Paris may be known as the City of Light but, for us, it was neighbouring Versailles that shone. We caught the early train and headed for the gardens, which at 7am were deserted. In front of the ornate palace façade and intricate flowerbeds, an immense cruciform lake carries your eye towards distant woods, revealing the enormity of this elegant estate. We ate our breakfast accompanied only by statues and dragonflies warming their wings above the ornamental pools. Suddenly, we were no longer alone – there was a clip-clop of hooves as a horse and rider headed for the lake. Amid such tranquillity and timeless surroundings, it was as if Louis XIV, the Sun King himself, had risen and was setting out for his morning ride. It was a real joy to experience Versailles as its royal residents must have done some 300 years ago.

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