Versailles
 

Is it possible to rent a golf cart to tour the gardens at Versailles? Is there any special assistance for disabled guests?

There's a small train that goes around the gardens.

Yes, there are golf carts for rent, they are however first come first served and very popular so get there EARLY. I would arrange to arrive before it opens

I also suggest you go on the versailles website, its a good website with tons of information, but you do have to hunt around a bit for specifics.. .

en.chateauversailles.fr/

The formal gardens have alot of rough ground( pea gravel) and I imagine pushing a wheelchair through parts of it would not be so fun.

Check on the map of the estate at the bottom of this page: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/prepa.../single/access
Near #4 is a symbol for "electric cars" which appears next to "disabled facility".

Well just spent a few minutes on the website, you do have to hunt a bit, but yes, they even have maps of the paths and parts of the palace that are wheelchair friendly. They also least a phone number for the electric carts , which are meant for those with mobility issues, so perhaps if you speak french or know someone who does a call might be a good idea. If staying in a hotel , and are real nice to a desk clerk, they may call for you ( I have stayed in places that would do such a thing, i have also stayed in places that wouldn't lol )

A big thank you to all who responded. The web site is indeed very informational.

I am still a bit confused. Is electric cart and golf cart, the same thing? Where would I go to rent one, and can it be used to go to the Trianon Palaces and Marie Antoinette's hamlet etc ?

They are electric golf carts. You rent them at a kiosk behind the chateau on the left. We rented one when visiting Versailles because my sister has mobility issues. It was a lot of fun, but not cheap. (You pay by the hour.) The carts have a GPS device that makes you follow a fixed route. You can go out to the Grand and Petit Trianon, but to go to the hamlet you'll need to park and walk a bit.

Yes and you are on set or restricted routes, they actually will turn off if you tried to drive them off the routes.. ( this is not a bad thing in a way, you won't get lost!) They do this so people don't take them off the property or take them into delicate areas, or areas where there are alot of pedestrians.

You will have to walk into the Hamlet but its worth it if you can manage, the paths lead around the buildings( and yes, they are so quaint) , by the ponds ( filled with HUGE koi)