Itinerary Help and Travel to Versailles

I would not do a tour TO Versailles. I would take one of the tours offered BY Versailles. It’s easy enough to get there by train on your own. The tours offered by the Chateau are interesting. We did the Kings Apartment tour https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/palace/king-private-apartments

I would definitely NOT combine Versailles with any other big plans on the same day. It’s a long day, especially if you explore the gardens and the Hamlet (which you really shouldn’t miss).

While I agree that a river cruise is a great idea, most people don’t recommend a dinner cruise. The food is not good. You can take a 1 hour cruise from the pont neuf, near the Louvre, that does not include dinner. Do this in the evening so you can see the tower all lit up and twinkling. I would eat somewhere that gets better reviews.
https://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

We have been to Versailles twice, once with kids, once without. We were driving a rental car both times, so I can’t speak to the ease of the train. The first time we were en route to Orleans (where we would be staying for a week), and the second was a day trip for which we rented the car specially. Depending on your comfort in driving in a foreign country, this might be an option for you. We actually did combine Giverny and Versailles the second time, but I also would not recommend this. You won’t be able to give either location its proper time (we had rented the car to go to Giverny and decided on our way back to Paris to “pop in” to Versailles - it was a quick visit and would have been disappointing had we not already been there - as it was, it was a fun “why not?” stop for us).

Are you considering the Paris Museum Pass? Pre-Covid, that pass was a life saver. Many attractions have two lines - one to buy your ticket, one to enter the attraction. Versailles is notorious for this, both lines can easily reach one hour a piece. The Paris Museum Pass saves you that first line - and it is worth its weight in gold. Miraculously, Versailles in included on the pass (although Giverny is not). I’m not sure if Covid restrictions have changed the line-skipping value of the pass - perhaps someone else can speak to that? We visited last summer and did not have enough days to make the pass worthwhile, so we made individual reservations. But I would certainly look into it with your five days.

I am actually a proponent of the Seine dinner cruise. It’s pricey and the food isn’t great, but it’s a ton of fun. You eat your dinner and watch the city glide by. I think your kids will really enjoy it. We’ve found that eating with kids in Paris already keeps you out of true fine dining - so why not have fun while you’re eating?

Lastly, an un-solicited recommendation. Check out the Retro Tour side-car tour of Paris. We did it last summer with our teenagers and my in-laws (who are in their 70s). Everyone had a blast - and it is one of those things that all of us still talk about. The drivers are knowledgeable and fun. We also felt very safe. We laughed the whole time! https://www.retro-tour.com/en/

Have a great trip!

We travelled to Paris in late March with our 3 kids (ages 16, 13, 9). We visited Versailles with Bike About Tours and it was the perfect way to see Versailles for us. We met our guide in Paris, took the RER to Versailles and got our bikes right next to the station. The tour starts at the lovely Versailles market where we bought food for a picnic lunch. Biking through the gardens out to the Petit and Grand Trianon and the Hamlet was fabulous. The estate is huge and biking was both fun and a foot saver. The day finishes with entry to the chateau - ideal as the crowds have really thinned out by the afternoon. Our guide was fantastic and added a ton to the kids enjoyment of Versailles! The day we wanted to visit they didn’t have a tour scheduled but no problem - they made a private one for us. It was a highlight day for us and a strong recommendation!
https://www.bikeabouttours.com/tours/the-versailles-bike-tour/

Thank you so much for the tips and advice so far! The bike tour to Versailles looks so fun and I'm definitely learning towards booking that for my family. I think the kids will really enjoy that. The sidecar tour also looks fun but we are planning to do something similar during our time in Rome (vespa side cars). Thanks for the information on the Seine River cruises. I will look more into both options but an evening cruise definitely sounds amazing with the tower lit at night. Good to know that doing both Versailles and Giverny is not a good idea. It did sound like too much to cram into one day. Thanks for the recommendation on the museum pass. I was planning to get them. I understand that children under 18 can get into most museums for free? Of course, this doesn't apply to some sights like the Eiffel Tower and Versailles. I also just realized that we will be in Paris when the Tour de France ends on Sunday, July 24. Has anyone had any experience watching the end of the tour in person? Is it worth battling the crowds?

Hi! Sounds like a fantastic family trip! My mom and I took two cruises on the Seine, one during the day and one around 10pm (late June). The 10pm (last of the day) was perfect timing to capture that twinkling tower just after the sun set. I will never forget the surprised look on her face as the boat approached the tower and it started twinkling!! Pure joy, like a child on Christmas morning. You can save a couple of euro by booking your Vedettes Pont Neuf tickets online.

July will most likely be quite warm. I’d vote to NOT combine Versailles and Giverny, even if for the heat. I’m using the Paris museum pass PMP this June for Versailles. You can book your entry time on the versailles website even using the PMP. They instruct you to book a free ticket for the chateau, and a free ticket for the Trianon, and bring those barcodes along with your PMP. Note, the gardens will cost extra bc of the fountain shows/musical gardens during most summer days. You can book them online or buy those in person, about 9€ each.

If you go, the train to Vernon is straightforward, and then the shuttle bus or mini-train to Giverny waits outside the station. I’d recommend printing your tickets or taking screenshots of your barcode tix for Monet’s house. In 2018 the cell service was spotty, but I had learned the screen shot trick the day before, which proved helpful. Some others were having trouble pulling up their tix on their cell phones. Double check which day you go, I think it’s Mon or Tues they’re closed.

Enjoy yourselves!!!! You’ll make so many wonderful memories!

Hi!
I do not want to "jinx" you, but that thing about the VRBO requesting you to push back by one day is not very professional... I would look into booking a refundable hotel room just in case, to avoid being stuck if they ask you to change the booking again!

