mycruise2000

Hello,

We are planning for 1 full day trip to Versailles planning on arriving at 10 am. Can you please help me with the following:

1. 4 hrs for palace and gardens is its enough?
2. After lunch planning on visiting Grand Trianon and Marie-Antoinette's Estate. I see there is Little train ride from Palace to Grand Trianon. For lunch I need to come out of the palace. Can I go back and get the train from the Palace of Versailles without going through the lines.
3. Or is there any other modes of transport from palace of versailles to Trianon .

Appreciate your input.

Thanks

dwdvagamundo

1. I'd plan to devote the entire day. The Palace is huge, the gardens mammoth, and the Trianons worth exploring in detail

2. There is no need to leave the Palace to eat--we had a really good meal in a restaurant right in the Palace. There are also budget options available sprinkled in various spots around the grounds.http://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-...lities?tid=188

3. The Trianons are on the grounds of Versailles, so I don't think there is another way of getting to them.

PalenQ

3. Or is there any other modes of transport from palace of versailles to Trianon .>

Yes a lovely walk I've done several times - maybe a mile at most? And a scenic walk through the vast park. (Trianon I think is by a side entrance to the park - to the town of Versailles- also interesting and often overlooked by visitors.)

nini

Agree with the above comments--devote the entire day. We were there in early June (2016) and skipped the palace since we had toured it previously. The Marie Antoinette cottage with the thatched roof was being restored so it was not open for visits at that time. We walked to the Trianons and took the shuttle back. There is a nice place for lunch on the walk out there--not far from the palace. It is charming and a better choice than the cafe within the palace--a stone building with outside dining and really nice menu.

annhig

my recollection is that the little train to the Trianon goes from the terrace in front of the Palace facing the gardens - so no need to go outside at all, in fact that would be entirely the wrong thing to do.

it's not really a train but one of those little tourist buses that you see in so many places got up to look like a train. Here's a link to the official website that tells you more about it, and about the restaurants too:

http://bienvenue.chateauversailles.f...round#!panel-1

nukesafe

The common advice from this Forum has been to arrive at Versailles before it opens in order to beat the crowds, which can be enormous. Ten o'clock arrival seems rather late to me, unless you enjoy standing in long lines. It has been a few years since we have been, but by being early we had the hall of mirrors almost to ourselves. Later in the day when the tour buses arrive it is elbow to elbow, I'm told.

Sue4

The last time I was at Versailles I first toured the Palace, ate lunch at a cafe inside, then took a lovely walk to the Hamlet (getting a little lost, but helped out with directions by some nice local French people). Then I walked over to the Trianons but was too utterly exhausted to tour them. I just remember that the shuttle train was packed and I had a long wait for a ride, if I ever got on. In fact, I think I had to walk back to the palace.

That was around 17 years ago in October. Now I'll be back in Paris in May and would like to go back to see the gardens and the Trianons (but skip the Palace).
I'm wondering if the shuttle train is always crowded like that (impossible to get on!),
as at my current age, I'm not sure I can walk both ways! Anyone done that shuttle train lately? According to the website the 2 Trianons and Hamlet don't open up until 12:30 pm, so an early morning visit before the crowds won't work.

But I do remember that the Versailles day was lovely - and definitely a full day.

mycruise2000

Thank a lot

Christina

I have never spent the whole day there (if that means 9 to 5 or 6) and I've been twice. Just wasn't interested in doing that, I wanted but I just can't spend that many hours looking at one historical site. Last time I saw the Palace and Marie Antoinette's estate, and the gardens, of course, you can't miss them as they are right there. I think I may have seen Trianon palace, also, at least the little one, but didn't spend a lot of time there. I did take that little train.

I didn't eat when I was there. I probably did spend only about 4-5 hours, like 10-3 (at least 10 by the time I got in, I had to wait in line a bit, at least 20-30 minutes, I'm sure).

Sue4

Well, 5 hours plus transportation time is practically a whole day! I wouldn't want to do much sightseeing after that anyway.

PalenQ

The common advice from this Forum has been to arrive at Versailles before it opens in order to beat the crowds, which can be enormous. Ten o'clock arrival seems rather late to me, unless you enjoy standing in long lines.>

Official site suggests arriving between 9 and 10am for shorter lines.

mycruise2000

We will try to be at the door by 9am. I see no food is allowed into the palace so we plan to eat the the garden cafes.

Any suggestions for Versailles cafes with Vegetarian options.

Thanks

michelhuebeli

Consider turning the day around, visiting first the gardens and then the Trianon and the other Marie-Antoinette building (name escapes me) as they open at twelve noon.

We arrived a bit before ten and the line was all across the humungous square and out onto the street, and it didn't move. Some tour guides who see this all the time told us we could expect more than a two-hour wait to get to the entrance of the palace.

Turns out that the entrance to the gardens is free (at the far end of the square), not many people go that route early, and at 12 Noon we "did" those other buildings, then had a bite to eat.

By the time we got to the Palace again, approaching 2PM I think, we walked right in - the buses had started to pull out.

scrb11

I'm looking at visiting on the 11th, if the weather is good.

Can you buy tickets online and use electronic tickets from the phone? Won't have access to a printer.

Do they force bags to be checked?