I have been to the chateau interior and wonder if it's worth visiting only the gardens on Mondays to avoid crowds. I didn't get to spend much time outdoors las time I visited due to poor eather.
I'd like to know if the facilities, eg cafe, restaurants are open on Monday. Thanks!
The gardens are open daily 9-8:30 April - October. Since the chateau is closed on Monday, one assumes that the facilities are also closed; however, there should be some cafes, etc. in Versailles town open on Monday. Many shops and cafes are closed on Mondays in France, though some do remain open as they are closed either Sunday or another day of the week.
tourist towns close on Mondays. We have been in small towns e.g. Senlis where we had a lot of trouble even finding a cup of coffee. I don't know about Versailles town as it is also a bedroom community for Paris, but I'd be inclined to bring a picnic to have in the park. While the grounds are open, the concessions wont be nor will the hameau or the Trianon.
On a nice day, the gardens are always worth a visit. Not sure that the amenities will be open, but there most certainly will be restaurants and cafes open in town (Versailles is not a small town). I'm always a big fan of having a picnic lunch down by the Grand Canal when the weather is good. You'd be able to buy something in town first and bring it along. The main center of town is to your left as you face out from the front of the chateau (down Ave de St Cloud and then left on Rue de Marechal Foche). It's about a 10 minute walk. Or there are some fast food type things around the train station. If stopping to pick up something first, you can exit right out the station and cross the avenues which turns into Foche. And finally there is a Monoprix grocery store very close by off Rue Georges Clemenceau, which is the next block east from Foche (if walking away from the chateau down Ave St. Cloud).
