Versailles - Queen's Hamlet

In the last two years, I visited the Queen´s Hamlet, but the Queen´s House was not open. There is a fee to enter the grounds, and cannot authoritatively state that there is a separate fee for the House.

FreeNow or Bolt should take you to the appropriate Versailles entry gate which, for the Hamlet, which is to the east of the primary entry point.

There is a bus that you can pick up at the train station to drop you off very near the entry gate.

You probably want to be in Versailles by 9.30-9.45 AM to be on the safe side and clear security, which puts you in the middle of the AM rush hour if you use a car service and if it is a weekday. So, if it's a weekday, I would take the RER C from St Michel to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche, it will be more reliable, and that line is not crowded.
A car is worth it at the weekend.

Tocard, you may be correct that entry into the Queen's House is still closed since that is probably why when I went on the Versailles site and selected book the Queen's House 7 euro tour it went to a blank page. Bummer but at least I can see the exterior and the other buildings there, which all look so adorable. Thanks for that info.

Balso, we will be going on a Thursday and actually I have a 10am entry time (not 1030). It says for the 10am ticket that you will be inside by 1030 so I assumed you went through security after going through the ticket gate at 10am. I had planned to arrive by 930am to get in line. Is that not early enough then? Should I plan to get there by 9am?

Sounds like you are saying it is quicker and more reliable to take the RER? That was our original plan but when I looked at private drivers they show only a 30min transport time. Guess during AM rush hour it would be more like 1 hr then - same as RER which is much cheaper.

I have been to the Hameau twice and the Queens house was never open -- this was before COVID.

To be honest, my memories are a bit hazy now and things might have changed regarding the security check vs ticket check location. There might be some guidance on the website?

And yes, when they say 30 minutes, they mean 30 minutes at 2 AM on a Monday. At 8.30 on a Thursday, that would take anywhere between 45 and 80 minutes... So yes, RER is my recommendation, especially starting from St Germain des Prés - you might be within walking distance from St Michel Notre Dame or Musée d'Orsay on RER C, and if not, it is easy to take metro line 10 to Javel and hop on the RER there.

We went to Versailles on a weekday in Nov. 2019. We took the RER from the St.Michel stop to the Versailles Rive Gauche stop. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the main Versailles entrance from the train station. At that time, you went through security (bag check) before entering the main gate. So you need to factor in security wait time before your tour time.

I would definitely take the train vs. a car on a weekday morning. The train may be crowded for a bit. We left about 8 am (our tour was at 10) and the train was packed (pre-Covid) for about 15 minutes. Definitely be pick-pocket-proof. We were like sardines for a while. After 15 minutes it cleared out and we were able to find seats.

Thanks for your input on traffic on a weekday. Looks like we'll take the train after all. Google Maps had showed I should walk 14min to Musee d'Orsay station (33min on train to Chateau Rive Gauche) then 15min walk to Chateaux Versailles. St Michel station or Musee d'Orsay are about same walking distance from our hotel so either will will work then. Appreciate the input. Merci!

When my wife and I went to Versailles the day before our RS tour started in May, 2017, we took the RER and it was super easy, reliable, and fast. In addition, it's a very pleasant walk from the train station to the Palace.

We're definitely sold on taking the RER. It is my understanding if you have the Navigo Easy pass that those tickets are not valid for Versailles since it is on the outskirts of the main city center. We'd have to purchase RT tickets at the RER station. Is this correct?
Merci beaucoup!

yes Versailles is fairly far from Paris and requires a separate specific point to point RER ticket; buy two so you have one for your return -- you don't want to be stuck in a ticket line at Versailles.

Great, thanks for confirming. Yes, I plan to buy RT tickets to avoid waiting in line at the Versailles station. Thanks everyone for your input. It is much appreciated. Bonne journée!

If you take a bus to Versailles, the ticket t+ is valid.

If you take the train, you need ticketing other than a ticket t+. The train from Montparnasse is as I stated above. There is also a RER C option to reach Versailles.

Just FYI, it does not matter whether you buy a Paris-Versailles Château or a Versailles Château-Paris ticket. Tickets work in both directions. That will make your life easier at the ticket machine ;)
And definitely use Musée d'Orsay rather than Saint Michel, Saint Michel is cramped and unpleasant.

Thanks for that tip Balso! That means I can purchase 8 of same ticket all at once for a party of 4 going to/from Musee d"orsay - Chateau Versailles. That will make it much easier and get me off the machine quicker for the next in line. Good tip! Merci!