My wife and I visited Versailles in the summer of 2003 and I am just getting around to compiling my album. Most of the relevant information concerning Versailles can be obtained by a decent travel book (I used Rick Steves) or on the web (eg. www.chateauversailles.fr), but here is a list that gives a bit more detail.

1) You need a whole day to see Versailles; don't try a half-day trip. A whole day will leave you exhausted but satisfied. A half-day will leave you exhausted & frustrated. Remember: It is closed Mondays!

2) Get there early! It opens at 9:00. Tour the chateau in the morning or later in the day, but remember that entry is not permitted a half-hour before the closing time. They are strict about this. But there is hardly anyone left towards the end of the day - a good time to see it if you're not too tired. Large tour groups and throngs of people in narrow hallways make the middle of the day crowded and unpleasant.

3) Dress according to the weather, as you will be spending a lot of time outdoors touring the gardens. In the summer, don't overdress as the chateau gets hot & muggy. Wear comfortable shoes; running shoes or soft-soled shoes. I saw a few women with heels and they looked like they wanted to amputate their feet!

4) Always carry a water bottle - you'll need it. Bring some food for lunch. There is a restaurant near Entrance A, but it is small, crowded, hot and expensive. Weather permitting, eat outside and people-watch or enjoy the view of the chateau. (Note: I'm not sure, but there might be a new restaurant being built)

5)Bring some small change in Euros. You need them to get into the toilets. If you don't have change, tell the attendant that you just want to wash your hands - that will probably work.

6)If you don't want to lug your packsack around, there is a baggage check inside. It will cost you, but I don't know how much.

7) If you're staying in Paris, you need to take the RER-C train from *selected* Metro stations to Versailles Rive Gauche (R.G.) It takes about 45 mins. Check out the departure stations carefully. We were in Paris 3 years ago and the RER stop at St. Michel was not operating. Guess what we found last summer? Right! The same station was still not in service. We went to Invalides, which seems to be a safe bet, but it cost us a lot of time.
Ask for a round-trip ticket. I forget the cost, but you can pay with a credit card. Keep the ticket, as you need it to exit through the turnstiles at the RG station.
The walk to the chateau takes about 15 mins. Easy, just follow the signs.

8) BUY A MUSEUM PASS BEFOREHAND!! Can be purchased at Metro/Railway stations or most museums. They are good value and you can simply walk straight into the chateau through Ent. B. Both times at Versailles we had these passes; both times we encountered no line-ups. Without the passes, you will be stuck in a long line-up at Ent. A. (To find Ent. B, walk straight towards the center of the chateau, past the equestrian statue. Look to the right-hand side to find Ent. B.

9) I recommend one of the guided tours: the King's Chambers, which includes the not-to-be-missed Opera House. The audioguide may be fine; I don't know. But our guide was interesting and enthusiastic - well worth the money. On the other hand, we also took the tour of the Queen's Chambers - a waste of time & money.
If you take the guided tour, go to Ent. D (on the left-hand side as you face the chateau). Go there as soon as you arrive in the morning to book a reservation. Tours in English are given only a few times/day and book up quickly. With or without a museum pass you pay extra, depending on the length of the tour. (4-8 Euros; 1-2 hr.) After making a reservation you are free to explore the chateau on your own (remember: Ent. B) until your tour begins.

10) Be prepared to pay extra for everything at Versailles. For instance, the gardens. We were there on Sunday, which costs an additional 6 Euros/person for the privilege of seeing the 'Musical Fountain Display'. (During the rest of the week it costs 3 Euros) However, the musical fountain was only displayed between 11:00-12:00 and 3:00-5:00. Check these times because they might change. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed with either the music or the fountains, but that's just my taste. My wife enjoyed it.
But the gardens are spectacular and the view from the chateau overlooking the Grand Canal is magnificent.

11) You can rent bikes, take a tram or a horse-drawn coach (not included in the price of the gardens)located behind the chateau. I don't know the cost.

12) I recommend walking because there is so much to see that can only be appreciated close-up. Take your time and meander from side to side as you walk down the Royal Drive. As you are going downhill, this walk is fairly easy. There is still a sizeable (flat) walk to get to the Hamlet, the farthest attraction after you reach the Canal. (20-25 mins.) If you don't want to walk, you can catch the tram which stops just to the right side of the Canal. There are several places to buy food, drink and ice-cream in this area. You can also rent boats to paddle around in the Canal.

12) Don't miss the Hamlet. It's lovely and picturesque. It has quaint flower-covered cottages, nice gardens and a small animal farm.

13) I was only moderately interested in the Petit & Grand Trianons. If you have the museum pass, you just walk in. No museum pass, you pay. The tram also stops in front of the Grand Trianon (I'm not sure about the Petit) so you can ride back up the hill to the chateau if you want.

I hope that this helps.

Excellent tips! I'm glad to see that you strongly recommend a full day, and doing it on your own using the RER and then taking the guided tour of the apartments. I cringe when I hear about the tour that takes you to Giverney & Versailles in the same day! I would also like to recommend the audio guide so you know what you are looking at during the unguided segments.

Well done!

Thanks for sharing, gregory

thank you for these very helpful tips!

