Ever wanted to visit France but couldn’t find an opportunity to? Now you don’t have any excuse as the Palace of Versailles and ESSEC Business School present Virtually Versailles at ION Orchard, allowing members of the public to pay a ‘visit’ to the historical palace of Versailles from the comfort of Singapore!

Available from 30th November 2018 to 6th January 2019, in celebration of the France-Singapore Year of Innovation (YOI) 2018, come on a time travelling journey and explore the wonders and relive the splendour of the finest French art, culture and history dating from the 17th century to its present-day marvel in this immersive, technologically ambitious experience.

Says Ms. Catherine Pégard, President of the Palace of Versaille: “Situated at the crossroads of Asia, Singapore is the perfect location to make our global debut of the Virtually Versailles travelling digital exhibition. This is the first time Versailles will be presenting its storied walls elevated by present day innovations. We hope to inspire a wanderlust to travel to Versailles with this contemporary cultural presentation of the palace like you have never seen before.”

Conceptualised by Lumina Live!, Virtually Versailles is the world’s first exhibition to distill the grandeur of the historical landmark entirely through digital assets, yet retain its magnificence thanks to collaborations with technological partners like Google Arts & Culture. Enter and be greeted by a specially reconstructed voice message from King Louis XIV and explore the Palace from its humble beginnings as a hunting lodge for King Louis XIII, Louis XIV’s father, to the historical site that marked the end of the First World War in 1919 through 3D reconstructions of the Palace. Get ready to know the palace most intimately by exploring every detail of its architecture, staggering 60,000 piece-strong art collection, and glorious reconstructions and renderings of the palace captured in ultra high resolution (Gigapixel) thanks to Art Camera technology by Google Arts & Culture.

Says Ms. Yeo Mui Hong, Chief Executive of Orchard Turn Developments“As part of the France-Singapore YOI 2018, Virtually Versailles is a revolutionary and immersive way for locals and visitors alike to learn more about France and the historic significance of the Palace of Versailles dating back to the 17th century. ION Orchard is honoured to be the location of choice for the experiential exhibition’s first foray into Asia across two of its signature venues – ION Art and ION Sky – that are the ideal sites in Orchard Road to showcase the full splendours of Versailles through various digital capabilities. Even better, shoppers and tourists visiting ION Orchard during the year-end festive season will have a breathtaking new experience to enjoy at the mall.”

Visitors to the exhibition can even get a chance to see Versailles in person when they snap a photo of the exhibition and upload it to Instagram, standing to win a pair of round-trip Economy class tickets on Air France to visit Versailles, a 2-day passport ticket for 2 people to visit the Palace of Versailles provided by the Palace of Versailles and a one-night stay in a Versailles hotel. Come get a taste of France in Singapore today, and experience the grandeur of one of the most beautiful palaces in the world with Virtually Versailles at ION Orchard!

Virtually Versailles runs from 30th November 2018 to 6th January 2019 at ION Orchard. For more information, visit their website here