I have written so much on my dear Versailles, sorry if sometimes I repeat myself. Of course, written on the wonderful Potager du Roi ,but have some new older pictures to tell you a recap and encourage you to visit it. This is a wonderful historical part of my dear Versailles; hope you enjoy it as I.
At the request of king Louis XIV, gardener Jean-Baptiste de la Quintinie made this vegetable/fruit garden between 1678-1683. It provided the king with its own supplies of veggies well done for his taste. The design is of three central trails of about 3 hectares ( 7,4 acres) divided into 16 squares all around a fountain. At the center of each square, surrounded by fruit trees, you have rounds of vegetables flourishing. You will have a wonderful view of this from the terraces. You will discover about 12 enclosed gardens with its collection of fruit trees where still the art of growing them continues. You can,also, with time take a course in gardening at this wonderful place.
The Potager du Roi is located at 10 rue du Maréchal Joffre, just in front of the Cathédrale Saint Louis (see post). You can come from Paris on the RER C to Château Rive Gauche station, take a left on Avenue du Général de Gaulle ,take right on Rue du Général Leclerc and take left on Rue du Maréchal Joffre, about 10 mins walking. It is open from April 1 to October 31 every day except Mondays from 10h to 18h, and from November 1 to March 31 the tuesdays and thursdays from 10h to 13h. However these are the general times, it can change each year.
The King’s Vegetable garden, or potager du roi ,which has an orchard of some 5 000 fruit trees (more than 400 different varieties), produces good year bad year about 50 tons of fruit and 20 tons of vegetables, part of which is sold in the store boutique (open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays morning). It is a nice place and recently given the attention it deserve for renovation and keep it for generations to come.
The official Potager du Roi : http://www.potager-du-roi.fr/site/pot_histoire/index.htm
The official l’École nationale supérieure de paysage or the National School of Landscape management of the Potager du Roi: http://www.ecole-paysage.fr/site/ecole_fr/potager_du_roi.htm
The Versailles tourist office on the Potager du Roi :https://en.versailles-tourisme.com/visit-and-explore-versailles-the-royal-town/a-town-to-discover/the-king-s-vegetable-garden
There you go folks, another dandy in Versailles, and like i always repeat, the Royal city is more than a Palace/Museum even if this is huge indeed. Hope you enjoy your visit here a lot more than a one day trip to the palace and enjoy fully my dear Versailles. Hope you have enjoy the post and even more enjoy your visit to the Potager du Roi too!!! superbe!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 