We are going to be in Paris mid-May for three days prior to a river cruise and I would like to spend a good part of a day at Versailles. I've been doing a lot of homework but would appreciate any tips that anyone might have. Merci.

Haven't been there for many years now, so can't be specific. But, get there early, wear very comfortable shoes (there's lots of walking involved) and take some water to drink. Keep up the French, though probably waiters in Paris will answer you in English, even if you're fluent! Bon voyage et bonne chance!

In addition to the other tips: Plan to take a tour otherwise you will miss out on a lot of interesting things.

Reserve the entire day for this trip. There is a good cafeteria there where you can have lunch.

In addition to the building, plan to spend some time in the gardens.

Sue

Thank you both for your helpful tips.

The grounds are very large, but they do offer golf carts for rental if you want to see some of the building farther away. Beats walking and is much faster.

Boating on the canals is fun as well.

You can get a pass to major attractions in Paris that is good at Versailles as well. Then you do not have to stand in line to get your tickets. We got one at the Arc de Triumph were there was no line.

Thank you, RobT. I think the golf carts could be money well spent as we are planning to spend the better part of a day there , assuming it isn't raining.

go early in the day, it gets crowded when the tours come in.
cafeteria is fine.
Place also closes early !!!???) like 5 or 5:30 even tho lots of daylight left. I think they charge extra money to come in at "night")
wear sun screen and a hat , long lines to get in, you stand in the sun for an hour, even if u already have a ticket (gee seems they could add some shade, how long has it been there??)
poorly managed in my opinion the garden tour train shuts down if the one loader attendant has to leave for 15 minutes
based on 2015 visit.
Also went in 1986 paid for an english tour, got a chinese french woman guide who spoke almost no english and was in a hurry.

On my first visit to Versailles in 2003, we went early and finished later in the afternoon. We tried to find a restaurant, but this being France, they did not open for dinner until later. I forgot the time, but we did not want to take a late train back to Paris, so we just took the train back and ate in Paris.

thats what we did too

My wife and I were there two years ago. Some thoughts:

1. If you have the Museum Pass for a number of placers in and around Paris, check out the discounts for Versailles;
2. Get there the minute it open s up and before the busses pull in (Mondays and Tuesdays are preferable;
3. Plan on spending a day there. If you need to see every room, it will take that long.
4. Watch out for pickpockets in the main square. They will try to distract you and take something of value to you - like your camera. Keep your stuff closed and don't speak to anyone except an official tour agent.
5. If you have the energy, plan to visit the gardens and Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon. It might be worth an extra day just for that.
6. Train ride to and from Paris to Versailles is easy and inexpensive. The Versailles Gare is about 2-3 blocks from Versailles. Hard to imagine Louis XIV wandering around the outskirts of his palace.
7. Enjoy your visit. Bonne journee

Many thanks. We leave tomorrow!

Thank you all for your advice. We had a great time. Versailles was spectacular - a bit like the Grand Canyon in that you have to experience it personally; pictures don't do it justice. We did make reservations(7.50 euros each) for a 9:30 tour of the King's private apartments which helped us skip the very, very long lines and had purchased the Paris Museum Pass to cover the admission. Took the 8:00 train out from Paris(very easy). We spent the whole day and did rent a golf cart to tour the gardens which was money well spent.

Glad you had a great visit.

HI JimandBeth! I visited the Versailles with my friends 2 months back. There’re lot of beautiful tourist places there but we actually wanted to see the interior of the Versailles castle, so we had to wait for more than an hour to buy tickets and afterwards, for almost two hours to get the gate pass. So, I advise you if you wanted to see versailles castle in Versailles go for a advance booking to make sure you see all the attractions that you want on vacation.