La Course Royale begins next to La Pièce d’Eau des Suisses, at the base of the Louis XIV statue, directing participants through the Versailles landscape instead of typical city streets. This series centers on Versailles and Fontenay-le-Fleury in the Yvelines, west of Paris, offering race choices including 10 km, 20 km, a 10 km walk or Nordic walk, family races, and Versailles garden formats like 15 km, 8 km, 6 km, and a short children’s race. It is a local running event supported by Versailles Grand Parc, focused on the heritage of the Château de Versailles and nearby communes.
The longer routes connect Versailles with Fontenay-le-Fleury via locations such as the Parc du château de Versailles, the Plaine de Versailles, the Allée Royale, and sections of Fontenay-le-Fleury. The 10 km and walking events are quite accessible, with minimal elevation gain and generally good surfaces. The 20 km nature race becomes more challenging in its latter half, featuring inclines and areas that may become muddy. The Versailles garden course incorporates a blend of road, solid paths, grass, and paving stones, with passages through wooded areas, a circuit around the Grand Canal, and a finish in the Trianon gardens. A notable aspect of the event is that participant contributions support restoration efforts at the Château de Versailles.