Versailles before first trip meeting/Paris and Heart of France

Are you flying in long haul the day before the tour? Do you know how you feel that first full day post travel? Any lingering jet lag/travel related issues? To me a trip to Versailles including walking the gardens is close to a 3/4 day trip. Certainly possible if you plan to leave Paris early and try to get back around 3 or 3:30 leaving time to relax prior to meeting the group at 5.

RS tours have always started the same way. Introductory meeting where the guide lays out what to expect on the tour and expectations for the guests. Brief introductions by tour members and light refreshments. When I took the Paris and HOF tour years ago the neighborhood orientation walk was fairly short and on the way to dinner. It’s mostly to point out local atm’s, pharmacies, metro stations, restaurants etc. Very practical type information. I would not say that the whole evening to be very strenuous but it would be good to be alert to take in the relevant information.

Yes, long flight the previous day. We have done several RS trips and that first evening is fun but also a bit stressful as we are all new to the group and I hate to arrive already exhausted. I hate to miss Versailles… I wish we had planned an extra day!

That is something I totally would do. Now, I know jet lag does not greatly affect me at the start of the trip. I can arrive and be on the move that day and the next days with no problems. However, on the way home it is a completely different story. I am out of whack for at least a week.
Everyone is different, you have to know your own limits.

That's exactly what we did before we embarked on that tour in May, 2017. We arrived in Paris mid-morning the day before the tour started and had several things scheduled later that afternoon and evening. The next morning, after getting transportation guidance from our hotel's concierge, we headed to Versailles where we had tickets for the opening time. We spent several hours there and then reversed course back to our hotel. We were able to relax a bit before we met the tour group later that afternoon. I'm not sure we would have been able to see Versailles, otherwise, if we hadn't seen it that day.

Did you feel that gave you enough time to see what you wanted to see?

There’s a lot to see at Versailles besides the main palace. We did this the day before our Loire to the So. of France tour began and then again as a part of our Paris tour. Granted it might be a bit exhausting after a long haul flight the day before but if you’re going to regret not seeing it, I would go but make sure you allow yourself sufficient time to take a breather before the group meeting. Just my opinion….

Like Bob, I have pretty high energy the day after arrival day, so I'd say go ahead with Versailles, getting there as early as possible, giving it your best shot, and getting back in time for a little break before the first group meeting. I haven't taken this tour, but on other RS tours the first evening isn't physically challenging -- although it helps to pay attention to the preliminary stuff the guide is telling you. The dinner is a short walk from the hotel. You don't have to learn everyone's name right away. And keep in mind that some of your companions will have just landed that day, much more tired than you after their overnight flight. And think of the props you'll get when you casually mention that you spent the day at Versailles!

Yes, we saw what we wanted to see. Of course, like most sites in Europe, a few things were closed, but that didn't take away from the experience. Versailles is unique in so many ways and by getting there early, you can maximize your visit. And, as Dick and margie stated above, take a break before the group meets and you'll be fine.

Update: We did Versailles the day of our pretour meeting. Followed advice to get the 9 am time slot. It did mean getting up early but we got back in time to rest a bit before the meeting. Did not get to see everything but we were really too tired to do it all, even if we didn’t have to get back. We were glad we made the decision to go ahead with this! Thanks for the advice!

We did Versailles and the RS vFrance Tour a few years ago. We went out to Versailles before and wanted to go back as we ran out of time. We did it again when we went through Paris (Sea-CDG flights are easy for us) on way to another RS Tour. We stopped for three nights to explorer more. We spent a whole day at Versailles. We will do it again as there is so much more to explorer in Paris.
My point is go if you can fit it in I know you will want to return again. PS we only did the Palace once.
Highly recommend stopping in the major European cities to and from your Tours.