Go to the link above and click <i>spectacles</i>.

Versailles is where the French Revolution and World War II began¹. Its historical significance for those two events alone places it head and shoulders above any other castle in Europe.

¹ See &quot;Versailles, Treaty of&quot;

bookmarking!

On our last day in Paris we chose to walk to the Gardens of Luxembourg Palace and we were not disappointed. It is beautiful and grand. We took some sandwiches that we had bought at Paul and strolled over to the Palace and the park. I understand on Sundays it is filled with Parisians and children out enjoying the day and if the weather is nice the park is filled with people out having fun. We took lots of pics. Didn't have to take metros or trains. Strolled back to our hotel in the 6th stopping at a cafe or two on the way. Bought some ice cream and crepes to keep us going. Lovely, lovely day...and relaxing.

I've been to Versailles two times and took tours arranged on the spot each time. Although both were of the main palace they were to different areas which were fascinating. The English speaking guide was amazing and our group was only about 20 people. She managed to take us to rooms and places where we were the only people there which made it very easy to hear and ask questions. Very worthwhile in my opinion but if you only have 3 days I'd skip it as there is so much to see in the city itself.

If you use <u>all</u> of the audioguides provided with the <i>Forfait Loisirs</i>, you will spend about 3½ hours touring the premises. I don't have anything to compare them to, but the recordings seem to take you to all the little nooks and crannies, and give you the lowdown dirt on the royals, too.

The entire venture takes a half-day - or 1/6 (16%) of your time on the ground on a 3-day trip.

I would wait to go to Versailles on a future trip to Paris when you have more than 3 days. There is so much to see and do in Paris. I am addicted and try to get back every year.

Btw, our friends went on our last day in Paris and they came back exhausted. But they had been going on a sightseeing frenzy, trying to see EVERYTHING in our six days in the city. They said that the Hall of Mirrors was half open now, if that means anything in your decision. They did like it, but said it was huge grounds to cover. I think they rode a little train around the estate, which helped to see more of the gardens.

Thanks for the info-bookmarking.

We've decided we're definitely going to Versailles - probably get there early on Sunday. The rest of your advice was great. Now we're looking into hotels that are centrally located. Thanks for the tips!

You don't need to limit your hotel search to the central area. The further away from Notre-Dame you get, the better lodging values you find.

You <u>can't</u> be close to everything, so you're going to spend a certain amount of time enroute from place to place no matter where you stay. We much prefer buses for this purpose. There are about 70 routes within the central zone.

When you've settled on someplace to sleep, ask the hotel which bus lines run nearby. You can print out route maps for each bus by substituting the line numbers for the &quot;17&quot; in the following URL:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...&amp;nompdf=17

(N&deg; 17 is the Balabus that runs up and down the Seine on summer Sunday afternoons.)

Robes -
We are hoping to be in close proximity to at least one sight - preferably the Louvre area. Any suggestions on good hotels?

Can't help you there - we shop further out, where the real estate values aren't so outrageous.

Robes, you mean Batobus boats on the Seine, right?

Angela, we just stayed in the 6th on Rue Bonaparte, very centrally located. LOVED it. They arranged pickups from the airport and they speak English. The location is great, about three blocks one way to the river or three blocks the other way to Rue St. Germaine. It is called St. Germaine des Pres and here is the link:

http://www.hotel-paris-saint-germain...h/Location.htm

No, I mean Balabus. Why don't you click the link?

OK, I clicked the link, but it is hard to see. Is Balobus the bus line and Batobus the boat line?

Angela,

More hotel and activity recommendations. In March, I stayed at the Hotel des Duc de Bourgogne, in the 1st. It's a cozy, clean little 3-star place on Rue de Pont Neuf, just a block and a half from the Seine (so L'Ile de La Cite is just over 5 minutes away) then the Hotel de Vile is a 10 minute walk to the east, and the Louvre just a 10 minute walk to the east. I paid 340 Euros for a 3 night weekend package, Also, 10% of their rooms are designated non-smoking, which was a real plus (I think these are all on one floor).

This was a great base for exploring the Marais. I used Degas's Marais walk, breaking it into two half day segments; see:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34747572

I also took an afternoon to see a few rooms in the Louvre - I'd been before but still wanted to see the salon with the large-scale French works (Delacroix, Gericault, etc) and Mona Lisa again, and still had time to check out a few galleries I hadn't seen before (Egyptian - and Near Eastern antiquities,whichh were pretty amazing).

Because of the great hotel location, I also had time to explore the Ile de Saint Louis in more depth than I'd been able to before, visited Notre Dame again, checked out several great public markets (food and horticultural) on the weekend. It was also a short hop over to St. Germain Des Pres for dinner one night, and again for wine tasting the next day.

Sounds like a lot for 3 days (I did even more, not covered here) but it was a breeze with such a well situated base of operations.

The question Central or Peripheral hotel location is like the question Versailles yes or no. There is no wrong answer and it depends on what you feel you want/need. But on this point I personnally feel Robisphere's advice is right on.

We did the Louvre in the AM and Versailles in the PM last Oct. In the Louvre, we studied the map,and just went to see winged victory, venus de Milo, Mona and the Marley Horses. That took a couple hours. Then we took the train to Versailles and just saw one section and no gardens. If you are the type that moves quickly and are happy with the highlights, do it. It was my 4th trip to Paris, so I was fine with this approach. I know I will go back again!

&quot;Louvre in the AM and Versailles in the PM&quot; is a long day, but doable. Just accept the fact you'll be tired. The good news is that restaurants are open until late, and there are many acceptable bistros, good for a bite or some drinks, 3 to four blocks away from the main chateau gates, so you are in no hurry to leave. As you are approaching the chateau from the north, there is a small tourist office to your left. Nice folks. May want to inquire inside about eating spots and how late the trains run back to Paris if you are going to run late.