A technical marvel
Not all of the gardens' 2,000 fountains and pools are active today, just as they were not all running in the Sun King's time, for fairly simple logistical reasons: it was never truly possible to have them all flowing at once. Their very presence is a technical achievement, since it took an ingenious water network some 18 miles (about 29 kilometers) long to supply the entire grounds. Behind the beauty lies a feat of seventeenth-century engineering.
Reliving a royal walk
The Musical Fountains Show invites visitors to relive a royal walk. Louis XIV's journey through the gardens was a highly organized, choreographed affair: in 1666, a specific route was laid out so that the king could enjoy his Versailles paradise in the best conditions, and as he and the members of his court advanced along the path, the fountains came to life to offer him a spectacle like no other. To follow that route today is to walk, quite literally, in the footsteps of the Sun King.
The nighttime show
For an unforgettable experience, you can also attend the Nighttime Musical Fountains Show, a spectacle for the whole family that offers a glimpse of the society of pleasures Louis XIV sought to create within his palace. Every Saturday night during the summer, the gardens are illuminated in color, and to crown the evening, a fireworks display over the Grand Canal lights up the work of art created by the Sun King and André Le Nôtre. It is a fitting finale to a day at Versailles.
