- Duration
- 8 hours
- Location
- Paris
- Expert-led full day excursion to Versailles with hotel pick-up and private car service from Paris to Versailles
- Avoid the lines with dated and timed tickets we pre-purchase for you
- Versailles Gardens, The Queen's Hamlet, Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, and Versailles Palace
By the end of our full-day excursion, we’ll have a sense of the estate’s beauty and importance and understand how Versailles became the envy of kings and queens throughout Europe.
Miscellaneous Notes About Our Tour
During the summer, there is a special music & fountain show on Saturdays and Sundays. On Tuesdays and Fridays, there is music, but no fountain show. On these days, the bosquets and groves are all open. On the other days of the week (Wednesday, Thursday), and in the winter months, they are not open, nor are the fountains on. Much of the site is closed on Mondays.
Interested in a shortened version of this itinerary? Check out our Half-Day Tour of Versailles here.
FAQ
What is included in the cost?
The price of the tour, expert guide, hotel pick-up and transfer from Paris to Versailles as well as the entrance to the Palace, the Gardens, and the Trianon estate. We purchase dated and timed reservations which offer priority access to the Palace. Your guide will have them on hand. If you choose to take the train to Versailles, the cost of tickets is not included. The cost of lunch is not included.
Where does the tour end?
Unless you've booked a return transfer to Paris with us, the tour will end in Versailles. You can take a train or a taxi and return to Paris at your leisure. Your guide will help you with directions. If you've booked a return transfer from Versailles to Paris with us, your guide and driver will drop you off at your hotel.
We don't necessarily recommend one over the other. The half-day tour allows you to visit the palace and the gardens with an expert and explore the rest of the grounds independently after the tour. The full-day tour offers an in-depth visit of the whole Versailles estate with an expert and includes the palace, the gardens, the park, the Petit and Grand Trianons and the Queen's Hamlet, as well as a local lunch (at your own expense).
Yes. However, the trains are often delayed or crowded. Please note that the time to travel from Paris to Versailles is longer than by car, which means that you'll spend less time with the guide on site. Note that train tickets (approx. 10€ round trip per person) are not included in the price of the tour. It is a good idea to have some cash on hand for these or to purchase them in advance of the tour.
Can we meet the guide in Versailles?
Yes. Please contact us in advance of the tour to discuss the logistics of the tour and we will update your itinerary with a meeting point in Versailles.
Please contact us to discuss in more detail your mobility concerns so that we can best advise. We can arrange a car service for visitors with mobility concerns. We don't recommend using public transportation to travel to and from Versailles. Not all of the RER stops are wheelchair accessible.
Yes. Our expert guides have experience working with children and can tailor the tour to your needs.
There are 9 in my family but your website won't allow me to include more than 8 participants. Can't you make an exception?
Pablo is a historian specialized in the interaction between arts, culture and politics in early modern Europe. In 2008 he received a PhD in European history from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid, and has been a postdoctoral research fellow at the European University Institute, The Italian Academy at Columbia University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pablo is also the author of three books on court culture and royal identity. He lived in Naples, Washington, London, Florence and New York before arriving in Paris as a researcher at the Institute national d’histoire de l’art (INHA). He is currently writing a book on the display of antiquities discovered in Herculaneum and Pompeii in the 18th century.
After traveling around Australia and America, Marie decided upon return to her home country of France that she wanted to share the richness of French history and culture with others. She now has a degree in cultural heritage from ESTHUA in Angers, France and has also received her French National guiding license. Marie perfected her guiding skills in the Loire Valley of France, specializing in the cultural history of the Châteaux at Blois, Amboise, and Cheverny. She later worked in Normandy, leading walks of the WWII landing beaches and the UNESCO world heritage site of Mont St. Michel. Marie has recently relocated to the city of light and looks forward to sharing her enthusiasm and passion for the "open history book" that is Paris with travelers.
Isabelle is a Franco-American who was born and raised in Versailles. In 2006, she received her Ph.D. in Etruscan art from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes. During her studies, she spent several years in Italy: Siena and Florence, where she prepared her Master’s degree, and on a scholarship at the Ecole française de Rome working on her PhD thesis. In addition to teaching at the University of Paris VIII, Isabelle has experience as Communications Manager for an art books publisher and translating documentaries for French television. She is an active member of the Montmartre Historical Society and in her free time, enjoys sharing her passion for Paris, its art and its history, with visitors, family and friends.
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