My plan for the Palace at Versailles -- Comments please!

Going on the King’s State Apt tour is a way to avoid getting in that long security line to get in to Versailles. You go through a separate entrance and wait in a lounge with a restroom before your tour starts. Once that tour is done, they’ll escort you to the other security line so you can tour the rest of the palace. When I went last year, I didn’t realize this was the case so I booked a 1 pm King’s Apt tour. We then arrived at Versailles around 8:20 am and got in line. It took about 45 minutes to get in. When I saw how easy it would’ve been if we booked the King’s Apt tour first, I could’ve kicked myself in annoyance. If your goal is to get in early enough to see an empty Hall of Mirrors, you’ll then have to exit and go to the waiting area for your 9:30 am apt tour. To be honest, I’m not sure it’s worth to go thru all that to get a picture of an empty Hall of Mirrors. You would definitely have to be one of the first people in line and hard to predict how that will go. Just buy a postcard, seriously. Now it tends to get bottled up at the entrance of the Hall so I suggest you shoulder your way through that and walk all the way to the other side which will be comparatively less busy and take photos from there. There’s even a huge mirror at the far end where it’s fun to do selfies. We went last April by the way. I’ve been there in October as well, and the line was pretty long when we arrived at 8:45 am. We paid for an expensive private tour that time and didn’t have to stand in that long line.

Thank you, Claudette! This is great information! So if we have a separate entrance, does that mean that we won't have to show up super early before the palace opens?? It would be nice to not have to get there at 8am....

We actually tried what you're proposing, and it was not a good choice.

First of all, the meeting point for the Private Apartments guided tour is NOT the same entrance as regular visitors go through. It's across the courtyard and up a flight of stairs.

Second, to get to the Hall of Mirrors "nearly empty" you would have to be the very first party in line, and the line starts forming much earlier than 8:30. Everyone wants to get to the Hall of Mirrors so there is much pushing and shoving, and once you get into the Hall of Mirrors no one wants to leave, so it gets crowded very fast, especially with selfie sticks all over the place (unless they've banned them since the time we were there, which I wish they would do).

Third, you really are not supposed to backtrack. All regular visitors have to go through airport-style security and then follow the hallways in one direction. Once we got inside, we realized it was nearly time for our tour so we had to explain to a guard that we needed to get to the 9:30 Private Apartments tour, and convince him to let us circumvent the flow via a back door. We still had to "swim upstream" against the crowds at the X-ray machines to get out to the courtyard, then make a run for it to meet the 9:30 tour.

Fourth, as the other comment advises, going on the Private Apartments tour will get you inside so that when your guided tour is over you can enjoy the rest of the palace without having to go through the main entrance. You won't have the Hall of Mirrors all to yourselves, but hardly anyone else gets that privilege so I would not make that the goal of your visit.

Fifth, if you find yourselves feeling claustrophobic you can always go out to the gardens. The vast majority of tourists don't go out there at all, and there's plenty to see, especially if you are fit enough to walk a mile or two (or willing to spring for the price of renting a golf cart).

Amy, once you have your 9:30 Kings State apt tour booked, just show up like 10 minutes early for your tour. No need to be there earlier. Exploring the palace and gardens will take your whole day if you want it to so it’s nice not to have to get there earlier. Also I’ve never done it but wish I did- check the website to see if you can reserve a golf cart ahead of time. It will save you alot of walking in the huge gardens.

The gardens and grounds are as worthwhile as the palace.
I highly recommend renting bikes by the Grand Canal. They are the best way to see the grounds imo, especially to ride out to the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon (two smaller residences, one for the king and one for the queen, where they could escape the palace and get some privacy), and Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet.
Bikes are nice, not expensive, you can get one w a basket and you can get a helmet and lock if you ask.
Much cheaper than a golf cart and way more enjoyable than the overpriced, crowded “train” you can wait in the sun for to get around.

Hi,

Historically that suggestion on the Hall of Mirrors is what I would do. The Hall of Mirrors is where the Versailles Conference pertaining to Germany as part of the general Paris Peace Conferences in 1919. In 1871 the Hall of Mirrors was the site of the Proclamation of the German Empire, ie the unification of Germany. In that sense the Hall of Mirrors is significant if you're into the momentous historical events that happened there. When I first saw the Hall of Mirrors in 1973, I couldn't believe I was there where these two events took place.

