to request a room with a lake view. The hotel is close to Paris, the fabulous Sèvres museum and porcelain works, and Versailles. It's also a quick bus ride from La Seine Musicale, Paris's newest classical and contemporary music venue set on an island on the Seine.

Like a modern-day Versailles, this deluxe turn-of-the-20th-century hotel is a creamy white creation of imposing size, filled with soaring rooms (including the historic Salle Clemenceau, site of the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference). Part of the Waldorf-Astoria brand since 2014, it's a destination unto itself, with a health club (the pool is poised beneath a glass pyramid), a Guerlain spa, and a lobby glammed up with Murano chandeliers and high-back leather armchairs. The hotel headlines menus designed by superstar chef Gordon Ramsey and carries a Michelin star, though the chef himself is not in the kitchen. Soaring La Veranda bistro is a lively local favorite for its reliably good food, lovely vistas of the gardens, and wide terrace that's open in summer. As for the guest rooms, try to avoid the newer annex (the Pavillon Trianon), and insist on the full treatment in the main building, where rooms are spacious, many with balconies and lovely views of Versailles' gardens, though the decor is a bit somber and could do with refurbishment. A great advantage of the hotel is its setting two steps from Versailles's garden entrance and a pleasant 15-minute walk to the Grand and Petit Trianon, where you can buy your entrance tickets, thus avoiding the crowds at the main entrance.