Want to go to Versailles. How crowded will be be at that time of year?? reading about getting there early and waiting in security lines. So wondering about whether this will apply at that time of year or are most people talking more about visiting in spring/summer time frame.
is it worth book a pickup at hotel/guided tour. or should we try to do this ourself? If we do plan on doing it ourselves, should we pre-purchase tickets or wait till we get there.
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We did Versailles in early April, 2016. Got an early start from the 5th (with kind assistance from an employee at the station) on the recommended RER train and arrived shortly after opening. We had Museum Passes in hand, and neither security nor admission lines were troublesome. If you don't use the Museum Pass, you will certainly benefit from advance purchase of admission tickets, but you will have to research that or await further responses from more knowledgeable Forum folks. We hit the palace first, and decided afterwards that we probably would have benefited from the audio guide (free with Museum Pass as I recall). I think you will be well served by the audio guide and perhaps the RS Paris book. We bought tickets for the little train to expedite travel out to Marie Antoinette's Hamlet, which was far more entertaining for us than the palace. (We are in our early 70s, and it's a considerable distance to the Hamlet -- where there's still a fair amount of walking to see the sites. Also, check on the opening time at the Hamlet and Petit Trianon; both somewhat later than the Palace -- we actually had some waiting time out there.) On our way back to the RR station, we stumbled onto a Carriage Museum directly across from the main entrance. Admission was free, and the short walk thru was interesting.