Hi,
I agree with epltd. The explanations are correct. The Hall of Mirrors is fabulous, but to make the photo the goal of your trip is unrealistic. Yes, you will need to flow with the tour. The H of M is a large open area. I have never felt swamped and the views and architecture are incredible. You will need to make a decision about the Gardens. The last time I was at Versailles, I walked the entire length to the Hamlet and took the very crowded little train back up to the palace. I was glad I did it, but it is not for the faint hearted. Note: bathrooms are scarce all over Versailles.

I would suggest you book the King's Apartment Tour. Even if you are going Sept. 13, 2018.
http://billetterie.chateauversailles.fr/index-css5-chateauversailles-lgen-pg1.html#compEtape1

The English site is in English. Click on it.

Fred, more importantly, my parents went to a ball every year at Versailles, in the Hall of Mirrors, for those working for NATO... : )

The best laid plans of mice and men...

I took Rick’s advice and arrived at Versailles early. When I got there, I was confronted by a sign that said “Une mouvment social empachê momentanément l’ouveture du château a public.” Luckily the sign was multi-lingual. “Owing to industrial action the opening of the Palace is delayed.”

The industrial action (aka “strike”) lasted about 90 minutes. Of course visitors kept arriving on a chilly, windy, rainy day. Just another “French” experience! As an adult, you learn to cope with the unexpected. I felt very sorry for the many young school children and their teachers who also were inconvenienced. I still had a great visit as well as another tale to tell.

"Amy, what you gonna do" is a nice song. Sorry, just popped into my head.

You could make most of a day of it at Versailles, between the gardens, lunch, and Chateau. We plan to spend 2 or so unhurried hours just wondering the gardens. I'm not a huge fan of shoulder-to-shoulder crowds although I realize some of that is unavoidable.

"Industrial action." Good one.

Buy your tickets at the TI across the street from the train station, and do the whole thing 'in reverse' -- enter in the morning through the side garden entrance (not the main palace entrance), stroll the grounds (which will be uncrowded, because all the lemmings will be pushing and shoving to be the first into the Hall of Mirrors), wander through the Trianon and Marie Antoinette's domaine, have lunch at the restaurant, and then make your way to the palace as the last stop. Someone mentioned that you aren't allowed to tour the palace "in reverse," but I have done exactly that on a couple of occasions. I find the palace to be somewhat less interesting compared to the smaller buildings and the grounds, and if you're tired by the time you get there and just yup-yup your way through -- no harm, no foul. Best part is you avoid the crowds.

And if you ever want to go to Europe in December ... we went to Versailles on a drizzly day and DID stand in the Hall of Mirrors with only a handful of people.

