Paris Travel Forum

I know you can buy expensive tours that do both destinations in one day, but we are a family of 4, and I was hoping for a more economical way to go. We are staying in Paris and I see you can go by Train to Versailles, and then a train with a connector for Giverney, but can you go between them to make both stops in one day and then end up back in Paris for the evening.

Hi,

I would seriuosly think of doing them on seperate days unless you are really pushed for time.

We have done Versailles before and spent the whole day there. We are going back next month and intend to spend another day there. There is so much to see you really don't want to miss anything. The trains from Paris are great and you can pay and do the tours within Versailles that you want to do.

We have set aside another day for Giverney which will be our first visit so I can't say how much time you will need there.

This is the site for directions from Paris to Giverney
http://giverny.org/transpor/#vernon

Maybe some more experienced VTers will be able to advise

enjoy :-)

Your plan sounds too rushed. I visited Versailles just recently and spent most of the day there and would have stayed longer except I had arranged to meet friends back in Paris. There is an amazing amount to see in the gardens/Marie Antoinette's estate which involves a lot of walking. You can hire golf carts for EUR20 each which I thought at the time was quite expensive. However it ended up being quite a tiring day and my aching feet were certainly envious when one drove past me.

You dont say the ages of your family members but with so much to see and enjoy, it would be shame to just rush your visit.

I'm going to agree with the two posts above. Versailles and Giverny are not particularly near each other and it will take time to get from one to the other. We have spent full days at each and highly recommend it. Versailles is huge and there is a lot to see. You can take trams, golf carts and horse and carriage rides while at Versailles, but it still takes time. If you have kids of any age with you, you will not want to miss Marie Antoinette's Hameau. Kids (and grownups like me) love it. There are also two other smaller chateaus on the grounds . . . not to mention the gardens.

Giverny has Monet's house and gardens. These take time but can be done in a half day. However, there is the Museum of the American Impressionists and there are marvelous gardens there too (free!). The little town of Giverny is worth walking through if you enjoy small French villages with lots of flowrs. Also, keep in mind the train does not go to Giverny; it goes to Vernon and you will have to bike or bus to Giverny . . . more time gone.

Do the two trips on two days or save one of them for a future trip. You will enjoy it more and remember more of what you see.

As others have said Versailles is HUGE and really needs at least 2 days to visit. There is a great pass through the transport company Transilien which combines rail tickets, group entrance into Verseilles (avoids the huge queues) and audio guide - go to http://www.transilien.com/web/site/accueil/guide-du-voyageur/billets-abonnements/Versailles/lang/en and those golf carts, we'd wishes we'd taken those too. Can't comment on Giverney

Enjoy Verseilles it is truly magnificent

This may sound repetitive but I agree with all of the above...... I'm just giving my 2 cents because I've been to both places so my comments may be useful.

I've been to Versailles twice in my life, the 1st time we remained at the main buildings and the gardens -- didn't even know about the 2 Trianon palaces and the Marie Antoinette's Hameau (shame!!!)...... fortunately the 2nd time I was able to see the hameau and still didn't have the time (or the will) to cover the Trianons, so I just stayed at the castle, the gardens and then walked all my way to the hameau. That was TIRING. If you can catch one of the little buses that go around the palace area it'd be a lot better, because the entire tour can be really tiring. Even if you stayed only at the castle & the gardens, half a day or less wouldn't be enough to see it and then run to Giverny and do some more sightseeing there.

It's also true that there is no train that takes you to Giverny directly. I took a bike tour myself (info on my Giverny & Paris pages) which departed from Paris early in the morning: we hopped on the train to Vernon and biked from there to Giverny, saw all of Monet's house & gardens but didn't have any time left to see the rest of the village and I would have liked to have time to do that. But we had to bike back to Vernon and catch the train back to Paris, where we arrived by 7-8 PM....!! so I also think that seeing both places AND moving between them in one single day is way too much to cover. JMHO. Enjoy whatever you decide to do...

Thanks for all the replies. I would agree, that they both should be done on seperate days, but we only have 3 full days in France. I know two days isn't enough for Paris, but I thought we would try, and then one day for these two. I was in Paris a few years ago and went on a tour and was able to do them both in one day, but it was a very busy day. The cost today is over $200.00 per person and with teenagers I was hoping there was another option to get them both done in one day.

Any suggetions?

What time of year are you going? The gardens at Giverny are closed during winter. Also, Versailles gardens are open (and free) during winter but no flowers and the huge planter pots are covered with large canvas bags. The trees and water features are still lovely, but it is obviously winter. The fountains are not run during the winter, nor during the week in summer. That is a weekend spectacular during spring and summer. If you have your heart set on it, you need to check their web site and go on an appropriate day.

