Three of us are visiting Versaille in September. We read in the R.S. 2016 FRANCE guide that it is possible to book a 1.5 hour guided tour that gives you access to extra rooms and lets you skip the long lines... 22euros. Tours are in English.
My question is:
Have any of you taken this tour? How do I book from home? When I go to the website ( en.chateauversailles.fr ) I cannot find these English tours priced at 22euros that are in the book.
Thanks for your help, Lorraine
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3868 posts
I have taken the tour and funny enough in a group of three. The only tour that gets you past the long security and ticket line and ends with you inside the Palace is the Kings Apartment Tour. The tickets for the tour cost 7 euros per person, which is in addition to the cost of admission to the Palace. The tickets for the tours are date and time specific. The system is down right now for maintenance but when you go to en.chateauversaillles.fr again click on where it says ticketing in the upper right and corner next to where it says shop and the search icon. Or try this link: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/tickets-and-prices?public=10&visite-tid=2 and go to the tour of your choice (I recommend the Kings Apartment Tour for the reasons stated above) and click on Buy Online. The cheapest Palace ticket that I know of is 18 euros per person so you will spend 25 euros per person if you do the tour.
Posted by
3122 posts
Took the tour and it was well worth it. The guide not only spoke good clear English but was very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. We bought our tickets on the day of, at the tour starting point, because I couldn't get the online purchase to work on my phone the night before.
IMPORTANT: The tour starting point is across the courtyard from the security screening entrance. If you go through security and follow the crowd inside, you will have to "swim upstream" to exit and run across the courtyard to get to the guided tour meeting place. We actually had to convince a guard to let us out by a side door to make it in time. You're better off just waiting at the tour starting area, which has comfortable seating.