The garden Fountains should not be extra
We really felt ripped off as we waited for the prerequisite hour to get in the palace on our museum pass, okay, we expected that, sort of. . So, imagine our chagrin when the gardens, The Gardens at Versailles, were not included because there is a ‘new’ attraction that features the fountains accompanied by music. I was practically crying. The fountains only flow at 12, 3:30, and 5:30. Wow. Then, wait for it, we did, the fountains simply started flowing. Really nice but, seriously? That should be how gardens are, not extra. Between the crowds and the disorganized chaos, and, to me, the gardens not being included nor any water flowing in the fountains (!) I would skip this, or modify my expectations.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6455 posts
We felt the same way! Then we ended running around to see them when they "do their special thing" so we lost valuable time we wanted for other parts of Versailles. My husband, is very wise. He said, it is what it is, and just make do and have fun. The gardens were my favorite part of Versailles.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16538 posts
dsheehan,
To explain, the Musical Fountains and Musical Gardens shows are not "new" attractions: they've been warm-season features on pre-anounced days at Versailles for years. Yes, tickets for these events are extra if using the museum pass for entry to the palace. If you had spent some time with the chateau's website, you could have been prepared for that extra cost.
http://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/conditions-free-admission#free-admission
"The Park and Gardens are open every day. The access is free except during Musical Fountains Shows and Musical Gardens.
"Attention, on days with Musical Fountains show or Musical Gardens, access to the Gardens is free only for children under 6. Tickets for the Musical Fountains Shows or the Musical Gardens can be bought online or at the entrance of the Gardens"
"The Paris Museum Pass grants admission to the Palace of Versailles, the palaces of Trianon and more than 60 museums and monuments in Paris and the Paris region. It does not grant admission to the Gardens on Musical Fountains show and Musical Gardens"
This info also appears on the Paris Museum Pass page for Versailles:
http://en.parismuseumpass.com/musee-chateaux-de-versailles-et-de-trianon-64.htm
"Please note that during the « Grandes Eaux musicales (musical water shows), the musical gardens and the shows, the gardens and the grove are not accessible to the holders of the pass. You can find the dates and times of these events, in the calendar here."
Very sorry you were disappointed but no, the fountains do not operate all day, every day, or even all operate at the same time on days that they do. See an explanation why that is in the link below, plus the amount of water they consume is very likely why there's an extra fee.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3279 posts
Sorta like having to pay for parking at Disney World.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
There are a lot of people in the world that want to see the fountains operate at Versailles. For decades, the site has obliged on certain days of the week by turning them on at certain times. Because of the significant extra costs of manpower and water, not to mention maintenance, they charge a fee.
The fountains do not operate all at once - in fact they never did. Because they take so much water and power, they were always only operated on an as-needed basis. When Louis XIV would go for a stroll, crews would be ready with his route to turn fountains on and off so that he would never have to see a dry fountain.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16538 posts
When Louis XIV would go for a stroll, crews would be ready with his
route to turn fountains on and off so that he would never have to see
a dry fountain.
You've done your homework, Douglas! 👍
Posted by
Fort Wayne, IN, USA
2349 posts
It's good to be the king.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
“Between the crowds and the disorganized chaos... I would skip this”
dsheehan, I totally agree. Not because of the extra $ but because of the additional massive crowds. I went on a fountain day once. Never again.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
You've done your homework, Douglas!
Well I once lived in Versailles, so I know the gardens well.
The gardens are crowded in summer on fountain days. They are crowded in summer on non-fountain days. They are quiet and gorgeous after a snowfall, but that doesn't work for most people ;-)
The chateau is crowded in summer on fountain days; it is crowded in summer on non-fountain days. It is after all, once of the most heavily traveled sites of France.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
It's good to be the king.
Depends on which king - Louis XVI didn't fare so well...
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10621 posts
While living in Paris years ago, we popped over to Versailles after Sunday lunch for a walk in the then free-entry gardens. This was back around 1980. We were told we were lucky because the fountains would be displayed to the public for the first time after almost two-hundred years being idle. We had never seen water in any of them so thought it might be interesting. Then the water turned on, first in one, then another, but horrors of horrors—you couldn’t pay us to stay and watch. The whole place smelled like the sewers. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough and have never been back.