Given my schedule, Sunday (april 15) is the only option for Versailles visit. I wanted to do the King's Apt tour as well but am concerned about timing, etc. Presumably, this 1.5hr guided tour is just for those particular rooms and before/after I use my entry ticket to see the other public rooms (hall of mirrors, etc) on my own. In my case, the english tour only is available for 9:30, so that would put me into the main palace areas around 11:00 am. Since it's a Sunday and all advice says to arrive as early as possible to avoid mid-day crowds, am I going to be amidst the massive crowds at that time of day? If so, would it be better to skip the guided tour and just do the palace visit when I arrive 9-9:30 to enjoy as less hectic visit ? Thanks,
Posted by
Chicago
8063 posts
This is not a popular view, but I was not a fan of the King's apartment tour which is just less interesting rooms than the public rooms and rooms that look like the standard gilded rooms in every chateaux in France. I however have visited many many chagteaux and also am fairly knowledgeable about French history. What it did was use up a lot of energy before the main event. I would go as early as possible and do the chateaux and then the gardens when the fountains are running -- then visit the rest of the estate and return to the gardens for the afternoon fountains. It is the public rooms that are spectacular.
FWIW, while crowded when we went a few years ago in early May it was not unbearably so. We did the KAT and after the opera house part of the tour, we were deposited into the main public area and proceeded on our own. The crowds were manageable -- so if you want to do the KAT the experience of the rest of the palace is IMHO just fine. You don't use your ticket to enter the palace again -- you go through a special security check and your ticket is recorded when you enter the King's apartment area with your guide -- after that you are in the palace and tickets are not needed again until you go to the gardens.
You can enter the garden twice on your ticket on fountains days. perhaps exiting at the bottom of the gardens by the canal (which is also where the restaurants are and then re-enter the gardens at a different gate on the same ticket. We did a fountains only trip a few years ago:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/fountains-of-versailles-a-little-chaos/
IMHO the gardens are only interesting when the fountains are running and they run only for a couple hours morning and afternoon on days they run.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for your views. I may pass on the KAT because of the time. Perhaps if the 1:30 was available, it would be different. Also, I may skip the gardens this trip because that Sunday there is the fountain/music show, which is extra.
Posted by
Chicago
8063 posts
IMHO the small charge to view the fountains is very much worth it.
And FWIW. I would not count on an early arrival guaranteeing low crowds -- it is common for early lines to be longest.