Versailles skip the line tours--still bypass lines, even with more security?

"Skipping" the lines has become more of a joke than anything else because now EVERYBODY wants to skip the lines so EVERYBODY buys the "skip-the-line" pass. It doesn't work very well when everyone around you has the same skipping privileges.

Even the 'skip the lines' tours have to go through security (always have), they just have their own shorter security line. I think 3pm might be a bit thinner crowds but on a Sunday in July it's still going to be pretty crowded. I would see the grounds and smaller palaces and hamlet first and then do the 3pm entrance to the main palace.

I edited above--it's actually 4pm tour time. Does anyone know if we can get our tickets ahead of time (either booking thru Versailles directly or another tour agency) to be able to enter the Gardens, etc. If so, then we would do the 4pm tour, arriving earlier to do as suggested, tour the gardens.

The gardens all except the french formal section behind the palace are free to enter, no tickets needed, however to access them, you will have to walk around the grounds wall to the side opening. These sections of the grounds contain the Grand and Petit Trianons and Marie Antonettes Hamlet, and of course the Grand Cananl.

If you choose to go on any other days except sat or sun, even the formal gardens are free, and frankly thats when i would go, the " fountain shows" are not worth the crowds to me, plus you will find out you need to soend several hours in the formal gardens to see all the fountians work, they only do them one or two at a time with 1/ 2 intervals between showings.

So if by timed tickets you mean you have the kings apartments tour...the lines for security for those are really a non issue,,they only take about 25 people at a time so you get processed very quickly..and enter through a diffrernt entrance.

When we were there in October the Fountains were run for an hour in the morning -- all of them - and then for 1.5 hours in the afternoon with the Neptune fountain going one at about 5:30. We only went for the gardens and fountains and it was fabulous.

If you are going in July, be forewarned. Last summer when we were at Versailles in July, it was 104 degrees. We had purchased a skip the line tour and were SO glad we didn't have to stand in that scorching courtyard with the hot sun beating down. On the upside, we almost had the palace to ourselves because of the heat. We were actually able to see the mirrors in the Hall of Mirrors!

elaine,

Sundays may be really busy (as are Tuesdays), so it will most likely be horrendously crowded, even with a "skip the line" ticket. Even the queue for those with tickets and Museum Passes was about 1.5 hours to get into the Chateau (that was on a Tuesday in July). When you arrive at the Chateau and see all the tour buses in the car park, you'll have some idea what type of "travel experience" you're about to have.