
Potager du Roi (King's Kitchen Garden), Versailles
The King's Kitchen Garden isn’t a small kitchen garden, but a 25 acre spread with a pond and a fountain in its centre. It grew fruit and vegetables to feed the Royal Family and members of the Royal Court.
It was laid out between 1678 and 1783, commissioned by King Louis 14th and started by Jean-Baptiste de la Quintinie, who was the director of the Royal Fruit and Vegetable Gardens.
The Grand Carré was surrounded by a high wall and was made up of 16 vegetable plots. A raised terrace around the walls was erected so that the king could watch the gardeners at work.
On the other side of the wall were 29 enclosed gardens with more vegetable plots and fruit trees. A hollowed out garden protected fig-trees from the harsh winter weather.
Gardens were given over to growing asparagus, melons and strawberries, herbs, cucumbers and 50 varieties of peas. There were also 20 different varieties of apples and 16 varieties of lettuce.
Thirty gardeners worked full-time in the gardens and in the greenhouses where coffee plants and pineapples were grown. During the French Revolution the gardens were separated into small plots and given to the people. The exotic plants were removed.
In 1795 the Convention declared the garden a National Institute and it was restored to its former splendor. Today the garden is managed by the Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Paysage; it produces 50 tons of fruit and 30 tons of vegetables that are sold in the Versailles Market.
It was laid out between 1678 and 1783, commissioned by King Louis 14th and started by Jean-Baptiste de la Quintinie, who was the director of the Royal Fruit and Vegetable Gardens.
The Grand Carré was surrounded by a high wall and was made up of 16 vegetable plots. A raised terrace around the walls was erected so that the king could watch the gardeners at work.
On the other side of the wall were 29 enclosed gardens with more vegetable plots and fruit trees. A hollowed out garden protected fig-trees from the harsh winter weather.
Gardens were given over to growing asparagus, melons and strawberries, herbs, cucumbers and 50 varieties of peas. There were also 20 different varieties of apples and 16 varieties of lettuce.
Thirty gardeners worked full-time in the gardens and in the greenhouses where coffee plants and pineapples were grown. During the French Revolution the gardens were separated into small plots and given to the people. The exotic plants were removed.
In 1795 the Convention declared the garden a National Institute and it was restored to its former splendor. Today the garden is managed by the Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Paysage; it produces 50 tons of fruit and 30 tons of vegetables that are sold in the Versailles Market.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Versailles. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Potager du Roi (King's Kitchen Garden) on Map












Sight Name: Potager du Roi (King's Kitchen Garden)
Sight Location: Versailles, France (See walking tours in Versailles)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Sight Location: Versailles, France (See walking tours in Versailles)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Walking Tours in Versailles, France
Create Your Own Walk in Versailles
Creating your own self-guided walk in Versailles is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Versailles Introduction Walking Tour
Versailles, a wealthy suburb of Paris some 20 kilometers southwest of the capital, is steeped in grandeur and regal history. Known worldwide for its opulent palace – the residence of French royalty, this small town offers much more than just its royal gates. Versailles is a living museum of French architecture and aristocratic life and is historically known for numerous treaties signed there,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles
Versailles Gardens Walking Tour
Spread across a vast (800-hectare) area, the Versailles Gardens are the quintessential example of regal grandeur and meticulous French landscape design. Most of its feature areas – known as 'groves' – were created by King Louis XIV’s chief landscape architect André Le Nôtre. Key among the garden's numerous attractions is the Orangerie Fountain, which sets the tone for its... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles