rickandpat

First visit to Paris for us, Friday late morning (jet-lagged, will visit Louvre in the evening) until Mon. evening (Monday is when many museums and Versalles are closed). That leaves Sat. and Sun. Is it insane to go to Versailles on a June Sunday, even if it's a free museum day in Paris (so others might stay in Paris to visit them)? Or is Sat. our better bet, and we'll just brave the crowds for the Orsay Museum Sunday. Thanks!

melissa19

From what I understand, free museum Sundays are crazy in Paris. I think I would go to Versailles that day and see the Paris museums on Saturday.

Enjoy!

TPAYT

We've been in Paris on free museum Sunday, and the lines are way too long to even consider.

Go to Versailles. The Palace and beautiful grounds are so huge, it won't matter how many people are there. Don't miss Marie Antoinette's houses. They are a long walk(we did it) or a tram ride away from the Palace.

The D'Orsay is wonderful , and a really nice small museum is the Carnavalat in the Marais.

Ronda

I realize you are going to be in Paris just a few days and a museum pass might not be worth it, but with the museum pass you by-pass the lines and Versailles is included. We so loved that museum pass at Versailles when we went in July and we had gotten there as early as we could in the morning.

I highly recommend taking a guided tour as well. You get to go in rooms that aren't otherwise open and the guides are so knowledgeable.

off2CU

I visited Versailles on a Sunday and the lines were long. From what one of the workers at Versailles said, it is always crazy in the summer. That said, I'd still go to Versailles on Sunday because once you are inside the grounds, its not super crowded.

The good thing is that the fountains should be running and that IMO is a MUST SEE!

We purchased a Forfait Loisir ticket - it included (as of July 2007): round trip RER tickets, admission into all locations (except special exhibits) and audio guide. You can purchase them at the RER station.

There is a special line for Forfait Loisir ticket holders - it is long but not as long as the line just buying tickets. But be prepared, it is not the most organized so ask lots of questions to make sure you are in the correct line.

Christina

I was just at Versailles last summer on a Sunday, and it didn't bother me that much at all. Sure, there are crowds, but it's a big place, so it didn't really matter to me that much. A lot of it is outdoors, anyway. The only place it mattered that much was in the interior, but in June, I think it will be crowded any day (tourists are the ones who go there, mostly, in any case).

I bought the daily Versailles pass with the RER ticket from the RER window, also (Forfaits Loisir), so the line wait at Versailles wasn't too bad.