Our favourite activities
Esprit jardin - Potager du roi
From Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 April 2026
Saturday
10:00 to 19:00 and 20:00 to 23:00
Location : Cathédrale Saint-Louis
Destination
4, place Saint-Louis
78000
Versailles
GPS coordinates
Latitude : 48.798895
Longitude : 2.124595
By car:
Free car park open to the public on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April from 10am to 7pm:
Parking de la pièce d'eau des Suisses, entrance via allée du Potager du Roi
Pay car parks:
Avenue de Sceaux
Avenue de l'Europe
Place d'Armes
Cathédrale Saint-Louis
By public transport
Train: SNCF Versailles Chantiers (Departure Paris Montparnasse), RER C Versailles Château Rive Gauche
Car: A13 motorway, ‘Versailles Centre’ exit
Free car park open to the public on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April from 10am to 7pm:
Parking de la pièce d'eau des Suisses, entrance via allée du Potager du Roi
Pay car parks:
Avenue de Sceaux
Avenue de l'Europe
Place d'Armes
Cathédrale Saint-Louis
By public transport
Train: SNCF Versailles Chantiers (Departure Paris Montparnasse), RER C Versailles Château Rive Gauche
Car: A13 motorway, ‘Versailles Centre’ exit
Event Organizer
Ville de Versailles
Location
Cathédrale Saint-Louis
4, place Saint-Louis
78000
Versailles
Presentation
Come and take part in the Esprit Jardin Festival at the Potager du Roi.
Saturday 26 April programme
11am: guided tour of the King's Kitchen Garden (1 hour)
Departure point: La Quintinie statue
2.30pm to 6pm: guided tours of the King's Kitchen Garden (1 hour)
Led by gardeners and tour guides.
Departure from the La Quintinie statue every half hour | Last departure at 6 p.m.
3.30 p.m.: exclusive guided tour of the King's Kitchen Garden (1.5 hours)
Departure: La Quintinie statue
4 p.m.: lecture: ‘The place of trees in the garden’
By Alain Baraton, head gardener at the Palace of Versailles
8.30pm–11pm: ‘The Potager in light’
At nightfall, the Potager du Roi, lit by more than 2,000 candles, reveals its poetry. The lights delicately highlight its regular 17th-century French garden layout, while the presence of the master of the house and creator of the Potager, Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, resonates particularly strongly. Actors on stilts accompany the public on this poetic moonlit stroll.
SPECIAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
2.30pm to 7pm: fun family trail ‘Sensory exploration of the garden’ (1 hour)
For children aged 6 and over
Equipped with a notebook, participants explore the Potager du Roi on a multi-sensory trail.
Departure: Potager du Roi information point | Last departure at 6pm
3pm and 4pm: story time in the garden (45 mins)
For children aged 3 and over, accompanied by their parents. Organised by the Versailles library network.
Information at the Potager information point
4pm: birdwatching walk, ‘Birds of the garden and the city’ (between 1 and 1½ hours)
With Jean-Pierre Thauvin, member of the Yvelines Naturalists' Association.
Departure: Potager du Roi information point
Programme for Sunday 27 April
11am: guided tour of the Potager du Roi (1 hour)
Departure: La Quintinie statue
2.30pm to 6pm: guided tours of the Potager du Roi (1 hour)
By gardeners and tour guides.
Departure from the La Quintinie statue every half hour | Last departure at 6pm
3.30pm: special guided tour of the Potager du Roi (1.5 hours)
Departure: La Quintinie statue
5 p.m.: guided tour of the Potager du Roi
By the Friends of the Potager du Roi.
Departure from the Auguste Hardy statue
SPECIAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
2.30pm to 7pm: fun family trail ‘Sensory exploration of the garden’ (1 hour)
For children aged 6 and over.
Equipped with a notebook, participants explore the Potager du Roi on a multi-sensory trail.
Departure: Potager du Roi information point | Last departure at 6pm.
3pm: Shearing of sheep grazing in the Potager (1 hour)
By the Bergeries en ville association.
4pm: birdwatching walk ‘Birds of the garden and the city’ (1-1.5 hours)
With Jean-Pierre Thauvin, member of the Yvelines naturalists' association.
Departure: Potager du Roi information point
11am: guided tour of the King's Kitchen Garden (1 hour)
Departure point: La Quintinie statue
2.30pm to 6pm: guided tours of the King's Kitchen Garden (1 hour)
Led by gardeners and tour guides.
Departure from the La Quintinie statue every half hour | Last departure at 6 p.m.
3.30 p.m.: exclusive guided tour of the King's Kitchen Garden (1.5 hours)
Departure: La Quintinie statue
4 p.m.: lecture: ‘The place of trees in the garden’
By Alain Baraton, head gardener at the Palace of Versailles
8.30pm–11pm: ‘The Potager in light’
At nightfall, the Potager du Roi, lit by more than 2,000 candles, reveals its poetry. The lights delicately highlight its regular 17th-century French garden layout, while the presence of the master of the house and creator of the Potager, Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, resonates particularly strongly. Actors on stilts accompany the public on this poetic moonlit stroll.
SPECIAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
2.30pm to 7pm: fun family trail ‘Sensory exploration of the garden’ (1 hour)
For children aged 6 and over
Equipped with a notebook, participants explore the Potager du Roi on a multi-sensory trail.
Departure: Potager du Roi information point | Last departure at 6pm
3pm and 4pm: story time in the garden (45 mins)
For children aged 3 and over, accompanied by their parents. Organised by the Versailles library network.
Information at the Potager information point
4pm: birdwatching walk, ‘Birds of the garden and the city’ (between 1 and 1½ hours)
With Jean-Pierre Thauvin, member of the Yvelines Naturalists' Association.
Departure: Potager du Roi information point
Programme for Sunday 27 April
11am: guided tour of the Potager du Roi (1 hour)
Departure: La Quintinie statue
2.30pm to 6pm: guided tours of the Potager du Roi (1 hour)
By gardeners and tour guides.
Departure from the La Quintinie statue every half hour | Last departure at 6pm
3.30pm: special guided tour of the Potager du Roi (1.5 hours)
Departure: La Quintinie statue
5 p.m.: guided tour of the Potager du Roi
By the Friends of the Potager du Roi.
Departure from the Auguste Hardy statue
SPECIAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
2.30pm to 7pm: fun family trail ‘Sensory exploration of the garden’ (1 hour)
For children aged 6 and over.
Equipped with a notebook, participants explore the Potager du Roi on a multi-sensory trail.
Departure: Potager du Roi information point | Last departure at 6pm.
3pm: Shearing of sheep grazing in the Potager (1 hour)
By the Bergeries en ville association.
4pm: birdwatching walk ‘Birds of the garden and the city’ (1-1.5 hours)
With Jean-Pierre Thauvin, member of the Yvelines naturalists' association.
Departure: Potager du Roi information point
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From Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 April 2026
Saturday, Sunday
10:00 to 19:00