Versailles in November

Hi Dawn,, first off, the be frank the gardens are never really "lush". The gardens near the palaces are French Formal gardens,, trimmed hedges , pebble lined paths, statues etc. By November weather can be cold and rainy, so a walk through the gardens will be a maybe only.. plus, the statues are covered in the winter to protect them. The fountians are not put on in winter either(in season they are only on set days, usually sat , sun and some tues, and only for set periods).
The grounds are however huge,, and contain other buildings that are worth seeing, Marie Antionettes Hamlet , the Petit and Grand Trianons,, but if weather is dismal,, they are a good distance from palace, so the walk there would not be fun,, and although there is a tram that can transport you there I don't know if they still run in November. I would suggest you double check on the Versailles website, click on the British flag for english.

I've been in December, and honestly, prefer it to the crowded months. But - I'm not a huge fan of the French formal garden, so to me, it was no big deal that the statues were covered, water fountains weren't going, etc. And weather is iffy any time of year. I went in April once and it poured. And this has been the wettest June ever and if last night's storm started before midnight, there's only been one day without rain this month. It was mild and dry when I went in December and we walked all over. If it isn't - the train does run through the winter and can take you from the palace to the trianons.

We visited Versailles in November and it was fairly busy. Try to go early. The gardens were not as lush, but I heard they never are. The weather was cloudy and a little damp. We did enjoy the whole experience, however.

Agreed, the weather will be the biggest factor in your visit. The palace itself will be less crowded although tour buses work throughout the year. The gardens are always worth it, but some of the fun things like boats on the canal or having a picnic will be out. But if the weatehr isn't aweful, you can stroll almost by yourself through much of the gardens then.

I visited there in January and had a great day. Yes the gardens were in hibernation but the palace and the grounds are so full of history and wonderment that it didn't matter. I returned again in a Sept. and it was wonderful but SO much more crowded.

Thank you so much for your replies. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can stroll around the gardens and get a feel for the immensity of the place! It will be nice visiting when the crowds aren't at their peak.

We went to Versailles in mid December a few years ago. It was a great experience, even with statues covered and no flowers because there were so few people there. The weather that day was quite cold but a completely clear blue sky and sunshine! While we were there, we went to the Horse Show at the stables that are part of Versailles. I thought it was fabulous, but then I am a horse lover, but my husband enjoyed it too.