Hi!
We are in Paris and going to Versailles in the morning. We have a reservation and timed entry with the Museum Pass however, I just got an email saying the gardens will not be open with my ticket due to the Musical Gardens event which apparently happens most days all summer long. My question is, do I need to buy an additional ticket? Is the Trianon Estate and Petit Chalet included, or is it part of the special event? I’m really upset that I wasn’t notified about this until right now when I’ve had the reservation for months…! The website information is totally confusing, and furthermore, the ticket link for the Musical Gardens access seems to be broken. Has anyone else visited and dealt with this in the last few weeks?
Posted by
759 posts
You must have just purchased the Palace tickets not the Passport tickets which would include the Musical Gardens. Just buy separate Musical Garden tickets online. If it's not allowing musical garden tickets online perhaps they have sold out. You'll have to ask at the palace. Hope it works out.
We saw the musical fountains show, (different than musical gardens) which was nice. But I do remember trying to sort out what was what when buying tickets too.
Posted by
Chicago
8447 posts
IMHO the ' musical gardens are not worth the money -- but if the fountains are running then it is -- it is easy to buy a ticket for the gardens when you are there. The gardens are not interesting when the fountains are not running. The gardens have nothing to do with the Trianon and Hameau You can buy an entry ticket for the Trianon if you don't have the passport, at the Trianon.
Posted by
SoCal
969 posts
The gardens are not interesting when the fountains are not running.
I completely disagree. To me, the extensive, diverse and beautiful gardens are much the best part of the Versailles palace. Full disclosure: gilded and mirrored stuff doesn't excite me.
Posted by
Chicago
8447 posts
The gardens consist of very few flowers but lots of hedged enclosures which contain each fountain, so to see the fountains you have to enter these hedged enclosures except for a few central ones. It is IMHO one of the less interesting gardens in Paris except for the fountains which transform it. I would never pay extra for the 'musical gardens' which literally consists of ludicrous tinny music blasted on speakers hidden in the foliage. to each his own. Here was our visit to the fountains.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/fountains-of-versailles-a-little-chaos/
In my opinion and you can check the sweeping views of the gardens here, most any garden ins Paris is more filled with flowers and interest when the fountains are not running.
Posted by
SoCal
969 posts
The gardens consist of very few flowers but lots of hedged enclosures
That's certainly one way of looking at it. Another way is to view the gardens as a beautiful outdoor architectural exercise that includes water features and a wonderful array of walking paths, some of which are bounded by dense vegetation and others of which permit tantalizing views of the next clearing. This garden is not built around a profusion of flowers; that much should be kept in mind.
People view different things differently. Travel makes many of those differences more evident.