My husband and I are traveling to Paris in a couple of weeks. We plan to travel to Versailles. A few people told us the best way to get there is to take a group tour bus. We wanted to go on our own, take our time and wander around. Can%26#39;t we take the train? If so, is the castle far from the station, will we have to take a taxi or a bus. How long does it take to get there? Can we use our museum pass there? What is the best time of day to go?
Thanks for the help !
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The RER (express train) goes straight to Versailles. It is the last stop on the line (I forget the line, B maybe? ...but someone will know!) and I think the name of the stop is Versailles-Rive Gauche. It is about a ten minute walk from the station to the chateau...maybe a third of a mile. Easy to find; just follow the crowds. The only hard part is walking on the cobblestones leading up to the chateau. Really, a tour bus is unneccessary.
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I agree with wantstogonow...a tour is not needed, unless you want one when you get there. We took our four daughters on the train, and did not need any additional transportation. It is a slight walk from the station to the Palace, but very pleasant.
Just so you know, it is very dusty there...wear shoes that can be cleaned easily (like leather and use a wipe on them after!).
I think you can get a train ticket that includes entrance to the Palace...cannot remember. I seem to recall that our Museum Pass included Versailles.
Also, you can rent a golf cart to get around the gardens...would have liked to do it, but all the ones for a larger party were taken when we were there. You do need to pay extra for the entrance to the gardens, but it is well-worth it. The gold cart would have made getting around the huge gardens much easier. Lovely day there!
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Very easy by train - line C - (the yellow line - if you do a search for Paris Metro you can look at a map of the metro - Versailles Rive Gauche is the very bottom left) it is the end of the line but make sure you get the correct one as it splits at the end. No need for a group tour - it is an easy walk from the station. I seem to remember it required a supplement on top of the tickets you get in a Garnet - different zone maybe. But it has been a while.
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RER %26#39;C-5%26#39; ligne, from any of the Left Bank stations--any train heading in the direction of VERSAILLES-Rive Gauche...any train with a %26#39;..V xxx...%26#39; designator. 5,30 €uro round-trip--approx 40 minutes...trains run approx every 15 mimutes most of the day and night.
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I took my 14 yr old son last August. We did Versailles on our own. It was easy and cheap. If I can do it you can too. Ask at your hotel if you need help finding the nearest station that has trains to Versailles. For us it was Invalids( sp, ?) . Train was cheap, and walk to chateau was short and easy.
We rented bikes in the gardens to tour around canals , cheaper then a golf cart and you can go everywhere with them!
Spend the day, I also suggest buying a sandwich and drink in the town before entereing Versailles, the stuff inside was really exspensive and not good , a baguette was like 8 or 10 euros and it was a small peice with a sliver of ham,nothing else! had to buy son two of them , and pop (soda) was also outrageous. You are allowed to picnic on grounds, and many people do, I was envious of their much better looking lunches!
It is a wonderful day trip, and the town is pleasant to wander through.
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We visited Versailles last October. We were there around 12 o%26#39;clock, and it was crowded, starting already from the train and train station in Versailles. And when we arrived the castle, I was almost ready to turn back because there were so many cars and so much people... Glad I didn%26#39;t, because Versailles was just so great.
We had Museum passes and used them there. You could access some parts of the castle with it and then the garden and Petit and Grand Trianon (not much to see in those two, I wouldn%26#39;t pay for them but with Museum Passes it was ok). The lines to the ticket sales in the castle were really long, so we were really glad we could skip them. Even with the Museum Passes we still had to wait to get to the castle, but it was only 5 - 10 minutes. And again, it was crowded in the castle. Sometimes I wanted to study some room closer, but I felt like I was swept away by the crowds.
The gardens in Versailles were beautiful, and the highlight of our trip in Paris for me. I especially enjoyed Queens Hamlet, which is in the other side of the gardens, maybe half an hours walk from the castle. It was so beatiful and calm there, after all those crowds. There were even moments when we couldn%26#39;t see any other people, there were just two of us! It was wonderful just wonder around in the gardens, without hurry.
And now I am just dreaming to get back there...
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We just did Versailles ourselves and the posts give you accurate info. It was about 30 min. each way for us on a Sunday. My husband is 60 and has had a knee replacement.
We got food in town and there are lots of choices. We used our museum pass and by-passed the lines. The entrance is %26quot;B%26quot; and is to the left of the %26quot;A%26quot; entrance (the one with the long line!). There is an extra charge to enter the gardens because the fountains are going this time of year. We had hoped to rent a golf cart, but they were all gone. We paid 5euros for the tram, but decided the wait was too long. We walked out to Le Hammeau and by that time my husband was glad to take the tram back.
What day of the week are you planning to go? We went on a Sunday and it was really crowded. Oh, make sure you buy the RER ticket for this; you need more than a regular metro ticket.
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We are going on a Wednesday. Do you or anyone know how much it is to rent bikes. And how much is it for the gardens.
Thanks for the help.
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We are going on a Wednesday. Do you or anyone know how much it is to rent bikes. And how much is it for the gardens.
Thanks for the help.
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I don%26#39;t know how much it is to rent bikes at Versailles. We are doing the Fat Tire Bike tour to Versailees in July. You meet at Eifffel Tower and It is 50 Euro and includes the RER, Versailles entrance fees, Audio guide etc. They take you to the Versailles market for picnic stuff and you have a guide. I am sure it is more than doing it on your own but I read good reviews about it and am really excited. We have %26#39;done%26#39; Versailles and weren%26#39;t that keen to do it again but the rest of our group had not been before. Now I am excited to see more of the grounds - I really wanted to go to the end of the Grand Canal and it is too far by foot. Please post back with your experience and let us know what it was like. have fun.
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