In Versailles there are two neighborhoods really worth checking besides, of course the Chateau: Saint-Louis and the Notre Dame.

In Saint-Louis the atmosphere is just like in the 1700’s. It has survived the 1789 French Revolution and it is not filled with tourists all the time. Take your time and drink a coffee there in one of the cafes or restaurants. Sneak a peak at the Vieux-Versailles area. You will see some beautiful antiquate administrative buildings. Other interesting monarchical constructions are to be seen like the Ministries of War and Foreign Affairs.

If you want to do some shopping, you had better go to the Notre Dame area. Don’t confuse that with the great cathedral. It is a kind of plaza, a former gathering place for the people in the town, in the seventeenth century. Now it holds the open-air Marche Notre Dame where the tourists and also the residents buy goods and fresh food.