Please sign in to post.

What to do in Versailles (besides the obvious)

Hi! My husband and I will be in Paris for our honeymoon in April. We plan on devoting one day to Versailles, but I was wondering if there's any restaurants or spots anyone would recommend in the area around the palace. I was thinking it'd be nice to venture off the palace grounds and grab a bite to eat somewhere in town. Thanks!

Posted by
2466 posts

You can either stop in the open-air market for a picnic or eat in the Gordon Ramsey restaurant for a Michelin treat.

Posted by
1172 posts

Our favorite part of Versailles was renting bikes and biking the grounds. They give you locks so you can bike to the different areas and lock your bike to go in and visit. Highly recommend.

Posted by
856 posts

Nothing specific to recommend, but we wandered about the town a bit and enjoyed it. Anything not between the palace and the train station felt very local, with very few tourists somehow. You don’t need to rush back to Paris to eat and relax.

Posted by
3067 posts

There is a wonderful outdoor and indoor food market in the actual town.
It's only about a 10 minute walk from the train station and palace area.
I'm not sure if it's open every day.
Lots of nice little streets to explore near the market too.

Posted by
208 posts

You could always spend an hour at 'La Gallery des Carosses'. The Royal carriage museum. You can find the details at en.chateauversailles.fr It is free and open from around 12:30pm time till 5:30/6:30pm depending on the day. It is only about 5-8 minute walk from the Palace.

Posted by
1825 posts

Check out Blue Fox Tours for a bike option for Versailles. I wish I would have known when I went. You meet in Paris and take the train to Versailles. They start with a local market where you get your lunch for later which is great because the food at Versailles was bad. You ride and see the grounds early when the palace is the most crowded. Entry in the afternoon from the rear doesn't have the big lines that you want to avoid. You make your way back to Paris on your own which is easy as you just follow the crowd to the train station. You can spend as much time as you like. Having been once, this is the way I would choose next time. The same company has tours of Paris which were wonderful and made riding the Velib bikes easy for the rest our our stay.