Hi...I've been away from the forum for a while and never saw this. So here goes...

We took the Metro/RER to Versailles. It's RER-C. Then it's maybe a half-mile walk through town. It was no problem at all and we weren't stuck with a tour schedule. We bought the Paris Museum Pass and it includes admission to Versailles.

It was really pretty amazing in it's size and grandeur. But IMO perhaps too big. Walking through, it was room after room with the same renaissance art and the whole thing was pretty much blending together after a while. We probably enjoyed walking around the grounds more than the interiors.

A friend recommended Fontainebleau as more manageable...but we felt, we're going to Paris, we probably should see Versailles.

We did not go to Giverney. We were told the gardens are lovely, but that it's often very overcrowded, and at times it can be uncomfortably hot...late May could be. We were also advised that the best places to see Monet's works were at L'Orangerie and D'Orsay, so that was our choice. The latter was spectacular and our favorite of the museums we visited in Paris. The restaurant at D'Orsay was also excellent, and the cafe upstairs is supposed to be very good. We found the Louvre to be somewhat overwhelming as well.