Versaille trip with 8 and 5 year old from Paris
Feb 12th, 2008, 11:44 AM
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Versaille trip with 8 and 5 year old from Paris
Any advice on side trips from Paris with an 8 and 5 year old? We are contemplating Versailles. Is it worthwhile, expensive, difficult to get to?
Feb 12th, 2008, 12:39 PM
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Well, I think it would be fine for youngsters. I am taking my 12 yr old this summer, I myself have been there before with my older son( 14 ) and on my own 3x times , so this will be my 5th time.
The older child is old enough to learn a little bit of history,, ie: this is where the last king and queen of France lived, see how nice it was, the people though were very poor and..." etc. If your kids are girls they will like the book " Marie Antionette Princess of Versailles " . It is a Scholastic book and very good , my daugther read it at 10 and has recently reread it to " get excited" about seeing Versailles.LOL
The best part is even your younger child will like the gardens, fountains, and visiting Le Hameau, Marie A . little fake frech farm house,, LOL
You can rent bikes on the grounds for 1/2 hr up to the day, you can also rent row boats.
Recommend strongly that you buy some picnic food and eat on grounds, we have done this serveral times.
The RER is a 1/2 hr ride, ( most kids like trains) and was only 5 or 6 euros return.
One thing is a museum pass allows you to skip lines to enter palace , and the lines can be insanely long, so eiter go FIRST thing in am( before it opens) or get a pass.
The older child is old enough to learn a little bit of history,, ie: this is where the last king and queen of France lived, see how nice it was, the people though were very poor and..." etc. If your kids are girls they will like the book " Marie Antionette Princess of Versailles " . It is a Scholastic book and very good , my daugther read it at 10 and has recently reread it to " get excited" about seeing Versailles.LOL
The best part is even your younger child will like the gardens, fountains, and visiting Le Hameau, Marie A . little fake frech farm house,, LOL
You can rent bikes on the grounds for 1/2 hr up to the day, you can also rent row boats.
Recommend strongly that you buy some picnic food and eat on grounds, we have done this serveral times.
The RER is a 1/2 hr ride, ( most kids like trains) and was only 5 or 6 euros return.
One thing is a museum pass allows you to skip lines to enter palace , and the lines can be insanely long, so eiter go FIRST thing in am( before it opens) or get a pass.
Feb 12th, 2008, 12:45 PM
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I was in Versailles over the winter holidays, and it was hell! The lines were hours (and I mean 3 and 4, not kidding) long. You should definitely look into getting the "passport" mentioned on the Versailles website, it means you can bypass one of the two really long lines.
Otherwise, the grounds are a ton of fun to walk around in. You can rent a little glof cart to drive yourself, or you can buy a ticket to the little tram (hop on, hop off convenience). The little ones will probably enjoy that.
I personally thought Versailles was a bit of a disappointment. Having been to other castles in Europe, I thought the presentation and furnishings left much to be desired.
The train to get to Versailles is fairly easy, but be sure to stand at the front end of the platform, because the trains are often short, and the tourist all have to run and scramble up the platform to make it.
Definitely bring snacks. There is a McDonalds right opposite the train station - everyone goes to the bathroom there, the line is long, but still shorter than at the palace!
Otherwise, the grounds are a ton of fun to walk around in. You can rent a little glof cart to drive yourself, or you can buy a ticket to the little tram (hop on, hop off convenience). The little ones will probably enjoy that.
I personally thought Versailles was a bit of a disappointment. Having been to other castles in Europe, I thought the presentation and furnishings left much to be desired.
The train to get to Versailles is fairly easy, but be sure to stand at the front end of the platform, because the trains are often short, and the tourist all have to run and scramble up the platform to make it.
Definitely bring snacks. There is a McDonalds right opposite the train station - everyone goes to the bathroom there, the line is long, but still shorter than at the palace!
Feb 12th, 2008, 03:03 PM
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My kids were just that age when they went for the first time. They loved it. Renting a boat was fun. It was absolutely worthwhile. The food market in the town of Versailles is very nice (open only in the morning, as I recall) and the small town area has several nice little restaurants. We like staying there the night before and being at the Palace when the doors open in the morning.
Feb 13th, 2008, 06:53 PM
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johnny,
here's an excerpt from our side trip to Versailles with our kids. although a little older, the logistics may help.
"DAY 5: Versailles
We were on the 9:15 train to Versailles and there by 10! We waited until Saturday to visit so we could see the fountain spectacles, and we bought the Versailles pass at the train station that includes your train fare. The kids just needed a train fare.
The kids were eager to go, since they had learned about the French Revolution, but unfortunately, our visit was a bit of a disappointment.
Although we didn’t have to wait in line to enter, once we got in, we were herded like cattle through the rooms and through the hall of mirrors. Truly, it was wall-to-wall people and you had to worry about losing eachother. We could barely enjoy it since it was such a claustrophobic and frustrating experience.
The gardens were a nice relief. Don’t miss the Orangerie, which is off to the left as you enter the gardens. It is beautiful. We rented bikes and rode to the Trianons and to Le Hameau. Everyone enjoyed that.
But then it started raining, so we headed back to the train station, and were sitting in CAFE BONAPARTE, eating delicious Croque Monsieurs again by 1pm. This place was also great, and recommended by this forum. "
here's an excerpt from our side trip to Versailles with our kids. although a little older, the logistics may help.
"DAY 5: Versailles
We were on the 9:15 train to Versailles and there by 10! We waited until Saturday to visit so we could see the fountain spectacles, and we bought the Versailles pass at the train station that includes your train fare. The kids just needed a train fare.
The kids were eager to go, since they had learned about the French Revolution, but unfortunately, our visit was a bit of a disappointment.
Although we didn’t have to wait in line to enter, once we got in, we were herded like cattle through the rooms and through the hall of mirrors. Truly, it was wall-to-wall people and you had to worry about losing eachother. We could barely enjoy it since it was such a claustrophobic and frustrating experience.
The gardens were a nice relief. Don’t miss the Orangerie, which is off to the left as you enter the gardens. It is beautiful. We rented bikes and rode to the Trianons and to Le Hameau. Everyone enjoyed that.
But then it started raining, so we headed back to the train station, and were sitting in CAFE BONAPARTE, eating delicious Croque Monsieurs again by 1pm. This place was also great, and recommended by this forum. "
