The Cour des Senteurs (Court of Scents) is a perfumery atelier within the palace complex, operated by Guerlain in a courtyard near the north wing. It offers workshops and experiences based on 17th and 18th-century Versailles scents — the palace was strongly associated with a culture of perfume, partly because running water and regular bathing were not universal even among the aristocracy.
The workshops let you create a personalised fragrance using ingredients historically connected to Versailles: iris, rose, jasmine, and various floral compounds that appear in surviving 18th-century formulas. Sessions last about an hour and are led by a trained nose. The setting — a courtyard in the palace itself — adds considerably to the experience.
This is not for everyone, but if you have any interest in fragrance history or simply want to do something different from the usual palace tour, it provides an unusual angle on the same world. Book in advance; sessions are limited and sell out.