Greetings! I will be taking a day trip to Versailles in October and I am in a quandary as to whether I should travel there on my own from Paris, buy my own ticket and audio, and do it all by myself or whether I should spend a pretty significant amount of money to hire an all day tour guide (toursbylocals.com?) to take care of everything, especially knowing the knowledge and history I will be getting from one. Thoughts please? And thank you!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
2467 posts
Personally I would do it myself. It only costs 24 or 32 euros (depending on the season) for all day there, boith grounds and palace. Perhaps your local library would have something you could read about the history of Versailles as a background. For example:
Tony Spawforth....."Versailles: A Biography of a Palace";
Charles River Editors....."Versailles: The History and Legacy of France's Most Famous Royal Palace".
I'm sure you can find others, some focusing on Louis XIV, some on the palace itself, some on Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, some on the politics of the 17th and 18th century, focused on Versailles. And some on its place in the more modern politics of France.
Do a search in the search bar above for Versailles, then filter for travel forum, then 1 year or less. You will see how to get there by train from Paris (easy) and hints about lines and times and King's tour, etc. Oh, yes! some people selling tours say you will skip the line. No one skips the security line. Make your reservations of the earliest opening time you can to be ahead of the large crowds getting off the tour buses, and get in line early as well.
Bonne chance!
Posted by
Boston
153 posts
Hi,
I've done it at least 2X by myself and going alone is fine. Buy the audio guide and take the RER C line. It's a 20M ride and a 6-7 minute walk from the station to the palace. I'd suggest you get the earliest timed entry you can and go on a weekday if possible. That way you can get to the Hall of Mirrors before the hordes arrive. I'd also suggest renting a bike while there as the grounds are vast and there's lots to see, especially Trianon and the queen's little cottage.
Good luck
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
952 posts
split the difference and do one of the tours through the palace of a particular part and then wander the rest with the audioguide? We did that last year and it was pretty good.....
Posted by
146 posts
I did it with my young daughter solo and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Public transport was easy enough to figure out, and with GPS - or by following the others - the short walk from the train to the site was nice and easy. We did not have a tour or a guide. It was pretty self-explanitory...and overwhelmingly beautiful!
Have a great time.
Posted by
146 posts
PS: I recall eating by the pond/lake and having a wonderful lunch in the cafe on the water. One of my most memorable meals!
Posted by
Franklin, TN
274 posts
We used the Rick Steves Audio Guide for Versailles from his app and it was fine. I think it was much easier than it would have been to
stay with a tour guide and hear what he/she was saying over the crowds. And it’s free!