Hi -
I have reserved one of 5 days in Paris to go and experience the Palace of Versailles. Its likely going to be a weekday, so i guess the musical fountain is out of question. I dont know how much time i would need, but i think it wouldnt take the whole day. Which brings me to the question - are there any other beautiful things within striking distance that i could visit and head back to paris in the night?
I will be taking the trains..
Thanks,
~A
You only have 5 days in Paris - you don't need more daystrips OUT of Paris. There are enough things to see in Paris to keep you busy for at least a month.
arunhv - I think you could likely spend a whole day at Versailles between the palais and the gardens, but something else to see in the town of Versailles is the outdoor market. It is in town close to the train station and is supposed to be wonderful. It is open on T, F, and Su 10-2.
You might consider going to Chartres to see the Cathedral. From Versailles, you want to get the hourly train at Versailles Chantiers station, which is a different station than the one you probably arrived at, Versailles Rive Gauche. Chantiers is about a 10 minute walk down Avenue Sceux past Rive Gauche. Trains to Chartres leave about 20 past the hour and take 45 minutes to an hour to Chartres, depending on the train. Return trains to Paris go to Gare Montparnasse.
I agree with Sam, about the only other thing to do is catch the train to Chartres. At a brisk pace, the Chantiers station is about a 10 minute extra walk beyond the Rive Gauche station. And then you can just take the train back into Paris from Chartres.
Versailles and Chartres in one day would be too much for me. With only five days in Paris, I'd stay there. Or choose one.
I'd spend the whole day at Versailles. The Chateau is THE palace in Europe (but it will be ridiculously crowded. and hot), so it's definitely worth seeing at least once. The gardens, however, are where it's at! I've been to Versailles 5 or 6 times and I've been in the Chateau only once (I'd do it again but my wife has no interest). But we often spend entire days in the gardens and the Trianons. M.A.'s hamlet is one of my favorite places to visit and you can rent boats in the grand canal, rent bikes to ride through the gardens, sit at cafes to sip drinks, walk among the many fountains (if they're running - depends), the orangery and hedge rows. A full day is easy and I think should be planned for.
However, if you see all that you need to and still have time in the day, I'd train it back into Paris. You can spend the summer there and not see it all. No need to look around for anything else outside of Paris, you'll have plenty to do in the city. Even if its just walking a people watching, Paris ranks highly!
The fountains do run on Tuesday so you can still do that on a weekday.
If you intend to see the palace, gardens, and Trianons, this will take the day. The chateau and Trianons are closed at 5:30 so you already have your deadline and that is plenty of time to get back to Paris for dinner. But you can still spend more time in the gardens and the larger park area if you desire.