What great information you have all given me!
epltd: Yes, we realize that we would have to be among the first in line to have done that. We were planning to be in line early. But after all of this advice, we're going to skip that plan. And I'm glad you've "lived" this so you were able to give me such precise info. I hope they ban selfie sticks throughout the universe. They're SO irritating!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Claudette and Susan: We do plan to spend a majority of our day there. Thank you for the advice about renting carts ahead of time. We will be there with my parents and I'm not sure if they're comfortable with bikes or not. If not, a golf cart would be great! Either way, we'll skip the train! Claudette, I still am not 100% and need clarification: When you say we don't need to get there early, do you mean that there is an exterior entrance to the grounds and we do not need to enter at the main gate with most of the others? This is so vital because if I misunderstand, I will be showing up late and it will take us forever to get in and then we will probably miss our tour. Perhaps you can explain what I'm seeing on their website.... And having a Museum Pass is not the same as being eligible for free admission, correct?
Access to the Palace
The main entrance is through the Cour d'Honneur.
Entrance A (to the left at the top of the Cour d'Honneur) is reserved to visitors with tickets. If you are eligible for free admission, go to Entrance A without going to the Ticket Office.
Entrance B (to the right at the top of the Cour d'Honneur) is reserved to groups that have booked their visit.
Entrance H is reserved for people with disabilities.
If you have booked a guided tour, the meeting place is at the North Ministers Wing to the right in the Cour d'Honneur.
Fred: Thank you for the history lesson. I do think it's exciting to go to places where important parts of history took place. I'm glad I have that to think of when I go to the Hall of Mirrors!
Jonna: I'll keep my expectations low. I've been to many famous sights where I could only get pictures with lots of people in them. What's one more? LOL. And thank you for letting me know about the bathrooms. I'll treat this like a road trip with my husband -- there will not be a lot of bathroom stops, so limit water intake...
chexbres: I'm a bit confused. I did not see the King's Apartment Tour when I clicked that link. And when I change the date, it changes the options to French. When I click English, it takes my Sept 13 date off. It's a vicious cycle. I didn't see where King's Apartment tickets were available yet for 9/13. It looks like it's only through July right now.
Phillip: Yes, of course. You never know what unexpected kink may come our way. Hopefully there will be no "industrial actions" while we are there. LOL!!! It's delays like that that make me glad to always have a kindle book to read on my phone!
Mike from WV: Now that song is in my head! Luckily I like it. LOL. Yes, we will spend a good part of our day there so we will be able to fit everything in!
Michelle: Interesting idea! We will have the Museum Pass, so we won't need to buy tickets (save for the King's Apt tour which will be purchased ahead of time). Are you suggesting we do the King's Apt tour and THEN do the rest in reverse? I love castles, palaces, etc so I'm very much looking forward to the palace itself. That doesn't mean I won't see everything else, but I will be a lemming and go through as many areas inside as possible! :) Probably won't ever come back, so I want to get it all in!

Like Laura, we were there in Feb 2017 and walked right into Versailles, not one person in line, and the HofM was not crowded at all. The weather was fabulous too, low 50s, blue sky, sunny most of the month.

Amy, I love the palace as much as the gardens and grounds... even when I’ve been there in a crowd. To me, it’s worth it even crowded. All the history that happened there is fascinating to me. You just need to have a lot of patience and go slowly, imo.
There’s an entrance right into the gardens to the left of the palace if you’re in the courtyard. Gardens are free unless it’s a fountain day. Every time I’ve been there you can walk past all the lines (they’re for entering the palace) and walk right into the garden. The golf carts will be right there, on your left, when you first walk in (of course they can always change things so ymmv). The golf carts are wonderful, but expensive. We used one all day when my son was recovering from open heart surgery. Best advice is to get a cart asap after they open as they do run out. When all are rented you have to wait in line for no one knows how long.
There are other entrances to the gardens. If you walk to the right of the palace (not entering the courtyard) you will find it. There are others as well but the one to the right is closest unless you have a car.

We rented the golf cart for the gardens ahead of time. Skipped the line and drove all around in the golf cart. It was so much fun and worth the cost!

...or rent bikes just near the Grand Canal and ride all over the grounds...so much fun! You can escape the tourists crowds quickly and the peace and quiet of the wheat fields and trees is really nice.

@ Susan... Those activities in the Hall of Mirrors pertaining to your folks will serve as great memories to you.

@ Amy....Maybe you might have time for this day trip, if not, then next time, ie going to Fontainebleau to see the chateau. It is older than Versailles. Very much connected with history and Napoleon. I first went there on my second trip to France. That was in Aug. 1977. The town and chateau capitalize on their connection with Napoleon, eg, where Napoleon said farewell to the Guard in the courtyard in front of the four Allied Commissioners who would escort him to exile. A postcard is made of that famous painting. See also the room and table where in April 1814 Napoleon signed his first abdication.

I apologize, Amy, I didn’t mean to confuse you. I forgot that I was already inside the gates when I went to my King’s Apt tour when I said just show up 10 minutes before. There is a quick security check where they just look at your bag before you can go inside the main gate then at that point you can either get in that long line to go into the main palace or you go to the right to the entrance for the Kings apt tour. So probably arriving 30 minutes early should be fine. If you’re taking the train it’s about a 10 minute walk to the palace. Turn right out of the station and follow the crowd.

