Les Grandes Eaux Musicales

I noticed that they have Les Grandes Eaux Musicales in Versailles during our next visit to Paris, that is 1 October. We weren%26#39;t planning to go to Versailles this time, we were there last year. But I would love to see the fountains, because I didn%26#39;t see them last time. And I just loved the garden, it was so beautiful.

Unfortunately the pages (chateauversailles-spectacles.fr/gabarit_tota…) are only in French, again. So could someone translate this?

%26quot;de 11h à 12h : la Grande Perspective.

entre 11h15 et 11h30 : Bosquet des Rocailles,

puis entre 11h45 et 12h : Bosquet des Trois

Fontaines.

de 15h30 à 17h : la Grande Perspective et

tous les Bassins et Bosquets.

de 17h20 à 17h30 : Final au Bassin de

Neptune (sauf certains jours lors de la

préparation des Fêtes de Nuit). %26quot;

Or has someone visited Versailles durin this Grandes Eaux Musicales and can tell me something about it? Is it worth the trip? Or is there something special I should know? Should we buy the tickets in advance?

Last time there where some places and fountains in the garden that were locked, you couldn%26#39;t go and see those. Are those perhaps open during this event?

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1 Oct is the last day of the Grandes Eaux this year, so expect it to be quite busy. I%26#39;ll be there as well, so maybe we%26#39;ll bump into each other. The info you looking at on the Spectacles site is simply telling you where and when the fountains will be playing. Between 11h and 12h, the Grand Perspective, which includes the main fountains from the Parterre d%26#39;Eau down to the Apollo Basin, with shortened shows for the Bosquets des Rocailles and Trois Fontaines between 11:15 and 11:30 and 11:45 and 12:00, respectively. Everything plays in the afternoon between 15:30 and 17:00, with the grand finale at the Neptune Basin at 17:20, except on days when they%26#39;re preparing for a Fetes du Nuit (which isn%26#39;t happening on 1 Oct).

If you go the the Versailles website at www.chateauversailles.fr and click on Telecharger in French, or Downloads on the English site, you can click on the Orientation Map (plan), and view a PDF that notes all the fountains, so you can see where the Bosquets and Bassins are located, including the Neptune Basin, for the finale.

I always try to be at the Apollo Basin just before they come on in the afternoon. Seeing them play is awesome, but watching them come to life makes me misty-eyed.

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First of all Note that some Versailles fountains are located in fenced off %26quot;groves%26quot;, while others are always accessible.

Rough translation :

Hours fountains are on :

11 : 00 to 12 : 00 : Grande Perspective (main axis of the gardens).

It is a scaled down version of the grandes eaux for those visiting in the morning , with only two groves open to the public :

11: 15 to 11: 30 : Bosquet des Rocailles (the Rockworks grove),

then 11: 45- 12 h 00 : Bosquet des Trois Fontaines. (Three fountains grove)

15: 30 to 17 : 00 : Grande Perspective and all ponds and groves

From 17: 00 à 17 : 30 Final at the

Neptune pond (the gardens largest set of jets and fountains)

Is it worth seeing? There are conflicting comments on this forum. But note this is the original gravity-operated system (hence the limited hours), with much of the pipework dating from the 1680%26#39;s.

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Thank you both very much for the transalation and info! It seems now that we are definitely going - and definitely so that we see them to come to life! Just can%26#39;t wait to get there....