versailles vs. Chartres
 

It seems that there is much more to see in Versaille than Chartres but having been to the wonderful ornate palaces in St. Petersburg, will Versailles be very similiar? Is there a village for wandering the way it sounds like there is in Chartres or is the palace and the gardens the focus? Appreciate any input on what you loved about each. Thanks

Interesting question. The village around Versailles cannot compare to Chartres. So, from that point of view, I'd pick Chartres. Not having been to St. Petersburg, I can't compare Versailles to that Russian site. But, keep in mind that to truly see all of Versailles could take the better part of a day, so the surrounding area is probably not a consideration for a one-day trip!

The palace at Versailles is indeed history itself. I studied the French Revolution in a history course, but I never could fully grasp the causes of the rage of the people until I visited Versailles and saw the lavish luxury in which the monarch and his followers resided.

Versailles has also been the scene of many momumenal conferences that shaped the history of the world and the lives we lead today.

So if you want to view a place where history was made, a palace that is literally history itself, then visit Versailles. There is no other place like it in the world, or in history.

(Well, I rule out that somewhat lower grade effort by Ludwig of Bavaria to imitate Versailles at Herrenchiemsee. It comes up a little short, even though it cost a major pile of money.)

Impossible to say one is better than the other - beauty is in the eye of the beholder and each dazzle me. As they are on the same train line, you could do both in one long day. The Chartres cathedral is about a croissant throw from the Chartres train station. chartres is much more a typical regional town with cute parts but Versailles also has an old town, recently restored, that most visitors to the chateau don't take time to visit. Hop into the Versailles tourist office near the chateau and get their walking tour of the old town. Similarly in Chartres the tourist office has walking tours, when i was there with cassettes they provided. Versailles chateau is closed on Tuesdays i think.

I have not been to Versailles, but I have been to Peterhof, the palace in St. Petersburg. Our guide told us that Peter modeled it on Versailles, but that it was not as ornate as the original!

I think there is more to see in the entire Versailles complex than in Chartres, of course--and that the chateaux definitely is the focus, at least for tourists. It seems to be a destination for various business conferences and things like that. You could wander around it, although I don't know of anything too special there other than the chateau. There is the building where the Treaty of Versailles was signed which I think you can visit, some parks, and a church.

Versailles isn't a village, however, it's a city of about 100K population, if that affects your thoughts on this. It has 2-3 train stations, for example. There is an antique market there, if you are interested in that. I haven't been, but I think it's an area of permanent shops -- it's called Passage de la Geole. Here's a link to that:
http://www.curiositel.tm.fr/versailles/geole.htm

I haven't been to Russia so can't say.

The palaces and gardens and Petit Trianon and Grand Trianon and Marie Antoinette's hameau, etc., are all, yes, the focus of a visit to Versailles. You could certainly spend some time in the town itself (it's quite large) and enjoy a café or shopping, or whatever, but one goes to Versailles to spend several hours gawking at architectural and other excesses, not to enjoy a French village.

By contrast, one goes to Chartres to gape at the cathedral and how on earth it was built at the time it was and to marvel at the windows and, one hopes, to listen to Malcolm Miller "read" them to you so you understand how those early architects living in the Age of Faith were actually telling stories, not only putting stone on stone. The village is nice and affords ample opportunity to wander around after you've taken in the cathedral.

But Chartres and Versailles are really apples and oranges.

I haven't yet been to St.-Petersburg, and I can't tell from your post whether you're hankering for another experience similar to the ornate palaces there or looking for something different.

I would take Versailles over Chartres. Versailles has lovely, extensive gardens to amble in after you have seen the palace and famous 'Hall of Mirror.' You can easily spend an entire day there. The town of Versailles is small, ok. Not terribly charming, but then again the tourists are coming for the palace. Please note Versailles is closed on Mondays. Also, if you purchase the "Musee Carte" for other museums in Paris, it can be used at Versailles as well.

Chartres, on the other hand, just has the beautiful cathedral and you are done. However, the town is charming (albeit its restaurants are a bit high priced but that is to be expected for a tourist attraction place).

At Versailles you can't rent a rowboat on the lake --very romantic, if you're with a Significamt Other. You can also just lie on the grass by the lake there too. I actually feel asleep there once. It's so peaceful and relaxing. You can buy chocolate crepes at a little stand there, too.

As much as I loved Chartres, I don't see how you could choose it over Versailles.

Whoa...you CAN rent a boat in Versailles. In Chartres you can't (no lake!)

Sorry for any confusion--these damn popup ads keep interrupting my typing and making my posts unreadable. Grrrrr.

Several years ago I visited Versailles on a 1/2 day tour and was unimpressed. Way too fast; whizzed thru the palace only and "viewed" the garden (it was October and nothing was blooming). Several years later I spent a day in Versailles, month of May (train in, not a tour) and leisurely wandered the whole palace area. It was so much more delightful. Personally, I don't think you can really appreciate Versailles and it's history without seeing the whole site. During this same vacation (a month in Paris) I also visited Chartres wherein I loved the cathedral but I think Malcolm Miller's tour (with binoculars) adds so much more to the Cathedral visit. However, his tours (at that time - May) were around 12:30 & 2:30) cut right into the middle of day making it prohibitive to visit more than Chartres during a day trip. Admittedly, I didn't wander all over Chartres, just lunch and a few shops but you can do that anywhere.

thanks to all for your replies. We are in Paris now and I guess I am leaning towards Versaille based on your response. Thanks much.

I overwhelmingly prefer Chartres over Versailles. Versailles is, of course, extremely important historically, and seeing it is part of our education in European history. But I didn't actually ENJOY seeing it, I hate very lavishly decorated palaces, and I was glad to leave when the visit was over.

Chartres, on the other hand, was a pure pleasure to visit. While there, I thought back to everything I'd read about the history of building of gothic athedrals, and about how the soaring, upward movement of the structures reflected medieval religious attitudes, just as the very different, more earthbound, structure of Renaissance buildings reflected the human-oriented thinking of that period. The windows are spectacular to see, and I enjoyed staying inside to watch the effects of the changing light through the colored glass as the day progressed. I also loved walking around the town, and found it a very peaceful and refreshing place, and I admired the view of the cathedral from many angles.

I visited both of these places only once, just a few days apart, in 1983. I'd love to return to Chartres, but not to Versailles.

Ever since I posted on this thread, I have been thinking about Chartres, and thinking that I'd like to visit it again. There's now a new thread in the top 50 asking about the merits of visiting Chartres, so I'm topping last week's thread now.