I just remembered that last year, my son and his friends showed up a day early for their Kings apt tour and they let them in anyway! He said they just changed out their tickets and let them in the tour. I think they were pretty lucky that day.

Thank you for starting this little discussion! By coincidence, we may be there on Sept 13 as well!

Fred, very much so. I always picture my dad in his full military uniform and my mom in a beautiful ball gown dancing in the Hall of Mirrors and having a wonderful time when I’m in there. It’s a special place for me on a personal level.

Has anybody done the train/bus combo? My King's apartment tour is booked on a strike day and it looks like the only way to get there is the train/bus combo.

So I will definitely look in to the golf carts and if we decide to do that instead of bikes, I will book as soon as we're able!
Fred, we won't have time this time around for Fontainebleau, but I'll keep this info in mind if we ever make our way back to Paris again. That sounds wonderful!
Claudette, no worries! I'm easily confused. LOL. You've been so helpful!
Nelson, that IS a coincidence! How crazy that a post could be so applicable to your trip, too!
Thanks again, all. I will be printing this whole thread to bring on our trip!

@ Amy...Ideally, one should see both Versailles and Fontainebleau. Hopefully your next trip to Paris will be soon and with time for visiting the place. About a 30-40 min walk from the Chateau Fontainebleau on 88 Rue St Honoré is an art and military history museum on Napoleon, open from Tues to Sat....very interesting.

To all of you who rented golf carts, how long did you rent them for? My parents are liking this idea but we have no idea how long is sufficient!

Amy, do you have to tell them ahead of time? We didn’t have to tell them when we got ours there. We love all there is to see in the grounds and we like to linger and soak it all in, so we probably had one for 6 hrs. But you could go faster and be done in 3 hrs... all depends on what interests you there and how fast or slow you like to go.

Thanks, Susan! That gives us a good idea. I wasn't sure if you could rent it ahead of time which is why I asked for how long we may need it. But I don't see where you can do that. So if we don't have to say at the beginning how many hours, then I guess it doesn't matter! At about $40/hr, we'll probably have to be efficient. LOL

Amy, the golf carts are wonderful and very fun! I know $40/hr is a lot, and of course don’t waste time, but don’t rush either. Savor and enjoy... how often do you get to be at Versailles?... : )

So I thought I had this day all planned out... But I still have another question. (Why are the logistics for this day so difficult for me?! LOL) So we will have the Museum Pass (if I already mentioned this, I forgot, so forgive me), and we will need tickets. I have already bought the 9:30am King's Apartments tickets. So since we will be able to bypass the main security line, I'm guessing we will need our general admission tickets along with our supplemental King's Apartment tickets. So I thought we could buy them at the TI when we get off the train, but the TI doesn't open until 9:30am. Well, in Best of France, it says that you can buy them at ANY TI in Paris, too. So my question is, can I use my Museum Pass any day prior to get the tickets while out and about in Paris? Or do you have to get the tickets the same day?

Hi Amy, wonderful advice on this thread. Please, please report back to us on how your day ends up going!!! I have not been to France, but have bookmarked this thread for when I do as Versailles would be on my list to do.
I also can relate to having a hard time planning the logistics! We are in Killarney National Park (Ireland) right now and I had the hardest time trying to figure out the best way to see this park before our trip. So many different ways to do it! Argghhhh

Hi Amy,

We didn't book a tour, just showed our Museum Pass after the security line. If your museum pass is good on the day you are there, the only separate ticket you will need is for the Private Apartments.

Salut Amy,
I will be there on September 14th, so I too am really enjoying this topic. I have changed my plans for a 10:00 entry to booking the 9:30 tour. I am glad I read your post, I originally couldn't find where to sign up for the tour. I took a second look and there it was!

Diveloonie, we must have the same travel spirit animal. Lol!!!
I’m glad this thread is helpful for others!
Marty, thank you! I thought we had to show our museum pass to get a ticket. But I guess that makes no sense! Thank you for clearing that up. And that also means that we won’t have to get to Versailles super early to get through security because we will be entering a different entrance for our 9:30 tour. Perfect!