Will we regret not squeezing in Versailles on July 13?

Honestly I didn't think Versailles was the be-all and end-all that RS makes it out to be. It was cool, but if you've seen other palaces and "rich guy's castles" like your husband said, it's not that much different. Especially with kids, I'd do the less ambitious plan.

I've been to Versailles once in my life, and I think that's enough. I was there in winter and cannot imagine what the interior would be like (crowding) during the high season. Maybe I would go again if given the chance to just walk the grounds, but I don't need to see the inside again. A 7 year old and 11 year old? All they'll see are peoples' backs and rears. I'm nearly 6-feet tall, and I could barely see around people. My answer is that it's not the end all be all, and no, you don't need to squeeze it in.

I visited Versailles when I was in my mid 20s. It was relatively uncrowded and was an interesting side trip from Paris. I stand with your husband in his "meh" comment. It is very shiny and luxurious. So is the Opera. Don't let FOMO dictate your vacation itinerary. If the kids want to see it sometime in the future, let them do it on their dime. If you don't go and later regret your decision not to go, then that is the basis for another trip to Paris to see if you made a mistake. The huge crowds alone would deter me from traveling there with kids.

The palace is probably so so for kids that age. They would probably enjoy the grounds more than inside. When we were traveling with our sons -- low, mid teens, we deliberately skip things so that they would have things to see when they returned as adults in later years. Now in their late 30s, early 40s, they appreciate that they did not "see everything" when they were younger. While they do return to former sites they do like seeing some of the major attractions with their spouses for the first time. It is kind of balancing act. From our first trip in 72, my wife has always had the attitude -- even to this day -- "We will see that the next time." At first I didn't completely appreciate that attitude --- "What if we don't get back?" "We will." It does remove a lot of stress from the planning. Relax, you can see it the next time.

Count me in the camp of not loving Versailles. I went once about 20 years ago, and then another time about 13 years ago, and that was about once too much. Then on a recent trip, our daughter really wanted to see where the Treaty of Versailles was signed. We went on a Tuesday (Versailles is closed on Monday) in late May, so not totally the high season. The palace was packed with tour groups full of rude people pushing us, it was hot and stuffy, and almost unbearable. And difficult to see anything with so many other people in each room.

We did have a nice picnic lunch in the gardens, with food and wine we had brought with us.

If Versailles were closer and took less time to get to, I wouldn't have minded so much. But the whole trip took the better part of a day; we would have had a more enjoyable time staying in Paris.

Versailles is a nightmare for kids particularly for one as young as 7 -- they will be crushed into someone's butt and pushed through rooms they can't see in blazing heat in July -- if they end up hating Paris, France, Europe and travel I wouldn't be surprised. It is an awful experience in the heat for adults but adults may at least have an interest in shiny gilded rooms and history -- kids will just be crushed and hot and miserable. I would not do it with kids this age if I had a week.

If you want to make a fun day in Versailles for the kids, rent bikes and ride out to Marie Antoinette‘s cottage. Your kids will love it there. You can rent bikes inside Versailles and ride them all around the gardens.

Don't make your young kids go there. I did not care for it, agree with your husband. Too much glitz.

I've lived in Paris for 25 years and did one, only one, visit to Versailles 25 years ago when there were no crowds, no lines, no pre-ticketing, no herding and that was enough. I went because of my German heritage and the signing by Bismarck of the Proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 in the Hall of Mirrors. After seeing that, I was out of there. With a little bit of a background in French history one could easily see that this place was another abomination built on the backs of a starving peasant class. But, then again, I'm not much for splendor. I much prefer the Bastille Opera to the Garnier, for instance.

Looking at your plan, I think you would regret trying to cram Versailles into the mix.

I don’t know if you will regret skipping Versailles, but we spent two days in Paris after 3-1/2 weeks in mostly rural/small town France. We did not go to Versailles. My kids were older than yours (I think they were early teens). No regrets.

We love Versailles and go often, my son has loved it since he was 11 yrs old, but i’d say no, do not try to fit it in. It’s not a ‘must see’ for everyone and you don’t have enough time.

Although I haven't done it, I like yosemite1's idea. For me, the palace is skippable-too big and ornate to be appealing as a place to live. The only thing I remember from my visit is that there was a chest that is valued at 1 million dollars.

I visited Versailles 20 years ago. I can’t imagine how the crowds are now. My best memories aren’t the interiors, but the hours I spent biking the grounds. I’m taking my kids (12 & 13) to Europe in two weeks and we are skipping Versailles in favor of other chateaus. My daughter really wants to see a French castle so we are doing Chantilly which is a quick train ride from Paris. If your kids want to see a “castle” then I’d find one not so overwhelmed with crowds. I picked Chantilly for its proximity to Paris, the horses which my daughter will love, and the eating of Chantilly cream and strawberries.

Appreciating these comments and considering another castle/palace option for our own July trip. We will have five nights and no must-sees for me personally except Musee d'Orsay, but I do feel like I've missed out not having been to Versailles on any of my previous trips to Paris so it's a hard choice.

My favorite castle close to Paris is Vaux-le-Vicomte. It’s never crowded and is amazing. Rick Steves Paris guidebook describes it and gives directions how to get there. I highly recommend it.

Fontainebleau is another good one.

Chantilly was very underwhelming for us.

But i really don’t think you have time for any day trips jenhenry.

Remember it’s not 10 minutes from the Eiffel Tower. You’ll chew up a lot of time just getting there and back. We went in 1966 and have never felt the need to return.

If a chateau is a must I would do Vaux le Vicomte, but in a short trip a chateau is only a must if it really is for someone. I would certainly not go all the way out to Verailles to just bike around the park -- there are plenty of lovely parks in Paris and two nice wooded estates Bologne and Vincennes that bookmark the city east and west and are good places to bike, row boats and wander.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/vaux-le-vicomte-our-last-chateau/
This is the chateau that was designed by the same garden architects as Versailles and kids might enjoy the history involved as the opening celebration led to the King's imprisonment of the owner.

Versailles is a full day trip. Go with your original plan and "stop and smell the roses" along the way. Remember the kids are going to want to stop every so often, maybe have a snack. Mom and Dad may want to have a glass of wine at that time!

Thank you to everyone who responded! I feel better with your "permission" to skip it. We are doing a family bike tour through Normandy and Brittany for 6 days and are staying at a chateau/hotel for a night, and we may see a castle when we're in Alsace (for the Tour de France). So if they complain about this awesome trip we have planned, next time, we'll leave them home! ;)

"So if they complain about this awesome trip we have planned, next time, we'll leave them home! ;)"

Or you can hand them the guidebooks. Mine have been helping plan trips abroad (and our family vacations in the US) since they were 8 and 11. We used Cynthia Harriman's "Days to Choose" method (see her book "Take your Kids to Europe" for details) but the general idea is everyone comes to a family meeting with ideas of maybe two or three things each person wants to see. Everyone gets some input and agrees to participate in the choices of others. From these suggestions you build an itinerary. Sometimes it works better if an adult lays out the route then the family contributes suggestions of activities in those locations. We use a Captain for the Day approach where the captain plans meals (chooses restaurants) as well as activities. It takes some "group mindedness" but in my family at least everyone is willing follow the Captain's plan knowing that each will have a turn. On our trip to Japan we saw some of the sights everyone sees but we also went to a bird refuge, a baseball game, a video arcade and a Samurai house.