Tips for Visiting Versailles

Chateaux de Versailles is one of the most-visited attractions in France. It receives more than 7 million visitors annually. Because of this, the buildings and grounds are teeming with people. Mac and I spent well over 5 hours exploring there and we came out in one piece. Here are some of my best tips for visiting Versailles (and not losing your mind).

Tips for Visiting Versailles

Tickets

Tickets can be bought online or at the palace. I’d strongly recommend buying them online. When you arrive at the palace (after first going through an intimidating long, but quick moving security line) you’ll either go to Area A (ticket holders) or to Ticket Sales and then Area A. Save yourself at least one long line by getting the tickets online and going straight to Area A. (Note: there is an Area B – this is for unaccompanied groups with prior booking).

In the realm of online tickets you have a few options and you can be selective and just see a few things, or go all out and see everything.

• Passports. These will let you in the Palace, the Gardens (incl. the musical gardens and fountain shows), and the Trianon Estates, and any temporary exhibitions. There are 3 options: Timed entry, ordinary, or 2-day. They range from 20€ – 30€.

• Palace Ticket (self-explanatory. Allows you access just to the Palace). 18€

• Estate Ticket (allows access for the Trianon Estates, Marie-Anntionettes Farm, and the Gardens.) 12€

• Musical Gardens &/or Musical Fountains Ticket. (just entrance into the gardens during the music/water shows). 8.50€ – 9.50€

• Year in Versailles Card. Includes unlimited access, line skipping, and more. 50€

• Free Admission. If you’re under 18 y/o, or under 26 y/o AND a resident of the EU.

Mac and I opted for the Passport with the timed entry. We selected a time to visit the Palace (1:00pm) and were guaranteed access within 30 minutes. After the security check, we went straight to Area A in a separate line for timed entry ticket holders. Once the clock struck 1:00pm we were able to jump the line with all the other Area A ticket holders. This saved us lots of time & energy! (27€)

Hot Tip: If you’d like the standard Passport ticket (20€) but are planning on going on a day when there are musical/fountain shows in the garden, the ticket will automatically be increased to 27€, so you may as well get the timed-entry ticket for the same price and save having to wait in line!

Audio Guides

Audio Guides are included in your ticket, and I’d highly recommend getting one. (They offer them in 7 languages.) The audio guides tremendously helped us during our walk through the Palace. They helped to give context and insight to what we were seeing when we entered each room. This allowed us to appreciate the Palace even more, I’d say.

What to Pack

Visiting the Chateaux de Versailles is not a quick adventure. It’ll take all day. Because of this, it’s better to come prepared so you can stay comfortable all day. Wear comfy shoes (you’ll be walking a lot). Bring a backpack with a refillable water bottle, snacks, and sunscreen (for when you’re touring the gardens). We stopped at a grocery store and the Markets de Notre Dame (more on that in a sec!) and loaded up our pack with items for a classic French picnic (a baguette, hummus, a tomato, olives, fruit, and chocolate). We had a small lunch before our 1:00pm ticket time and then a second lunch at one of the picnic areas in the gardens.

*Food is available to purchase at one of the two restaurants on site, but it’ll cost a pretty penny (and there will likely be more lines).

Take a Look Around

It’s easy to get caught up in seeing the big ticket items – the King’s Throne Room, the Hall of Mirrors, the Estate Rooms, and the Chateaux and Gardens themselves. But for me some of the more interesting parts of the Palace were found in the intricate details. The gilded frames, the massive & detailed paintings on the ceilings, the ornately carved concrete; these were what most caught my eye.

The Crowds

These tips for visiting Versailles wouldn’t be complete with a mention of the crowds. As I mentioned above, this spot is a hot destination for visitors. You will be shoulder-to-shoulder with people throughout the Palace. There’s no real avoiding this, however I have heard that the crowds dim later in the afternoon (after 2:00pm – 3:00pm).

The pictures in my Chateaux de Versailles blog post are a bit deceiving. Most of the time I angled my camera up towards the ceiling to crop out the masses of people in the shot. Most of the time, our surroundings we like this:

The hoards of people are just something you’ll have to accept. Most will wander through the rooms with genuine curiosity like yourself, but you will encounter those toting selfie-sticks, screaming babies, people using flash photography (when you’re strictly instructed not to!), and more. If you go in with a positive attitude, and keep in mind that it’s just temporary (touring the Palace will take anywhere from 1-2 hours), then you’ll be golden.

An Ideal Visit

If Mac and I were to go again, and for those looking to visit, I’d do things a bit differently than what we did. I’d still get the timed entry Passport ticket, but for a later time (2:00pm or 3:00pm). In the morning, I’d go exploring both the Trianon Estates and the Gardens. You’ll be able to use your Passport Ticket to enter the gardens and the estates in the morning. The gardens open at 8am so I’d meander through them first before eventually making my way to the Estates which open at 12pm. (Bikes, golf carts, and train trolleys are available to save your legs the walk over to the estates which is ~15min.)

After the gardens and the estates I’d then make my way to the timed entry line in Area A. From what I’ve heard the crowds in the Palace are much less overwhelming later in the afternoon. After touring the Palace you’re free to head back to your accommodations for a nice, relaxing evening.

Another option for your morning in Versailles is to visit the Markets of Notre Dame. The covered and open-air markets just down the street from the Palace are overflowing with produce, artisanal goods, flowers, and more. These markets are the second largest in France and the oldest in Versailles. We saw produce of every shape, size, and colour (including bulbs of garlic the size of my head!), aromatic flower stands, and more. It really was a feast for the eyes (and ears, and nose, and belly).

The covered markets are open everyday except Monday starting at 7am. The open air food markets are open Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday from 7am – 2pm. (The non-food markets are Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7am-2pm)

I hope you enjoyed these tips for visiting Versailles and that if you make the journey there that they are useful. The Palace, Gardens, and Estates are so full of history and art, so no matter how you shape your visit, you’re bound to be impressed.

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