@Shawn Thank you for your insight about the Seine River cruises. That's awesome that your mom loved it so much! We can't wait to visit this beautiful city as well. I've definitely decided against visiting Versailles and Giverny on the same day. It sounded crazy to begin with and I'm glad folks on this thread confirmed it. Good to know that the train to Vernon is straightforward should we decide to do Giverny another day.

@balso That was my thinking initially as well! I've used VRBO many times in the past and I've never had an owner tell me to change my dates after I booked it and paid the initial booking fee. I haven't used it before in Europe but I was a little concerned as well to receive her message. I did book this apartment as she has 57 positive reviews with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5. I messaged her yesterday, asking her to confirm that we are good with the four nights instead of five and this was her response:

"Thank you so much for your understanding. Of course, the apartment is booked for you July, 21st to July 25th,2022. This situation is quite unusual: I never cancel any booking after confirmation and I do appreciate your way to manage that issue. The apartment deserves its reviews. I shall call the website to change your arrival date so they will charge only 4 nights. Kind Regards,"

I found another place on VRBO that looks pretty nice but it's more expensive of course. I originally booked this back in early January so the choices are slimmer now, given the busy summer season approaching. Wondering if I should still stick with the original VRBO or fork up more money for the other place. In any case, I do like your suggestion of booking a backup hotel for the remaining four nights. That sounds like a great idea and I will plan to do that. Thank you for your advice!

The answer is professional and reassuring, but as long as you don't forget to cancel it (set a reminder!!), a refundable hotel room is free insurance.

@balso Thanks again for the suggestion. I booked a hotel on Booking.com for the four nights just in case. Free cancellation until 24 hours before and yes, must set a reminder to cancel it. Hoping the original VRBO comes through but this hotel is nice, too. Just more expensive than the VRBO. Merci!

Hi, we have the ultimate Versailles Bike + Golf Cart tour to discover the Palace and it's massive estate !
Most bike Tour won't include the amazing Bosquets (Groves) in their Tours, which is a crime ! The Bosquets are an absolute must see !
Our Tour is new it was just launched and it includes:
all tickets to the Bosquets and Gardens, Petit and Grand Trianon, Queen's Hamlet and the Palace (skip the line)
+a typical French picnic lunch with wine
+Golf cart rental
+ Bike rental.
Our Tour is the most complete and was designed according to the fountains schedule (they are activated only during weekends and on specific time slots)
Checkout our trip advisor reviews : kingtours versailles
More info: www.kingtours.fr

See you soon in the Royal Domain of King Louis XIV !

Re: Tour de France - I am a huge fan, so a few of summers ago I arranged to be at one of the small starting towns for the race. Got there very early but there were already ENORMOUS crowds. I can't even imagine what it's like in Paris on the last day. I doubt that it's doable with children in downtown Paris; they won't be up to standing a couple of hours in advance so that you can stake out a good place to see something. You might try looking at the exact route on the Tour de France website and taking the Metro to someplace slightly out of town where the crowds are not as dense. With all of that said, I still think it could be a unique opportunity to see this iconic and spectacular event. Pack some water, a @few snacks, and some sunscreen, and go for it. At the least, it will be an adventure!

My husband and I took the train to Versailles and did not do a tour. The musical fountain show happens on Tuesdays and Sundays. We walked all over and saw all the fountains . It was amazing. I think riding a bike with or without a tour would be lovely. We took the taxi boat up the Seine to the Eiffel tour and several museums. It is easy to find and you can hop on and off at different attractions. It is $17. per person and a great way to see the sights. We went on a small van tour to Giverny which was well worth it. There were 6 people on the van and at that time, masks were required. We took the train to Provins which is a quaint medieval town about 1 1/2 hour from Paris. It is well worth the trip to Provins.

@janchami50 the small van tour to Giverny sounds interesting and I'd like to check it out. If possible, please share basic info: tour company name and contact info, did it use its own guide for Giverny or allow you to visit the location for a certain amount of time? Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone! We just got home a few days ago from our 3-week European vacation (Italy, Paris and London). Thank you for all your suggestions for Paris. We ended up doing the Bike About Tours which was a lot of fun for the whole family. We met the tour guides at the Peloton Cafe and then we hopped onto the train to Versailles. The tour was lots of fun and shopping for our picnic lunch at the local markets was a great experience. We had a scenic spot to eat our lunch along the Grand Canal though the pesky wasps made it a little difficult to eat peacefully. Our guide took us through Versailles' royal grounds and gardens, Marie Antoinette's village and farm, the Petit and Grand Trianon palaces and finished at the entrance of the actual Versailles palace at 4 p.m. At that time, you tour the palace on your own and make your way back to Paris via train. It was a fun way to tour Versailles and the kids enjoyed the experience.

We also did the Seine River cruise at Pont Neuf recommended by one of the commenters. It was relaxing and very affordable. Be sure to book the open ticket instead of the timed ticket so that you can choose any cruise to take, up to a year. This was very helpful as we had originally planned to take the cruise on Saturday night but our dinner ended up taking too long so we did the cruise the following evening instead. We took the 9:45 p.m. cruise which was perfect since the sun had just set and the Eiffel Tower was all lit up, just in time as we cruised past it. Great photos!

We didn't get a chance to visit Giverny this time around but will add it to our list for our next trip. As for the Tour de France, we ended up seeing part of the female cyclists along the Champs-Elysees as our apartment was just a 10-minute walk from there. It was very cool to witness and experience the excitement. It was a little difficult to get around as many streets were blocked off. We didn't stay for the men's finale as we had to catch our Seine River cruise that evening but it was fun just to see some of the action.

Overall, we had a wonderful visit to Paris. Thank you all for your help and recommendations!

Thanks for reporting back! Glad you had a good trip :-)