I have seen a couple of brief mentions of the town of Versailles being worth a look if you are going to the Versailles Palace/Gardens. We plan to spend most of a day there. Can anyone who has done both make recommendations for restaurants, shopping and how far the town is from the Palace as well as if it is also near the RER train we would be taking to and from Paris that day? I was thinking that it might be just as easy and desirable to go there for a meal and browsing around as take the train back to the area of our hotel and head out again to find dinner later. Thank you.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Take the RER C5 train, marked "Versailles-Chateau-Rive Gauche" -- not the C8 "Versailles-Chantiers." The C5 ends its run a few blocks from the palace, and there are several restaurants, cafes, and bars nearby. See what you come up with in Google Maps. We had coffee and pastries somewhere near the chateau but I don't recall much about it. But your plan makes sense, especially if you'll be finishing with the palace and gardens late in the day and still have the energy to explore in the town.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2087 posts
Two weeks back I walked through Rue de Satory, a pedestrian street with sidewalk cafes and restaurants. I didn't visited it but I think the same for the streets around Halles Notre Same Market among many more places. Versailles is a very lively place so finding shops and restaurants is not so difficult. But do not underestimate walking distances as everything is really hughe. Btw there are restaurants in the palaces garden.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
And there is a Mickey D across the street from the train station ... in case you're hungry but don't want to spend a lot of time.
Posted by
OP
231 posts
Ha ha, Laura that is a good one. I wouldn't put it past my husband to see that and consider it an option. If he does, I will probably say, "you go your way and I'll go mine!" After all, we're in France!!!!!
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
A burger and beer when in a hurry? Lots of French residents like that.
Posted by
3123 posts
The Hotel Ibis served a nice buffet breakfast (listed in the RS guide 2015 if I remember correctly). We went back there for a late lunch and enjoyed that too. They only have light fare outside of breakfast, though.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
There are great restaurants in Versailles. We use Yelp to guide us. Trip Advisor works too for finding good food.