Versailles Travel Forum

Hello, we are visiting versailles in august, which is the "high" season. I have read from versailles reviews on this site that lines can be long. How can I avoid these long lines? I am considering 2 options a)take the all day Cityrama tour of versailles at 70E each or b) metro to gare st. lazare and then the RER C train to versailles rive gauche, & use the SNCF/Transilien combo pass. Can one bypass long lines entirely with the combo pass? We are travelling with 3 young kids; it may be hard for us to reach versailles by 9 am to avoid the lines. Thank you for this wonderful site.

If you have a pass, for instance the Paris Museum Pass or the one you mentioned, you can bypass the lines. Just go to the Information Office to get your guide pamphlet and they will tell you which gate to enter. (Information is through the very large entrance gate, to the front of the left wing as you face the chateau.)

By all means, take the RER. A tour for 70 euros each is an awful price!

thanks very much beausoleil. I have the paris museum pass already (got it from raileurope.com along with my train tickets); so glad to know I can use that to bypass the lines.

When we went in June there were two lines. One was for tickets. The other was to get in. The ticket line was long and with our Paris Museum Pass we didn't need that to stand in that one. The other line wasn't as long, and moved fairly quickly. We still had to stand in that one. Once you go through the big gates the line on the right side is the one to get into the chateau.
The crowds inside the chateau will probably be never ending. Just hold on to your kids and take the time you want to enjoy the rooms. They'll probably much prefer the gardens anyway so do plan to spend time there. BTW the PMP will give you entrance to the Trianons and Hameau as well. (But not the gardens if you come on a weekend when they have the Grandes Eaux fountain display.)

If you have children, do not miss Marie Antoinette's Hameau at Versailles. It is a great place for kids. It's Marie's idea of a medieval village where she and her ladies in waiting could pretend they were peasants. There are animals wandering all over the place and you can pet some of them and feed others. It's great fun. (I'm still a kid at heart and love these things!)