Hello for anyone that has been to Versailles is the fountain show worth it? I’m trying to decide if Sunday is best that is only day for fountain show during our trip but it’s also the day of the paris marathon. The tour would meet at 8:30am near Gare Saint-Lazare train station and we are staying in Saint Germain area. I’m just thinking if Tuesday would be better however no fountain show. I just don’t know how transport will be with the marathon. This is our first trip to France so not sure about navigating anything at this point. Any info is appreciated.
Posted by
la la land...
1005 posts
Never seen it, has always been too difficult to line up my schedule with the limited fountain operations. C'est la vie...
Google the route of the marathon to get a feel for how that might trip you up. Once about 25 years ago I was in Paris on the final day of the Tour de France, and that was a mess for anyone needing to transit central Paris, on the streets or even on Metro. I was also in London on the day of the marathon about 5 years ago, and that definitely altered our plans for the day.
Posted by
Almost Heaven
3114 posts
Jojo, your username reminds me of the Beatles' song, Get Back.
When I was younger being on the Champs-Elysee was on my bucket list. Now, things like you mentioned are 180 degrees from where I want to go. I can find huge crowds on a random day in May if that was my thing.
From my experience public transportation is really busy during the afternoon of big-city marathons as runners and their families are heading home. Boston was insane. If we were any closer on the Boston subway it would have been physical assault.
Posted by
la la land...
1005 posts
When I was younger being on the Champs-Elysee was on my bucket list. Now, things like you mentioned are 180 degrees from where I want to go. I can find huge crowds on a random day in May if that was my thing.
Ditto that.
Versailles is so darn crowded - I have been twice, and once was enough - that I will never go again. The last time I went, the line to go through the palace was so long that we instead toured the grounds, which is really my favorite part of Versailles anyway. Walking through the palace in shoulder to shoulder crowds has less than zero appeal to me now.
Jojo, your username reminds me of the Beatles' song, Get Back.
I loved the movie Jojo Rabbit, and JR matches my actual name initials, so I went with it here.
Posted by
Chicago
8551 posts
I think the fountains are wonderful (to call it a show is hyperbole, it just means the fountains are running -- for about 90 minutes in the morning and again for a couple of hours in the afternoon). I don't think the gardens are worth seeing when they aren't running. I'd schedule for that day and get a timed entrance to the palace that didn't conflict with the fountain times.
Here is a visit we did on a fountain day a few years ago.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/fountains-of-versailles-a-little-chaos/
When the fountains are running you have to have a ticket for the garden; otherwise it is free entry.
I don't see why transport would be affected on the RER C but there should be information on the marathon route so you will know that.
We have been in Paris when the Tour comes in and didn't find it made transportation too difficult. There are workaround for closed off stations.
Posted by
San Francisco
188 posts
We were there this fall. I found the fountains entirely underwhelming. Three of them were going, but only periodically. If you’re picturing something like Bellagio in Las Vegas, scale your expectations way back. I’m sure you can find some video online. I also thought it added to the crowds in the gardens.