Inside the Palace of Versailles:
Details, Light, and Old-World Texture
I might be the only person in the world who never had any interest in visiting Paris BUT…I’ve always wanted to visit the Palace of Versailles, mostly for one very specific reason: I wanted to walk through the Hall of Mirrors in real life. Not because I thought “this will change me”, more like that room looks so fun and it’s been on my brain forever and I need to see it with my own eyes way.
In 2023 my older sister and I went to Italy and she’s a huge Francophile and she visited Paris for two weeks in fifth grade and she’s always wanted to go back so we said to ourselves “well…its right there” (and jokes on me, I really enjoyed it). So off we went for a few days! She asked me if there was anything I wanted to do and I told her “Nothing, Im not interested in Paris. But I’ve always wanted to visit Versailles, and I do have a goal to visit every Disney Park in the world”. She told me to pick one haha so I chose Versailles!
We got there in the late afternoon our first day and while waiting for our turn to enter the palace, we walked around in the gardens behind it but I quickly realized that we were barely scratching the surface of the Versailles Palace gardens. I probably saw ten percent, maybe less, which just means I already know I need to go back! I just truly didn’t realize how large the gardens were.
Inside the palace, nothing surprised me, and I mean that positively. Visiting the Palace of Versailles felt exactly like I expected it to feel! Grand, intentional, unapologetically over-the-top. As a maximalist, I loved it.
The light coming through the windows inside the Palace of Versailles is unreal though. It changes completely depending on the room and direction, and the glass itself isn’t perfect because it’s wavy, old, and slightly distorted in a way you just don’t see anymore (well, I do. My house has old wavy windows lol). Add in the wallpaper, the textures, and the graffiti carvings etched directly into the stone walls, and I found myself stopping constantly just to look closer!
Those carvings were one of the few things I didn’t expect. Little marks left behind by people who were there long before this was a museum and reminders that even a place like Versailles has been touched, altered, and lived in.
The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles was every bit as chaotic as you’d imagine at 2pm. Crowded, loud, constant movement. And yet elsewhere in the Palace of Versailles interior, there were moments where we found ourselves completely alone in a room, able to linger and take it in without being rushed along. That contrast made the experience feel more human than I anticipated.
Color-wise, I kept noticing red. Deep red. Worn red. Red that felt intentional and repeated throughout the palace without ever feeling repetitive.
From a photography standpoint, I did exactly what I always do when visiting historic spaces: I photographed the details! Windows. Walls. Reflections. Corners. I was disappointed I didn’t spend more time exploring the Versailles Palace gardens, because I love gardens and could easily spend hours there! So don’t make my mistake!
Visiting the Palace of Versailles didn’t change how I see old buildings. I’ve always been a history nerd, and touring historic spaces is genuinely one of my favorite things to do when I travel! This visit just felt like finally checking something big off my list.
Would I visit Versailles again? Absolutelyyy.
Would I recommend visiting the Palace of Versailles to someone like me? Yes — especially if you enjoy looking closely and taking your time.
And while I’m not photographing weddings at Versailles anytime soon, being able to travel freely through places like this matters to me. I hold an Irish passport, which means I’m legally able to travel and work throughout the UK and EU for weddings and portrait sessions — engagements, anniversaries, honeymoons, and family photos included. Exploring historic spaces across Europe isn’t just personal interest for me; it’s part of how I stay creatively sharp and connected to the places I love photographing.
So if you’re interested in wedding and portrait photography in Europe by an American photographer, we should talk!
