Hello,
I will be leaving to Paris in 2 weeks, and have been to Versailles once before. I remember it taking most of the day (including the Trianons and Marie Antoinette's area)and we were starving by the end of it all. I don't remember there being any cafes or restaurants on the grounds (but I must have missed them.) If I want to have a midday picnic in the gardens, where is the best place to buy food items? I've heard there is a street market outside of Versailles - if so, where is it and is it open early enough to give you time to enter the castle by 9am? Or is it a better option to buy take away food from a cafe? Will they let you bring those items into the castle as long as it stays in your bag? Also, I've heard you can rent bikes, but where do you park them when you go into one of the Trianons or anywhere else? Do they give you locks so no one takes your bike? Sorry I have so many questions...thank you in advance for your help! I know you all are the experts :) Ana
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
To answer your questions about renting bikes... you rent them by the Grand Canal, across from the restaurant. They will give you a bike lock if you want one. We've rented bikes there many times. It's a really fun way to get around and see everything. You could easily ride into town from where you rent bikes to get stuff for a picnic then ride back and have a picnic anywhere you want.
Posted by
Sammamish, WA
403 posts
You are technically not allowed to take food into the palace. Your bag will be xrayed before entry, so there is a chance your picnic could be confiscated. They allowed me to keep my kids' snacks in my bag, but that wasn't a full lunch. The little cafes in the gardens are just fine for lunch.
Bikes are available for rent, although it is a hike to get them! If you have poked around the website, you may have found the map. Bike rental locations are marked on that map. They seem to have sporadic opening hours, so you might want to check on that before you go (maybe call from your hotel). They will provide a lock for the bike.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
If you don't want to walk down to the bike rental place (it's downhill), you could take the motorized "train" instead.
Posted by
Plano, TX
137 posts
Versailles web site is en.chateauversailles.fr
There is a button in the upper right for English.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
They will allow you to check your bag , free coat check. Please read the website. I like the idea of seeing the Palace first thing, then walking down through formal gardens to head of canal and renting bikes, then riding bike into town( just take the road right there!) and returning with picnic, or eat in town . Then tour rest of grounds. I did not ask for a lock when I rented a bike, was not aware they had them, but I most definately would ask now as it was a pain, I didn't feel we could leave bikes alone!
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
Most of the above advice is good. Picnics are really fun and easy to do if the weather is nice. I like sitting down along the canal to eat. You can buy some sandwiches at some cafes in town before heading to the chateau. There are a few near the train station. Or there are a couple cafes in the gardens that I believe sell sandwiches. The market, if we are thinking the same one, is on one of the main squares in town; facing towards the chateau it will be to your right. But it's not very close to either the chateau or train station. I forget the hours and days it runs. There are also some nice cafes, patiserries and boulangries in that part of town. Bags can be checked before entering the palace itself. If bikes can be ridden outside the grounds, there is a convenient side entry closer to the main city center (where the nicer restaurants and shops are). It is along Boulevard du Roi and should be marked on the maps. PS - Versailles is a very pleasant city. Most people just aren't interested in it since the chateau dominates everything.
Posted by
Green Bay
21153 posts
We were there last week. Several out door cafes with fast service and good food. Bike rental is down by the "Grand Canal". The BIG problem at Versailles (if you are a women) is the bathroom. Facilities are totally inadequate. We ordered lunch at an outdoor cafe, my wife excused herself to use the facilities, the food came, I waited 15 minutes, then ate my lunch before it got too cold, and finaly she returned. Toilettes have no seats! One toilette per 10,000 people!