(cool, low 60’s) We got a late start as my Brother still wasn’t feeling perfect. We used our Forfait Loisirs we bought Monday to catch the train from Invalides. The Forfait Loisirs sign by the SNCF in the station tells you which track to go to (I think it was A) and as RSs says look for “VICK” on the train worked fine. We caught the train at 10am. By the time we arrived the lines were long and I couldn’t find any bypass line, just one long line for those with tickets. Several large groups came up and ditched the line- not sure if that’s a bypass, but it’s not marked and people were really mad. We waited about 30 min. to get in. Decided not to wait for the audioguides, another long line, so I tried to use my RSs iPod tour, but it didn’t start in the same place- finally figured it out. The rooms were unbearably crowded so we didn’t get much out of the building, but we like the grounds more anyway. We did the whole tour outside. I wish I’d found and printed a better map (there’s Versailles from the sky views on their website) of all the paths on the grounds as we broke up several times and crossed paths trying to find each other. We also got stuck in the Gardens to the side of the Petite Trianon and had to backtrack to find a way out (the Trianons are under renovation). We ate lunch at the brasserie (La Girandole Brasserie) just down the stairs and into the bushes on the left- it was lovely. Everyone loved the grounds and especially the Hamlet. My 20 year old insisted on wearing heeled boots that day and had lots of problems on the gravel walks (some lessons you have to learn the hard way). I think I would rent golf carts next time as the walk down isn’t bad, but it feels like it takes forever to get back, uphill, especially being our last day, our feet were tired. My husband walked with her back up while I led the others back. MORE...
Posted by
OP
Mars, PA, USA
213 posts
We were sitting on the steps behind Versailles after trekking all the way back from the Hamlet enjoying the view on our last night. I was listening reading something from the RSs tour, I forget what it was. My 18 year old felt the need to make a smart remark (teenagers!) “Hey Mom, I’m sitting on the second step, I’ll bet RSs tells you to sit on the top step for the best view. Wonder if he’s watching me?” At that point the young guy sitting near us on the step whips out his RSs book from his backpack and holds it toward my son and says “RSs is always watching you!”. We all had a good laugh! What a fitting end to our trip! We took the train back (my husband’s train ticket wouldn’t work, but luckily there was an attendant there and she had a replacement in here hand). Got to the Invalides station at about 5:30pm. One thing I hadn’t researched was if the Forfait Loisirs train tickets would work on the Metro, like the Moblis ones (we needed a Metro to dinner and back). I don’t believe it does, and the train attendant spoke no English. So I tried ordering a carnet and 2 single tickets- again my bad French failed me as she kept asking if I needed twenty tickets. A nice Parisian behind me took pity and translated (I thanked him profusely), so we got our tickets for our “last supper”. We went home and packed up and then we were off to Lescure a second time for dinner and were seated at the same table outside. The Beef Bourguignon is wonderful as well as the fish. We toasted our wonderful trip. We walked to Place de la Concorde to view the Champs/Arc from the bottom at night, said goodbye to Paris, then off to home. END TRIP *THANK YOU EVERYONE HERE!!!*
Posted by
Powell River, Canada
359 posts
Nancy; fantastique, merveilleuse, kudos. We're back 10 days now (with the plague, unfortunately) and your report(s) have encouraged (shamed) me into putting together our journal into a trip report(s). Welcome home!
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
Nancy - Thanks so much for taking the time to organize and post your report. The Webmistress here may object (let's hope she's enjoying a long weekend off) but it is so cool to hear back from someone who researched her trip on this site. You added a lot of detail that will help many future travelers. Excellent!