ira,
How perfectly Perfect !

Yes, it was.

I went to Versailles last week (July 23). It was beautiful and I would definately go again.

However, the trip took a great deal longer than 30 minutes. We took the Metro to the RER only to find that the RER and purchased our tickets. The woman did not speak English and I do not speak French. She did not tell me that the RER station was closed. We exited the Metro station to go into the RER station and found it was closed. There was a sign that said something about taking a bus to the next RER station, but it did not tell us where to find the bus. After wandering around the intersection, we found another American who seemed to know where to find the bus stop. We got on the next bus and someone told us to get off at the first stop, which we did. That was not the correct bus stop. We had about a 20 minute walk to the RER station, where the rest of the trip went smoothly. In total, it took us well over 2 hours to make the trip and it was VERY HOT!!!

Bottom Line - make sure the RER station is open before purchasing your ticket and leaving in the morning. Several RER/Metro stations are closed in Paris and they aren't often clearly marked. Do your homework!!

Also, my wife and daughters found no toilet seats/paper in the restroom in the gardens. The mens urinals were in plain view of the gardens. I hope your not shy

That sounds wonderful, Ira. I do see why you continually stay at the same hotel.

You sound a lot like my husband. Have you been giving him your secrets? Ha. Thanks for the details. Although my hubby does come up with some wonderful surprises, I'll be passing your story on to him with a little "hint, hint."

Just wanted to add that Versailles was perhaps the highlight of our stay in Paris -- which is saying a lot, as we were mesmerized by just about everything we saw. We too stayed at Versailles till they threw us out. Don't miss the opportunity to pay a visit.

That's a lovely episode, Ira.
You certainly didn't need dancing fountains.
Wishing you many more years of those moments.

The Museum Pass includes Versailles.

After reading other comments here I no longer feel quite so stupid that we too took the wrong side of the Y. Didn't have a problem coming back tho.

You can have a nice beer at the cafe across from the station if you have a wait for the returning train.

Here is the map of the RER lines:
http://www.citefutee.com/orienter/f_...rer&fm=pdf
The RER C is the yellow one, and Versailles Rive Gauche is the C5 terminus on the west.

Be careful when you take this RER to go to Versailles, because there are trains to Versailles, St Quentin en Yvelines, Argenteuil and Cergy Pontoise wich all go in the same way between Bibliothèque François Mitterand and Champ de Mars/Tour Eiffel.

My family really enjoyed renting bikes and riding to the Grand Trianon and the Petite Trianon. We also rented a rowboat on the lake. My teens and I really enjoyed this relaxing day and would love to return.

First of all I'm not saying that Versailles isn't beautiful. The Palace and the Trianons are spectacular...the grounds are massive and are pretty.
I'm a European history major so I know the history of France quite well as well as I know the history of Versailles. The Palace itself was not the issue of my disappointment. The "fountain show" was my issue of disappointment. We spent only five days in Paris and I wish I had not spent one whole day at Versaiiles waiting for the supposed spectacular fountain show at 3:30. Had I known exactly what the "show" was, I would have definitley done Versailles on another trip when time was not an issue or would have toured the palace and the Trianons, walked the gardens and then would have left earlier and gone back to Paris to spend the rest of the day.
I also understand that Versailles is not Vegas.I was not expecting Vegas..I was expecting a fountain show though. I also think the term "Fountain show" is misleading. It is not a show of any kind. It's merely the turning on of the fountains. Even the employees at Versailles couldn't understand why we were all so excited to see the "fountain show"!!!
All I'm saying is that if you're going for the experience that's Versailles, go...yes it's worth it...if you're going to see THE fountain show...then be aware of what exactly you'll be getting.