we%26#39;re planning to visit Versailles on July 14. we%26#39;ll leave paris first thing that morning but need to be back in paris by about 6pm. i would love to hear how others have spent their day at Versailles! what is a must-see? what do you wish you had skipped? thanks for any guidance!
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WE went twice in 2006. Once just husband and me, the second time with the 3 kids (16,19,20). The first time we missed the guided tour. We walked around the palace and then took the tram out to the trianons. It was very cold so we did not get out. the second time last November, I made the family go on the guided tour. But, after about 2 hours with our French tour guide my family was ready to go. I loved it however and wanted to go on the tour of the trianons but we ended up coming back to Paris because they were Versailled out.
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thanks for your input! it%26#39;ll be me, hubby, and 18-yr-old daughter who is very into castles and very excited to see Versailles (we%26#39;re heading to Loire after Paris to see even more castles!). we%26#39;re not tour-guide oriented so are planning to tour Versailles on our own with maybe an audio guide for part of the day. we are also trying to stay very flexible, especially since we%26#39;ll be visiting Versailles on Bastille Day - who knows what the crowds will be like that day!
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We spent a full day there with a guide and loved it a few years back. This time we are going to purchase a pass and do it with the audio guide. I want more time to walk the grounds, which are beautifull. We also plan to have lunch by the canal. Then spend the afternoon exporing the Trianon%26#39;s.
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Make sure you see Marie-Antoinette%26#39;s Hameau. It%26#39;s full of über-quaint houses with thatched roofs, surrounded by pretty gardens. The Hameau was where she liked to go to play %26quot;peasant%26quot; and get away from the hustle and bustle of court life. And try to take a picnic or at least a sandwich for your wander in the park - it certainly cut time spent standing in lines! We went into the Petit Trianon and didn%26#39;t find it particularly exciting, but it might be more interesting if you read up on it in advance (not a lot was in English and staff hurried you around, so we didn%26#39;t learn as much as we would expect to in museums). But above all: Rent a golf cart or take the %26quot;tram%26quot; if you can! Young, fit and foolish, we attempted the grounds on foot. The day ended with my partner parked in front of a huge marble column at Grand Trianon and refusing to move, having an %26quot;ideological tantrum%26quot; over French monumentalt architecture...
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My God but you are brave. There is no way I would survive that. Take the tram and save your feet. I wanted to go to the Hameau but my kids could take no more after the guided tour. I ahve a degree in history so I was in Heaven. We ended up back in Paris at Notre Dame. So all ended well.
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We had the pass that included the audioguide. The audioguide was great for us---just enough info to make it interesting without being overwhelmed and we could repeat the info as many times as needed to absorb it.
If you are a reader, I highly recommend Antonia Frasier%26#39;s biography of Marie Antoinette. Reading that before seeing Versailles really made the chateau come alive!
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I agree with the book. Having read it and seeing all of the famous painting in the book in real life was fascinating.
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Antonia Frasier has a new book about Louis XIV which is just as good as the Marie Antoinette book.
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I%26#39;ll have to get the Louis XIV book. I wrote a paper about him in college. He was quite an interesting man to say the least.
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I am going to Versailles on Saturday and I cannot wait-- especially after reading the Fraser book.... I can barely contain myself-- my poor husband!
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