mwoodrowe

does anyone know if there are any private tours of versailles? i know you can get there and try and get on the tours but no reservations are allowed. we are traveling with 2 children and being able to reserve a tour would be so much better for us. knowing how crowded it gets i was thinking a private tour would be better. perhaps a local guide? thank you

AnthonyGA

The crowds are there whether you have a "private" tour guide or not.

There are self-guided tours and group tours with guides. Take a tour with a guide if you really feel that you need someone to explain things to you. Most of the palace is empty rooms. The gardens are pretty but huge. Children may have a limited tolerance for the place, since most of the rooms look the same, and the gardens just go on and on.

SDA1

The Chateau does offer professional guides. I've used them before with a group of students and they are excellent. However, you need to request a guide about 4 months in advance. I tried to hire a guide for July and they laughed (politely).

cf5657

I don't know if you can prebook tours but there is a seperate place you go at Versailles to book the tours. You can take one of the Queens Rooms, Kings Rooms and I think there is something else. I'm not a big fan of guided tours but the ones at Versailles are excellent. Try to get to Versailles either early or late. It should help with the crowds. Also, make sure you wear comfortable shoes. Lots of walking.

shancie

Last October, my sister and I booked the group tour of Marie Antointette's private rooms the morning we arrived at Versailles. On our private guided tour at least, only the other people who had paid for this tour were actually in the rooms with you. An attendant brought up the rear of the group and locked each door after us. I do not think you can see these rooms on your own. And it was an extremely excellent tour which I am so glad we decided to do.
This guided, group tour was quite a relief, because the self-guided tour of the State Apartments was packed to the brim with crowds. So if it's crowds you want to avoid, at least for an hour or so, it might be good for you to go this route and book an additional charge tour, rather than just take the self-guided tours (or in addition to them as we did). As I recall there were several to choose from in the morning and afternoon and they may have different choices on different days.

I am not sure if you can book them weeks in advance, but I really don't think so.

There is a separate area to buy tickets to these tours, but it shared a door with the line where you buy the entry tickets. We didn't have to buy entry tickets, because we had bought the combination train/Versailles entry tickets, but we did have to plow our way past the people who were in the line for entry tickets, which was a little disconcerting because it appeared as though we were cutting in line. But when you get through the door, take a right where you will find the area to pay for private tours.