Gregory: thanks for the great tips!

I definitely agree about spending a whole day. I had planned a 1/2 day and spent the whole day anyways. It was worth it to really take in the whole place. The gardens are just wonderful to explore. I wasn't thrilled with the Trianons either but since I had a Museum Pass, I ventured in them.

I want to also mention that if you get to Versailles and don't have a museum pass yet, you can purchase one in the Tourist Info place before you get to the palace. It is on the left as you walk to the palace. I was floored by how empty it was in there. Try that before standing in line at the palace. And please please get the museum pass! You will be so pleased to walk pass the crowds when you have one.

How much does the museum pass for Versailles cost? Is there a como for RER tickets & Versailes.

Thanks

knaya

Although you can buy a ticket in advance for Versailles, what most are referring to by 'pass' is the general museum pass which you can buy at train and major metro stations) in 1, 3 or 5 day versions. The price just went up, alas - in 2002 it was € 30 for 3 days, I think, and € 15 for 1 day (?) Not sure what it is now but it will be in the ballpark.

I seem to recall RT ticket on the RER was € 4.

To gregory's fine list of tips I would add: it is well worth taking time the day before to visit your planned RER station to make sure you understand what train you will be taking. You do not want to lose time if you are planning to visit in the morning - you MUST get there by 0900 because the crowds build incredibly rapidly. Or visit late, as gregory suggests.

Also there is a decent restaurant just below the paid section of the gardens, in what I think is the former stables. A hearty lunch for two was around € 35.

We were there from 0900 to about 1530, and I agree, a shorter visit would have been frustrating.

I just came back two weeks ago from Paris. We got the chance to visit Versailles. A few clarifications: To check your bags is free. I checked my back pack at no charge. Audio Guides are worth it (7 Euros each). We got them for the King's Chambers and it worked great. The gardens were free (At least in March 2004). We got the tickets for the RER on the Metro station. We paid ~ 2.50 Euros each. For some reason we didn't have to put the ticket to let us out of the Versailles Rive Gauche station. The trip from Javel station to Versailles took 25 to 30 minutes. I timed the train (Yes, I'm a freak). We spent around 6-7 hours there and got to see some of the main areas. I will recommend a full day.
Have fun,

Obi Juan

Here's some updated information about Versailles. We were there 3 weeks ago.

From Paris, the train costs €2,50 single ticket. Or if you have 5 people, you can buy a carnet (10 tickets) for €20,00. You can take the RER, or you can take the commuter trains. For example, if you stay near Montparnasse, there are about 6 trains an hour towards Versailles-Chantier (more frequent than RER), and takes as little as 13 minutes. From Versailles-Chantier, the walk to the chateau is about 10 minutes LONGER than from Versailles-Rive Gauche.

There are two main tours of the main chateau. The State Apartment alone costs €7,50. This is covered by the Carte Musee (for this year, its €18 for one day, €36 for 3, and €54 for 5). However, this doesn't cover the audio rental for the State Apartments. [Not sure how much this costs.]

The other tour is the King's Chamber. This costs €4,50, AND INCLUDES the audio rental. This part is NOT covered by the Musee Carte. If you don't have the Musee Carte, you can buy the combo tickets for both the King's Chambers (including audio) AND the state apartments (does not include audio) for €12,00 (no discount). However, the benefit is that after you finish the King's Chambers, you can get in to the State Apartments at a different entrance, and don't need to wait in line for tickets again.

The PARK is free, but some gardens cost €3,00. Don't know which gardens they're talking about. The two Trianon palaces cost €5,00, and is covered by the Musee Carte.

There are TWO sitdown restaurants near the Apollo Basin. There's also a snack bar there (it even sells beer). And you can rent bicycles there.

There's a "mini-train" that goes Chateau-Apollo Basin-Grand Trianon-Petit Trianon. It costs €3,50 one-way, and I think you can hop on and off within the day.

The gardens between the Trianons and the Queen's Hamlet is being remodeled after some storms a couple of years back (or something like that). You need to walk around the back of Petit Trianon to get to Queen's Hamlet.

Just to add to the confusion, the prices of different sections of Versailles change according tothe seasons. For example, we went in November and the gardens are open and free. However, the statues are bagged, there are no flowers and the musical fountains are turned off for the winter.

If you have the museaum pass (good for most Paris museums), you can go to the information right inside Versailles and they will give you a brochure with maps and locations of restaurants, restrooms and the entire grounds. We had the pass and were directed to the entrance to the left (facing the front) with the tour groups. There weren't any tours there at the time so it wasn't crowded.

My advice is to check the Versailles web site to get prices for when you will be there. It also helps to check what is open and what is not.

I read yesterday that Madame de Pompadour's apartments have just been opened...did any of you visit those? From the pictures, they look like a worthy stop during a day at Versailles.

If you're traveling with children, you might want to give them a "preview" of the decorated rooms at the Carnavelet or the Louvre. When I was a kid, I just LOVED that stuff (I can still remember visiting Mt. Vernon when I was 6), but all 3 of my kids thought that the period rooms at the Carnavelet and the Louvre were one big yawn, so we knew that they would have a very low tolerance for Versailles.