Great selection here
https://www.paristoversailles.com/our-versailles-tour/
...but seemingly quite expensive. I will be there next month. Do you recommend we strike out on our own?
Or does anyone know of comparable companies that are less pricey?
Thanks, and thanks for your patience with all my questions.
Next up will be deciding what pass - Paris Lib or Museum Pass to get. Same for London.
You can take a local train out there. It's just about 10 miles--not far. Then walk into the palace property.
I had a Paris Museum Pass--I was there 6 days and made excellent use of it, well-worth the price. It included Versailles entrance, and it was an easy, cheap trip by RER train. I felt that I saw and enjoyed Versailles perfectly fine without a tour guide, walking from the palace through the gardens and out to the Trianons, then into my favorite area, MA's Hamlet. I went on a dreary, rainy day and by afternoon it had cleared up--the rain also cleared out the tourists from that area so I got to enjoy it all by myself, so peaceful and serene.
When deciding whether to buy a pass for any city I first make a tentative list of anticipated sites and museums I'd like to see and add up their admission costs; keeping in mind that the pass also sometimes allows you to skip lines. In London many of the most popular museums have free entry.
You do not need to take a tour to go to Versailles. It is an easy train ride and there is an audioguide to the palace. It seems to be always crowded. I would ask for suggestions for crowd avoidance. I would try a weekday and get there at least a half hour before opening, but others might have different ideas. I like the Paris museum pass and have purchased it the three times I've been to Paris.
Thanks yes. We are staying in Le Marais and it looks to be an easy train ride or even Uber.
And perhaps I could do this
We've been to Versailles several times and never felt the need for a tour. As others have said, travel is easy and inexpensive using the Metro and RER. Tickets are included in the Paris Museum Pass. And any decent guidebook or the on site audioguide will provide information about the palace and grounds. Read the available tips about the best times and days to go.
As for passes, use the search function on this forum for previous discussions on the subject. The Museum Pass is a good value as long as you will visit enough places in the pass to justify the cost. We have always found it an excellent value. The other one? IMO it's a rip off aimed solely at tourists who don't do enough of their own research to know the values of the components. Regarding the transit component- have a look at the cost of the weekly Navigo pass if you will be in Paris for 5 days or more. Or just the cost of a pack of 10 tickets.
We did a Fat Tire Tour to Versailles and really enjoyed it. We got to see a lot of the property and outer buildings that most people don't get to see. Train to and from included.
I have been to Versailles an insane amount of times ( over many many years ) .. probably over a dozen times now..
A tour is a rush job and they never allow you enough free time to really explore the huge grounds and all the other buildings.. and that part is really really worthwhile..
The palace will be crowded.. it always is now ( I have a photo of my first visit.. back in the 70s.. and I was about one of 10 people total in the Hall of Mirrors.. now a days .. its elbow to elbow masses. I love the history.. so always go through the palace anyways.. The Kings Apartment tour is a GREAT idea.. you get to skip the line ( you have a time slot) and you get to go in a small group ( of about 20) into areas of the palace closed off to the rest of the public.. Book this direct and online on the Versailles website.. its not difficult. . boo well in advance to be sure to get in.
I have also done the Fat Tire bike tour once.. a friend who had never been to Versailles wanted to try it.. I enjoyed it .. my friend felt very satisfied with what we saw.. I knew we were in fact missing stuff.. but since I had been before I wasnt too upset by that.. and as I said she was fully satisfied ( but she is not a history buff at all )
I normally just take the train.. as said.. its easy fast and cheap ( about 4 euros each way and about 45-50 minutes) from Paris, it is super easy to walk to palace and you wont get lost as hundreds will be walking with you.. lol
Arrive with tickets in hand , or museum pass.. do not go without .. as there are two seperate lines.. one for tickets and one for security.. and so you would have to wait in a long line for a ticket.. then get into seperate long line for security.. the Kings Apartment tour is great in this way as you can skip both and go to a seperate entrance.
I have done Versailles a number of times and a number of ways as well. It is not my favorite place in the world, and frankly the part I always enjoy the most are the gardens and outside areas. Inside feels like a monotonous train station. The hall of mirrors is cool, yes, but going room to room is not my cup of tea. This room is green...this room is purple...blue...pink...another small bed. It depends on what you want out of your visit. I consider myself a francophile but if I never went to Versailles again, I wouldn't be depressed about it. Most people go because they have heard of it.
My favorite time was when I took a tour combining Giverny, a lovely lunch, and then the afternoon at Versailles. We were in, out, and taken to and from out hotel. I used Paris-trip. They are very reputable and I find they are excellent quality. Usually I don't recommend tours, but Versailles is a beast.
Pat, thanks for sharing your experiences and everyone else too of course. We have also been trying to decide whether to take a tour to Versailles from Paris or go on our own and buy tickets directly from the website. I think you just helped us make up our mind. This is exactly what we did when we went to Vienna last year. We bought a 9:00 a.m entrance for a tour of Schonbrunn Palace, took an early train, had time for coffee and pastry in the cafe, then went in for the tour and then spent hours exploring the grounds. One mistake we made that I won't make again was using the concierge at our hotel to help us book the tickets. I guess I thought he would know more about it than me since he lives and works there. But by the time all was said and done without going into all the details, I should have just done it myself in the first place. I had planned everything else except that anyway, ha ha, don't know why I was worried, well it was because we waited until the night before so we had a choice on the best weather day. He was not able to find a printer in the hotel to print the tickets so he emailed me the e-ticket from his account and I just showed my phone I think. So I am assuming that you can do that at Versailles as well? We really enjoyed seeing all of the rooms and hearing the history as well.
Does anyone know if Versailles is similar in size to Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna? Thanks. And I heard that they have the fountains on only on Sundays?
I decided to answer my own question about comparing the size of Schonbrunn to Versailles. Versailles Palace is double the size of Schonbrunn Palace and around 1400 acres larger (Versailles). I can't imagine the size until I see it! Can't wait.
I bought a Paris Museum Pass, so it looks like Versailles is included. I will take tips for what to hit first, etc.
How do you think crowds will be two Fridays from now?
