The Hameau de la Reine is a cluster of 12 thatched-roof cottages built between 1783 and 1787 in the gardens of the Petit Trianon. The architect Richard Mique designed it in the style of a Normandy village, complete with a working farm, a dairy, a mill, a fisherman's cottage, and a dovecote. Real animals lived here — cows, sheep, chickens — tended by real farmers employed by the crown.
Marie Antoinette used the Hamlet as a place for informal gatherings with her closest friends, away from the protocol of the main palace. She would sometimes dress simply and walk there alone. It was, in its way, sincere — a genuine desire for a simpler life — and also entirely absurd, a woman who had never experienced rural poverty playing at living without the luxury that surrounded her.
The Hamlet is about 20 minutes' walk from the main palace, past the Grand and Petit Trianon. It is one of the furthest points from the entrance and can feel remote on a quiet day. The cottages have been well restored — most look very similar to how they appeared in the 18th century — and the setting beside a small lake is genuinely charming.