Anytime I told anyone I was going to Paris they emphatically told me to go to Versailles. I studied the chateau, gardens, and fountains in art history class, so I was really excited to go. I fully expected to wait in line, be charged a ridiculous price, but I really thought it would be worth it. WRONG! Once you have seen one room of the Chateau you've seen them all, they are overdone, gaudy, and there are enough pictures of Louis to make you gag. I went on a day when the fountains were on in the gardens and that I'm sure was the main reason I somewhat enjoyed them. Marie Antoinette's hamlet was cute, but so far from everything that unless you want to pay 8 euro both ways for a tram you are forced to walk a few miles to even get to it. All in all, Versailles reminded me of an overpriced, overcrowded, underwhelming Disneyland. Don't be tempted to go even if everyone you know raves about it.

What can I say about Versailles? If you haven't been, it is a must do on a Parisian holiday. Over the top opulence that has to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately, because Versailles is so popular, the most difficult aspects are the crowds. It is definitely a one whole day affair, and by that, I mean, you should start at 9 am when the gates open. Buy your tickets ahead, or if you haven't purchased your ticket, you can buy it from the Tourist Centre about 200 m from the gate. You can't miss it as you will walk past it from the train station to the palace. Otherwise, expect to queue for a long time for tickets.

Preferably, go on Saturday when they have the musical fountains. An absolutely gorgeous sight. Once you have your tickets, head straight towards the Grand and Petite Trianon via the gardens. Once you've finished, grab a quick lunch at the restaurants at the far end, then head back up to the main palace. Don't eat in the cafeteria as it is relatively expensive and crowded. Next do the palace. Aim to finish your touring by 4 pm so that you can enjoy the musical fountains.

We did Versailles this way and managed to see everything in about 5 hours. Tip to parents with young children. Unless they are babies and will sleep in your arms, don't do Versailles with small children. The experience is totally lost on them because all they see are legs and bodies and not much of anything else. Versailles is huge, so be prepared for walking and being on your feel all day.

Merci Bocoups Tripadvisor family!

As a result of reading many reviews, we approached Versailles armed with some important information. I will reiterate some, tell of our event and make some additional recommendations. If you want to spend a lot of money, there are many opportunities – some of them ARE tempting. However , we set about to do this in a budget and took heed of many prior suggestions.

MUSTS:
1. Bring your own food and water
2. Bring comfy walking/hiking shoes
3. Prepare a few different layering options (chilly and sunny on Aug 5)

TRUTHS:
1. The place is ENORMOUS and will take many hours to see only selected parts
2. Women’s bathrooms have longer waits – don’t go to the one nearest the Chateau
3. The staff is indifferent – expect nothing and you’ll still be surprised (somehow)
4. The signage is sparse and sometimes confounding
5. You will be seeing the outside of many more buildings than the inside
6. There are many, many, many people and picture taking is often a shared experience

OUR CHOICES:
1. Skip the Chateau – (you may do as well to buy the picture book)
2. Walk the gardens and head to Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet
3. At the furthest point is an entry to her Hamlet and gardens alone (10E per person)
4. Print out Google map of gardens
5. Skip the official parking and continue around to the South border of the gardens. Lots of free parking along that side with an entry gate very convenient

WISHED WE WOULD HAVE:
1. Rented bikes from the Metro station (didn’t see it to know for sure)
2. Stopped at the Tourism office (cool maps we saw but never got for ourselves)

Our trip benefitted from all previous visitors and their suggestions AND required very little prior planning. We drove from 10KM away and only paid the entry to Marie Attoinnette’s for a total of 20E. We enjoyed the time we spent there and didn’t spend more than the value we got.

Versailles Palace is beautiful and worth taking a day trip from Paris to see. The self guided tour is very informative. I learned a lot about French History during the tour. Unless you pay extra for the little train to go to the Petit Trianon and Grand Trianon, I wouldn't as it is a very long walk. The gardens are beautiful and there are a lot of restaurants in the town.