In winter, I'd definitely choose Versailles. The palaces are all open as is the hameau. There is a lot to see and do. Giverny is best seen in spring through early autumn. In high season, July and August, it can be horribly crowded so it you come later in the day, the lines may be long enough you won't get it. In July and August, you are better off in a tour group for Giverny unless you just want to wander the town and skip Monet's gardens.

Perhaps we could better advise you if you would tell us when you are planning your trip. Just a suggestion.

I will be traveling next week. Not on a Monday, so both are open.

With teenagers I don't think we could spend more than half a day at either place. Based on suggestions here, we would probably rent a golf cart for Versailles.

However, I couldn't find a train between the two of them. It almost sounds as though you have to do one by train from Paris, and then come back to Paris to do the other. That might make it really hard. Any suggestions for better travel between the two of them?

I guess we've all said that it is NOT possible to do them both in one day as you have already been able to confirm yourself......... UNLESS you have a vehicle of your own.... i.e. if you're in an organized tour which will drive you from one place to the other in a pullman/van/whatever, or if you rent a car. That's about all the options you have...............

We are in our 60s (genuine senior citizens) and we had no trouble walking throughout the grand chateau, the two smaller chateaus and out to and through the Hameau and back to the RER to Paris. If you want to do something for fun, take a ride in one of the lovely carriages pulled by a team of horses, not a golf cart. It's Versailles, a carriage fits in so well and will probably impress even a teenager. I think your teens will be fascinated by Versailles and if you walk all over the place, they should sleep well that night too. LOL

Honestly, we had no trouble spending a full day at Versailles and we didn't begin to see everything there.

If you plan to visit Giverny during July or August (high season), try to take one of the many tours offered in Paris. Otherwise you will spend more than an hour standing in line just to get into the place. We went in late June once and the lines were so long, we just left. That's fine; we had a car. If you take a train all the way out there, a bus from Vernon up to Giverny and then discover you can't get in, you will have wasted a day in Paris.

If you've absolutely made up your mind to visit Versailles and Giverny on the same day, seriously consider a tour booked out of Paris that covers both. In high season, it will be crowded and you will probably have a very hectic and unrewarding day of it.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip.

This is a proving to be a difficult problem to solve but all I can say is that your children are old enough to cope with a long tiring day and lets face it, thats what travelling is all about sometimes. It will also be light until quite late in the evening so if you have your mind set on doing both in one day, then just do it.

Both Versailles and Monet's garden close at 6pm so decide which of the two places holds the most appeal for your family and go there first. I say this because with the time you have, your second option is going to get whatever is left of the day.

Personally I would be at Versailles well before 9am, trust me there will be crowds even at this time of the morning, spend an hour in the Palace (not too much time in the gift shop though) and then hire golf buggies (to save lots of walking time and your teens will enjoy then) and go straight to Marie Antoinettes estate which opens from 10am. Plan to be back at the station by around 12noon. Check timetables beforehand so you aren't wasting time waiting on the platform, but allow 10minutes to walk to/from the Palace entrance.
Back into Paris (35 - 40 minutes) change trains and then off to Giverny. Have lunch on the move to save time.

Once you reach Vernon, which is a 45 minute trip from Paris, it would be best to take a taxi the five kilometres to Giverny, roughly EUR15.00 I would imagine. I suppose if you get there by around 3pm you will have three hours for Monets house and gardens and leave the village until later. Dinner somewhere then a late evening train back to Paris.

Hope this all works!! Sometimes things look good on paper but...

Good luck and have a great time.

Thanks for all the good advice.

I listened. We are planning on doing Versailles on Thursday, and Giverney on Friday.

Hopefully the lines won't be too long. I told the person at the train station that I wanted a train ticket to Versailles that included admission for 4, and she charged my only 17 euros, so I assume she only booked the train portion, but hopfully the line won't be too bad.

For Giverney I am buying the ticket to Vernon and we will either ride bikes or take a cab. Bikes sound fun, but is it an easy ride, and what do you do with the bikes when you are inside.

Thanks.

The ride is very easy as there's a path especially designed for bikes between these 2 places and the landscape is great.... you can admire the countryside as you go by, the road isn't bumpy and you just have to cross streets/roads 2-3 times, the rest of the journey takes place in areas where cars cannot come in. You could even tour Giverny on the bike and there are very few cars on the streets that you will have to watch out from. All very friendly.

I don't know if you're planning to do a bike tour: if so, they will put all the bikes together and lock them in the open air while you visit Monet's house. If you're going on your own, perhaps you can ask for advice from the people you rent them from, as I did not see any place that could be used as a "bike parking lot".

Thanks for all the advice.

I just returned.

We did Versailles one day, and Giverney the next day.

We took the train to both places.

It was just a 5 minute walk from the train station to Versailles.

At Giverney we took the train to Vernon and they have a bus for 4 euros round trip right to Giverney. The bus is also coordinated with the trains.

I strongly suggest both trips.

So glad you enjoyed your visits. They are both lovely although I do prefer Giverny. Are you planning your next trip now? 8^)