We are planning a short 3-day stay in Paris and want to be sure to get to Versailles and Giverny one of the days. We are asking for suggestions to be sure we get it all done efficiently and most effectively. Are we better to hire a car to take us to both locations and not concern ourselves with other transportation? Will this help us in avoiding the tour lines?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
The only way to avoid lines is to buy your tickets in advance. For Versailles, go here. For Giverny, go here. Take the RER C from Paris to Versailles-Rive Gauche. Take the RER C from Versailles Rive-Gauche to Invalides and metro line 13 from there to Saint-Lazare. Take a regional train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon and either a bus or taxi from there to Giverny. Direct trains to Vernon depart at 12:20, 14:20, and 16:20. Take the train back to Paris.
Posted by
Lawrenceville, Georgia
693 posts
I'd take a minibus tour - there are a couple that take you to Versailles in the morning and after that drive you to Giverny. They take care of the entrance fees, you skip the lines at both places. The one I took stopped for lunch in Giverny (you pay for your lunch.) Especially in Giverny, you can go around on your own but rendevous at a given time. Next time I'm going on my own but if I had limited time, I'd do the tour. The minibus holds seven passengers. The driver spoke excellent English. There are usually advertisements for various tours in the hotel lobbies.
Posted by
OP
Concord
2 posts
Thank you for your responses - greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
177 posts
buy ur giverny, and versailles ticket in advance. no need for any tour. arrive at versailles at 9am, with advance tickets, there are no lines. same with giverny. we got on the metro at ecole militaire, took us 35 minutes from that point to get to versailles. RER C is confusing at first, so pay extra attention to the monitors and directions. also look out for short trains, and where you need to board, or you will be running like an idiot. There are bus shuttles waiting to take people to giverny from the vernon station. we literally walked off the sncf train and board the shuttle right away. cost about 4 euro round trip per person, you pay the driver. If you are the type who travel in luxury. There are also taxis waiting for suckers like that for about 15 euros each way to Giverny. Don't worry, just get to places early, you can honestly easily figure out the rest.