I will be in Paris for 5 days and would like to take a day to get out of the city to see some castles, gardens, etc. Is it best to take a day trip to Versailles or the Loire Valley? Which is more breathtaking?

I think the Loire more breathtaking but also more time-consuming and difficult. For a day trip I'd opt for Versailles. It's plenty breathtaking, you can get there by RER and it's pretty much a must see. Be sure it's open the day you intend to go. Besides a regular closing day each week, I've bumped into strikes, etc. that have meant the interiors were closed when I went--of course, the gardens alone are "worth it."

I think it depends on your viewpoint. The Loire would get my vote; Versailles my husband's.

The Loire itself is "just" pretty. The castles are great.

Versailles is breathtaking all of itself.

Thanks-
When you say 'breathtaking'--what is it about it that is breathtaking? The gardens? Am I correct in that it is just one castle?

Versailles is a single palace (not castle) with outbuildings and massive gardens.

The Loire is a large river valley with literally dozens of chateaux - many of them palaces - but some that did start as castles (fortified buidlings for military purposes). I find the Loire much more interesting - but it's not really possible to see much of it in one day - it really takes 3 or 4 days to see a variety of chateaux and understand the whole area.

For a single day I would do Versailles - it's much more manageable. You'll be able to see exactly what you want and spend the most time in the areas that interest you.

If you take one of those one day bus trips to the Loire you're limited by the schedule of the guide - and see only what they think important - perhaps missing things you would love and spending a lot of time on a place that doesn't interest you (or in the dreaded souvenir shopping).

Hi JP,

I thought that Versailles was very nice as palaces go, but IMO it isn't any more spectacular than the Paris proper sights(ie. don't skip Notre Dame to see it). If you've seen everything else in Paris that interests you, Versailles is worth a few hours for sure.

My thoughts would go as follows...
Have you been to Paris before? If no, then you will find lots of things to do in Paris that taking time to go somewhere else would take away from some of the must-sees in Paris. It could be argued that the Louvre is a castle!?
If you have been before, would you want to go somewhere for a half-day or a full day. I see that Parisvision offers a 12h tour of the Loire. With the Loire, you get chateaux, countryside, quaint villages,etc..A tour would probably be the way to go, commentary,etc...Renting a car and driving in/out of Paris and finding your way around would kill too much time. If I was to self-cater, I would take the train over a car. Versailles, on the other hand is massive and impressive. Easy train ride out to it, guided tours of the interior, gardens are immense. There are also bus tours, but going on your own and just taking one of the guides tours would be fine. If you go early enough, you could miss the buses, and still not use up a full day.
Breathtaking....Loire scenery would qualify, the Parisvison tours includes Chenonceau and Chambord, both of which are fine examples. Versailles, the interiors are opulent, and the extent of the gardens is awesome.

Hope this helps
Mike

If yes, I would consider the Loire

Thanks! I have been to Paris before, but am taking my mother and sister (their first time). I want to 'wow' them! Has anyone actually taken the one day bus tours to Loire? There is no way I am going to attempt to drive there Its ok that it is just an overview of the Loire, I think it would just be nice to give them some idea of the countryside...

Hello JP:

If you want to take a day trip to see a 9th century fortress and one of the extant works of the Middle Ages, head straight for Angers in the western Loire valley. The Chateau D'Angers is an impressive structure with 17 massive
cylindrical towers on the banks of the Maine river, a tributary of the Loire river. There is a well integrated gallery which houses the Apocalypse Tapestries woven in the 1380's. Angers is a very easy ride from Paris, only 90 mins on the TGV and the Chateau is a 5-10 min walk from the TGV Gare St-Laud station..

Regards.
Luis

Hi jp,
I have taken Parisvision tours before, but not the Loire one...but.. I have been to the three castles that they visit...Chenonceau is perfect, one of the most scenic of the Loire castes, small,nice interior, nice grounds. Chambord has a stunning exterior, with hundreds of chimneys, very large, I found interior a bit "cold", Cheverny has very nice interiors.

http://www.parisvision.com/fr/index....;ki=gb3s0d2ytu

Parisvision also does a Loire winetasting tour.

Mike

If your mother and sister haven't been to Versailles and you want to "wow" them, I suggest Versailles. I love the Loire but in our experience it is a place to take a relaxing trip from place to place, enjoying the countryside, the chateaux, the food, etc.; breathtaking but not in a day-trip sense.

Hi JP,

if you do a search on Loire, you'll find quite a few reviews of the one-day bus or van tours offered by Parisvision and Cityrama. I'm not saying this to be annoying, I just don't want to sound like I'm pushing them...I've reviewed them before.

When I went to Paris with my mom last year we went to Versailles independently, and went on the van tour to the Loire. We actually enjoyed the Loire tour more. We got to see 3 chateaux, and it was very stress free. I liked Versailles, but we took the wrong train, got a little lost, and had some minor issues finding our way around. nothing bad, just not as much fun as letting someone else guide us. Also, I found the gardens at Versailles underwhelming. I like English gardens much better....less formal, more flowers.

So, Mom and I really enjoyed both, but enjoyed the Loire tour slightly more.

The cityrama Loire daytour is longer than parisvision, much cheaper, and much, much more frequent: http://www.graylineparis.com/tour_detail.cfm?tour_id=59

Versailles has closed half of its famous hall of mirrors, but make up by going during the summer weekend fountain show - see its webpage

JP:

We were in Paris for 8 days 2 weeks ago and did the side trip to Versailles, as it was only 40 min from our hotel (in the 2nd Arr) via metro/RER.

While Versailles was breathtaking & didn't chewup a lot of time, if we had been in Paris for only 5 days, we would not have taken any side trip as there is just too much to do & see in Paris.

BTW - much of the 'wall of mirrors' is closed for rennovations (not actually closed but the mirrors are covered) and the fountains in the gardens were not operating, but Versailles was still breathless (especially the gardens).

Z

Thanks-
WIll the hall of mirrors be shut down for a while? We are going mid-may. It seems like that is one of the big draws---

From your suggestions, I think we will wait to see if we have a day to spare and if so, head to the Loire! Thanks for all of your help!