Palace of Versailles

There is no advantage to buying a ticket to Versailles before you get to Paris. Your best deal is a Forfait Loisirs which covers entrance to the chateau and roundtrip transportation from central Paris.

I like the Museum Pass - BUT if you purchase the Forfait Versailles at the SNCF station (RER) - you also receive the audio guide tour along with entry and train ticket. The museum pass only gets you in the door.

I have found this to be a better value.

Jona, I am thinking of getting the Forfaits loisirs as I agree with you that it is the better value, but as I will have my 12 yr old with me,, what other things will I need to purchase. I know I will need to purchase her train ticket, but, she is free at Versailles isn't she?? But, the audio guide I will still have to purchase for her? Also what about the Hammeau,, will I need to purchase a seperate ticket there for her?
We will not be going on a weekend so I realize I will not need to worry about the extra fee for the garden/fountian show.

We purchased a timed entry into Versailles for our school group. Our appointed time was 10:45, but when we arrived it was a mass chaos of people. So much for the timed entry. We actually made it into the Chateau at 11:45 after being yelled at by the Versailles Employee in charge of groups. She yelled at us to "get to the back of the line". Well, if you've ever seen a single-file orderly line in Versailles you must have been dreaming. There was a mass of people and no "line" to be found anywhere. Once our group got inside, then we had to get in a different line to get headsets...actually it was get into another line to "pay" for headsets before heading to the line to "get" headsets. Totally disorganized in every way.

Speaking of lines...how do the French approach waiting in lines? On several occasions we saw people just get tired of waiting in their particular spot so they would just move themselves up to the front and muscle their way in. Versailles was one example. But standing in line at Orly airport Air Berlin counter was another. Our group assembled in an orderly line, but 2 or 3 French guys in suits decided they didn't like to wait behind us in the line so they proceeded to just move themselves up to the very front and muscle their way to the ticket agent...that is until I said "No" and told them to get to the back and wait their turn. Is this just a cultural thing or did we just encounter a few jerks who happened to be French and happened to not like standing in lines?

Pat- I only purchased the train ticket to/from Versailles for my 12 yr. old. We used the RSs audioguide so I didn't get him a headset there, but I assume you'd have to purchase that for the child. Entrance to everything at Versailles is free for a 12 year old.

We also ran into the worst lines we saw on our trip to Versailles, very disorganized, no apparent place to skip the line with the pass, and no one to ask, and LOTS of line ditchers at many points in the line.

FYI, the Paris Museum Pass does cover the entrance to Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon. It doesn't however cover the audio guides or the fountains.

Has anyone heard of, or been to see the Grand Evening Fountain Display at Versailles? It is Saturday evenings in July and August. It looks like it might cost another 19 euros on top of the original 25 euro admission fee?

Yes, Camille, it is another 19 euro pp....and the event is VERY popular. If you wish to go, I would book ahead at http://www.chateauversaillesspectacles.fr (available in English).