Versailles For The Day
A day trip to Versailles is a great short excursion from Paris. While there are many companies that do trips to Versailles, we recommend taking the RER train directly to “Versailles Rive Gauche” on RER line C.
Planning your visit to Versailles
Please visit http://www.chateauversailles.fr, FNAC, or SNCF for current pricing.
Buy your entrance tickets in advance at:
FNAC boutiques
FNAC sells the following advance-purchase tickets
- Day Pass
- Palace Ticket
- Marie-Antoinette Ticket
- Audioguide Pass (under 18s, disabled people, welfare recipients, undemployed workers and students of certain art schools).
These tickets are sold at:
- FNAC boutique ticket outlets (in France, Belgium, Switzerland)
- by telephone at +33 (0) 892 684 694 (€0.34 euros per minute)
- on the FNAC website
SNCF (French National Train Company)
The SNCF offers the “Palace of Versailles Leisure Pass”, a ticket which includes a round trip rail ticket and a “Day Pass” for the Palace of Versailles.
The “Leisure Pass” allows you to take advantage of a preferential rate and priveleged access to the palace.
It is sold at Transilien SNCF ticket booths in stations located within zones 1 to 6.
More information available on the Transilien website
To optimise the organisation of your visit, go directly to entrance A Gabriel Pavilion of the palace if you have your ticket. If you do not have your ticket, go to the information desk in the Ministers’ Wing of the palace.
map of estate
Practical Information
To avoid long queues: visit the palace on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (avoid school holidays!). Avoid Pentecost weekend, 1 May, 8 May, 14 July and 15 August.
To avoid all queues:
- visit in the morning between 9 and 10 a.m.
- visit in the afternoon between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. (high season) and 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. (low season).
If you are only coming to visit the Estate of Marie-Antoinette and Grand Trianon, go directly to the Grand Trianon. (tickets available on-site.) Please note: Petit Trianon will be closed until June 2008 due to major restoration work.
A mini-train provides a shuttle service between the Palace and the Trianon: useful to get you to the Estate of Marie-Antoinette and the Grand and Petit Trianon.
Opening times
- Versailles is generally open 8:00 am – 6:00 pm, six days a week. Slightly later in the summer.
- The Palace of Versailles is closed every Monday. The Grand Trianon is open daily after noon (12 p.m.). The parks and gardens are open 7 days a week, except in bad weather or during special events. see complete details on opening times
Public transport
By train:
the nearest station is “Versailles Rive Gauche” on Line C of the RER; the Palace is an 8-minute walk away. Follow the signs or the crowd. 85% of the people on the train will be going to the Chateau!
- By bus from Paris:
take bus n° 171 from Pont de Sèvres metro station; the bus stop is just opposite the Palace.