Although many tourists don’t know it, there is a lot more to Versailles, France than just the Château de Versailles. Versailles is a fascinating city with a wealth of history and with a lot to do for visitors and residents alike.

Demographics

Versailles is a city of over 85,000 people. As a wealthy suburb of Paris, Versailles is one of the riches cities in France, with a median income over 10,000 euros higher than the national median. Education is also elevated in Versailles, with over 90% of the population having some sort of diploma. Versailles is home to an aging population, with almost 40% of its inhabitants being 60 or older.

Government

Versailles is the préfecture of the département of Yvelines. A département is an administrative division in France similar to a county or state. The préfecture is the capital city of a département. Versailles is also the home of an appellate court and is a diocese of the Catholic Church.

Versailles is governed by a conseil municipal (municipal council) composed of 50 minutes. Politically, Versailles leans to the right and voted for the right-leaning candidate in both the 2002 and 2007 presidential elections.

Tourist Information

The most important industry in Versailles is tourism. The Palace of Versailles alone sees over 3,000,000 people a year. Versailles has a wealth of hotels, restaurants, music, and other interesting things to check out. If you arrive in Versailles and would like some personnel help in planning your activities. The best place to check out is the Office de Tourism. The office will have an abundance of pamphlets as well as personnel to help you with all your questions.