Versaille a must?

Versailles is singular. It is crowded for a reason. None of the other palaces in the region are close -- not Fontainbleau, Veux le Vicomte (it is closest IMHO because of its gardens), not Sceaux, not Maintanon, not Malmaison, not Ecouen, not Chantilly. etc etc. They are all worth a visit, but none of them is a patch on Versailles.

Thank you. I will see Versaille! The one the caller was talking about was Veux le Vicomte, I believe.

Versailles is a mustsee for sure, but also a dilemma, not only for the crowds but once you have visited it there is a risk that other châteaux will be experienced as lesser interesting. Nevertheless there is always something special most has to offer and so I enjoy every visit. Some have really nice stories like Vaux-le-Vicomte and discovering a hidden gem can be very rewarding like (likely unknown) Château de Breteuil south of Versailles. The look doesn’t really standout but the place is packed with stories with links to many interesting events in French history.

If you still have the plan visiting Vaux-le-Vicomte too during your stay in Paris it will to my opinion be better to do this first. This for the first overwhelming experience and later Versailles for the superlative experience.

Well I've been to Paris about 10 times and never visited Versailles so I would say it's not a "must". How interested are you in that type of place? What else do you want to see/do in Paris? How much time do you have?

If you don’t care for palaces, skip it. Don’t go just because someone says you should. My wife and I frequently skip palaces. Like churches, castles, and monasteries, after a while they all begin to like similar if you visit too many on a single trip.

Definitely a must - go early and beat the crowds.

I love Vaux le Vicomte and it is very much worth a visit:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/vaux-le-vicomte-our-last-chateau/
But Versailles at least once IMHO -- We will be going for our third time in 40 years this spring to take our granddaughter. And go on a Fountain Day and organize the trip to see the fountains briefly on in the morning and then tour the Chateau. If you have the energy you can visit the wider park and Hameau and then return to the garden for the afternoon fountains.

Liking palaces or not remains ofcourse something personal, but if you like them why should you avoid Versailles, you can only form an opinion once you have seen it. There is always a risk of not meeting expectations but that’s part of traveling, isn’t it? "Mustsee" in this context is figuratively, meaning that there is a good reason.

I will go to Versaille after reading all your comments. Except for Versaille, which is a whole day trip, I'm thinking of seeing a museum in the morning or afternoon and experiencing Paris in the other part of the day. Some smaller museums and close together I could do in the same day. After listening to Rick's audio tours I have so many things I want to experience.

Buy your tickets ahead of time to "skip the lines"

Historically, I would say most definitely that Versailles is a must, given all the major events happening there from the 18th century on.

I visited on a cold rainy day in May, and while the palace itself is spectacular, what I remember most fondly about my day was lunch at La Flottille near the grand canal, exploring the smaller Trianon palaces and Marie Antoinette's Hamlet area--so peaceful and serene, the rain had stopped but it kept people from going to that area so I had it all to myself. I had recently seen the movie Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst and it was filmed on site and perfectly captured the unspoiled beauty that brought MA so much joy. I walked back through the park accompanied by a charming old French gentleman who chatted with me about all sorts of things. It was a lovely day in so many ways.

@christa - I had the most DIVINE crepe (with caramel butter) at that restaurant! i was there on a wonderful October, my feet were killing me, so I sat there for a bit!

Very true that "Versailles is singular." The historical reason for having it built is unlike that of the other chateaux, Chantilly, Fontainebleau, Malmaison, etc. On my first trip to Paris in July 1973, I made it point to see Versailles.

Visiting Fontainebleau ought to have been on that trip too, .... forgot about it, very negligent and remiss of me. Not until four years later in 1977 was the chance available for the next trip to Paris when I did see Fontainebleau, devoted a whole day there then.