The Orangerie
On Gingerguide's self-guided Versailles audio tour, The Orangerie is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type garden
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Versailles Versailles guide
About The Orangerie
A building disguised as a garden: thick south-facing walls store the sun and keep more than a thousand potted orange and lemon trees frost-free through winter, without a furnace.
The Orangerie was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1684 and 1686, replacing a smaller orangery of 1663 by Louis Le Vau. Its central vaulted gallery runs more than 150 metres, prolonged by two side galleries set beneath the staircases known as the Cent Marches, or Hundred Steps. Sunk below the Parterre du Midi and built into the terrace, its thick south-facing walls store heat and shelter the trees frost-free through winter without any artificial heating.
More than a thousand trees over-winter inside; in summer around 1,055 are arranged on the parterre, among them orange, lemon, pomegranate, oleander and palm, some specimens over a century old. The parterre and Orangerie overlook the Piece d'eau des Suisses, a large ornamental lake dug by the Swiss Guards in the 1680s. It is one of the grandest surviving royal orangeries.
Did you know? The Orangerie needs no furnace. Its walls, buried in the terrace and facing south, absorb the winter sun by day and release it by night, keeping over a thousand trees frost-free in the dark.
How much time do you need at The Orangerie?
Around ~30 min works well for The Orangerie — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at The Orangerie?
Yes — The Orangerie made the cut as one of 15 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Versailles. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Versailles
Day 1 of the Versailles in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of The Orangerie
Preview the Versailles tour free in the Gingerguide app.