Planning a Trip

Getting There

To get to Versailles, catch the RER line C1 to Versailles-Rive Gauche at the Gare d'Austerlitz, St-Michel, Musée d'Orsay, Invalides, Ponte de l'Alma, Champ de Mars, or Javel stop, and take it to the Versailles-Rive Gauche station. The trip takes 35 to 40 minutes. Do not get off at Versailles Chantier, which will leave you on the other end of town, a long walk from the château. The round-trip fare is 5.60€; Eurailpass holders travel free on the RER but need to show the pass at the ticket kiosk to receive an RER ticket. SNCF trains make frequent runs from Gare St-Lazare and Gare Montparnasse in Paris to Versailles: Trains departing from Gare St-Lazare arrive at the Versailles Rive Droite railway station; trains departing from Gare Montparnasse arrive at Versailles Chantiers station, a long walk as mentioned.

You can purchase the Château Passeport, which from April to October costs 20€ Monday to Friday, rising to 25€ Saturday and Sunday. From November to March its daily cost is 16€. The pass is sold at the tourist office in Versailles and with it you can avoid the long lines at the château itself.

The tourist office doesn't sell tickets to each of the sights so you should purchase the pass if you want to see the whole Versailles complex. If you hold the Paris Museum Pass, admission is free to the château. You can also avoid the long ticket lines with the Paris Museum Pass.

An even better deal to consider is a combined RER train fare and château entrance ticket. These are sold at any SNCF (train) or Transilien (RER) station. Called forfait, the packet costs 22€, including the round-trip train fare from Paris and a 1-day Passport. This is a great deal considering the cost of the Passport itself . The combined deal also allows you to avoid the long lines at the palace entrance.

The Versailles-Rive Gauche station is within a 10-minute walk of the château, and we recommend the walk as a means of orienting yourself to the town, its geography, its scale, and its architecture. If you can't or don't want to walk, you can take bus B, or (in midsummer) a shuttle bus marked CHATEAU from either station to the château for either a cash payment of around 2€ (drop the coins directly into the coin box near the driver) or the insertion of a valid ticket for the Paris Métro. Because of the vagaries of the bus schedules, we highly recommend the walk. Directions to the château are clearly signposted from each railway station.

If you're driving, exit the périphérique (the ring road around Paris) on N10 (av. du Général-Leclerc), which will take you to Versailles; park on place d'Armes in front of the château.

Visitor Information

The Office de Tourisme is at 2 bis av. de Paris (tel. 01-39-24-88-88; fax 01-39-24-88-89; www.versailles-tourisme.com). Closed Sunday and Monday.

Evening Spectacles

Recognizing the value of the palace as a national symbol, the French government offers a program of fireworks and illuminated fountains, "Les Fêtes de Nuit de Versailles," on about 7 to 10 widely publicized dates between late August and early September, usually beginning at 9:30pm. Observers, who sit in bleachers near the palace's boulevard de la Reine entrance, close to the Fountain (Bassin) of Neptune, are treated to a display of fireworks, prerecorded classical music, and up to 200 players (none of whom utters a line) in period costume, portraying the glories of France as symbolized by Louis XIV and the courtiers of the ancien régime. Shows are big on pomp and strong on visuals, and last about 90 minutes. Tickets range from 35€ to 85€. Gates open around 90 minutes prior to showtime. For information, call tel. 01-30-83-78-89.

Daytime Spectacles

Saturdays and Sundays from April to early October, between 11:30am and noon and 3:30 and 5pm, the French government broadcasts classical music throughout the park and opens the valves on as many fountains as are currently in operation as part of a program known as Les Grandes Eaux Musicales de Versailles. The spectacles showcase the landscaping vision of the palace's designers and encourage participants to walk, promenade, or meander the vast park, enjoying the juxtaposition of supremely grand architecture with lavish waterworks. Afternoon events include water coming out of more jets than during the somewhat less lavish morning events. Admission to any part of the park during these spectacles can vary widely from 10€ to 40€. For information, call tel. 01-30-83-78-88.

You can purchase tickets to all spectacles at Versailles up until about a half-hour prior to the day or night of any performance from the ticket office in the Accueil-Billeterie on Place d'Armes, immediately across from the main facade of the palace, or from any French branch of the FNAC department store (FNAC's central phone number is tel. 01-55-21-57-93).