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Versailles - Private Apartment Tour

Is the Private Apartment Tour a must do? My husband and I will be there on Tuesday, April 12 and purchased the Passport on-line. Staying in Versailles just outside gate will make it easy to be there when gate opens. Unfortunately, we'll be there on Tuesday which is one of busiest days. Need thoughts on getting the extra tour on an already busy day, and if so, I'm not sure what time to reserve. How long does tour take? Should I reserve on-line or wait 'til there? As recommended, my plan is to do palace first at opening, the gardens/park and then the Trianon. Any suggestions on our visit to Versailles would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

Posted by
8553 posts

The advantage of the private apartment tour is that it lets you enter with a different door and skip the long line thus needs to be done first. Other than that, how many shiny rooms with lots of gold woodwork does one to see in a life time? So it isn't a 'must' but it can be worth doing.

Posted by
2083 posts

We just took this tour in the last week of August thanks to a tip I saw on this forum....for which I am very grateful--thanks again. It was our third visit to Versailles, and the best. We purchased our tickets online a day or two in advance with no difficulty. We still had choices of tour times then. We walked straight to the well signed tour entrance where we checked in and waited in a comfortable sitting area with bathrooms until our tour began. There may have been about 20 people in our group, and it lasted about (?) 60 to 90 minutes. We saw the theatre and several rooms/areas we had never seen before and had ample opportunity for questions and discussion with the guide. At 7 euro per person, it was the single best deal we copped on a three week trip. Frankly, I would have been tempted to pay the 7 euro if only for the convenience of avoiding some of the longest lines we've seen anywhere. When the tour ended, we joined the crowds around the hall of mirrors as I recall, and continued on our own. The grounds as huge; we spent the better part of the day walking from one end to another...with a few pretty good ice cream cones in between. Have a great trip.