Day trip from Paris Versailles
The palace of Louis XIV with its gardens and the Trianon estate, 14 minutes by train from Montparnasse or about 40 minutes on RER C.
Is Versailles worth a day trip from Paris?
Go. Take the whole day.
Yes, and give it the full day. The palace alone takes 2 to 3 hours, the gardens another 2, and the Trianon estate only opens at 12:00, so a morning visit misses a third of the site. The palace opens at 9:00 and closes at 17:30 in low season, 18:30 in high season. It is closed every Monday. Book a timed Passport ticket (€ 32 or € 35) before you travel: the 9:00 and 9:30 slots have the shortest security queue. Transport costs € 5.10 return, so a tour only makes sense if you want a guide.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 14 min+ 18 min walk; RER C is about 40 min + 10 min walk · one way · SNCF Connect
- Transport
- Train from Montparnasse or RER C
- Self-guided cost
- € 37.10–40.102 Metro-Train-RER tickets (€ 2.55 each) + Passport ticket (€ 32 or € 35) · Palace of Versailles, tickets and prices
- Tour price
- From € 88Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 5–8 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- Monday; also 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec
- Best time
- Tue-Fri, first entry slot; gardens are at their best Apr-OctDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth a full dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Versailles
- 01
Hall of Mirrors
A 73-metre gallery with 357 mirrors facing 17 windows onto the gardens. It comes at the end of the State Apartments circuit, about an hour into the palace visit.
- 02
Gardens and groves
Formal gardens laid out by Le Nôtre, with fountains and hedged groves. Allow 2 hours on foot. Most groves only open on fountain and musical garden days, from April to October.
- 03
Trianon estate
The Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon and the gardens around them, open from 12:00. It is a 25-minute walk from the palace, and 1.5 to 2 hours covers it.
- 04
The Queen's Hamlet
A mock Norman village with a mill, a farm and a pond, built for Marie-Antoinette in the 1780s. It lies at the far end of the Trianon estate, 10 minutes beyond the Petit Trianon.
- 05
Grand Canal
A cross-shaped canal about 1.6 km long at the foot of the gardens. You can hire a rowing boat from spring to autumn, and the park around it is free to enter.
How to spend the day
Leave Paris by 8:15 and be at the gate for a 9:00 or 9:30 slot. Palace until 12:00. Walk down through the gardens, eat near the Grand Canal, then reach the Trianon estate when it opens at 12:00 and stay until about 15:30. Walk back up through the gardens and take a train around 16:30. Last admission to the palace is 45 minutes before closing, so do not start the day after lunch.
Versailles in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustFrom June to August the palace stays open until 18:30 and the gardens later. Fountains run to music on Saturdays and Sundays, plus some Tuesdays in June, and on those days the gardens need a ticket. Saturday evenings add a night fountain show with fireworks. The rooms are hot and packed by 11:00, so do the palace first and the gardens in late afternoon.
Winter
December to FebruaryDecember to February is the quiet season. The palace closes at 17:30 and it is dark by 17:00. The gardens are free, but the fountains are off and many statues are wrapped in covers against frost. Go for the interiors, which you can see without a crush. On the first Sunday of each month from November to March, entry is free.
How crowded it gets
Very busy- Busiest
- Apr-Oct, Tuesdays and weekends, 10:30-15:00
- Quietest
- Nov-Mar, Wednesday to Friday, first slot or after 15:00
Tuesday is the worst weekday because many Paris museums are closed. Take the first slot on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, see the Hall of Mirrors before 10:30, then leave the palace for the gardens while the coach groups arrive.
How do you get to Versailles from Paris?
RER C
- Travel time
- About 40 min + 10 min walk
- Frequency
- About every 15 min
- Cost
- € 5.10 return
- Departs from
- Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Musée d'Orsay, Invalides or Champ de Mars
Take a train whose final stop is Versailles Château Rive Gauche, the closest station to the palace, 10 minutes on foot. One Metro-Train-RER ticket (€ 2.55) covers the whole ride. Load the return ticket before you leave Paris: the machines at Versailles have long queues after 16:00.
Train from Montparnasse
- Travel time
- 11-14 min + 18 min walk
- Frequency
- 29 trains a day on the SNCF Connect timetable
- Cost
- € 5.10 return
- Departs from
- Paris Montparnasse
Faster on the rails, longer on foot. Trains stop at Versailles Chantiers, 18 minutes from the palace gate. A good choice if your hotel is on the Left Bank near Montparnasse or if RER C has works, which happens on many summer weekends.
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 6 or 9 hours door to door
- Cost
- From € 88
- Departs from
- 6 avenue du Dr Brouardel, near the Eiffel Tower
Coach both ways, palace ticket and a 1.5-hour guided visit, then free time in the gardens. The 9-hour option adds the Trianon palaces. You pay about twice the do-it-yourself cost for the guide and group entrance, and you still pass security.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
You will walk 8 to 12 km, much of it on gravel and cobbles, so wear flat closed shoes. Bring a hat and water in summer, a windproof coat in winter. Bags larger than cabin size are refused at security.
What to eat
Food inside the estate comes from a few cafés and kiosks, with queues at 13:00. Bring a sandwich and eat it in the park, since picnics are banned in the formal gardens. Or walk 10 minutes into town to the Notre-Dame market square, where the covered halls and brasseries are.
What you will spend
The Passport ticket is the main cost: € 32 or € 35 depending on the day. Transport adds € 5.10 return. The park and the Grand Canal are free all year, and the gardens are free when no show runs. Audio guides, boat hire and the little train are optional extras.
How to get the most out of the day
- Under-18s, and EU residents under 26, enter the palace free but still need to book a timed slot online.
- A small train links the palace terrace, the Trianons and the Grand Canal if 25 minutes on foot each way is too much.
- Download the palace's free app before you go: it carries the audio tour, so you do not need to queue for a device.
- On fountain days the water does not run all day. Check the time slots posted at the garden entrance and plan the groves around them.
How long do you need in Versailles?
Plan 5–8 h on site, plus 14 min of travel each way from Paris.
When is Versailles closed?
Monday; also 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec. Best time: Tue-Fri, first entry slot; gardens are at their best Apr-Oct.