In short. Versailles is an easy day trip: take the RER C, walk ten minutes and you are at the palace. Go on any day except Monday, book a time slot for the palace, and allow a whole day if you also want the gardens and the Trianon. Travel light and wear comfortable shoes.
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Palace of Versailles: Entry Ticket + Gardens + Estate of Trianon
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Book tickets and tours →How to get there from Paris
The RER C runs from central stations such as Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame, Musée d’Orsay, Invalides and Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel to Versailles Château Rive Gauche. From there the palace is about ten minutes on foot, and the ride takes under an hour depending on where you start. Check the destination on the board before you board: some trains end at Versailles Chantiers, which is farther from the palace.
Two other stations serve the town. Trains from Paris Saint-Lazare stop at Versailles Rive Droite, about 17 minutes’ walk from the palace. Trains from Montparnasse stop at Versailles Chantiers, about 18 minutes’ walk, partly uphill. Bus 171 runs from Pont de Sèvres and takes about 30 minutes without traffic.
Planning to drive? The A13 motorway, exit 5 Versailles Centre, is closed towards Versailles from 16 November 2026 to 31 August 2027, so in that period the train is the better choice. Paid parking is in Place d’Armes, in front of the palace.
If you would rather not work out the trains, choose a package with transport from Paris. You will find them on the tickets page, and our guide to the tickets explains the differences. More details are on the getting there page.
Which ticket?
Start with the ticket with palace, gardens and the Trianon estate, from €22. It opens the whole domain, and a map comes with it. If you want the rooms explained, the guided tour with reserved entry (1 hour 30 minutes, from €75) is the shortest option and leaves you free to walk the gardens afterwards.
Everyone needs a time slot for the palace, including visitors with free entry, and from April to October entry is only guaranteed with an online booking. The gardens and the Trianon do not need a slot.
When the fountains play
In 2026 the Musical Fountains Show played on Saturdays and Sundays from 4 April to 1 November, plus Tuesdays from 5 May to 30 June, and there was a night show on Saturday evenings from 6 June to 19 September. On these days the gardens need a ticket. The calendar changes every year: we update this page when the new dates come out.
What to see, in short
Start with the Hall of Mirrors: 578 mirrors face 17 windows, and the ceiling tells the story of the king’s reign in 30 scenes. Then the King’s and Queen’s apartments on the first floor. Walk the gardens down to the Grand Canal and look back at the façade. In the afternoon go to the Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet, a little village with a working farm. Our guide to what to see tells you where to look.
Opening hours and how long you need
The palace is open from 9am to 6:30pm until 1 November, and from 9am to 5:30pm from 2 November to the end of March. The Trianon opens at noon. Last entry is about 45 minutes before closing. The full opening hours are on their own page.
The route through the palace takes about an hour and a half, the gardens about two hours and the Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet about four. Together that is a full day, so decide early what matters most to you.
Tips that save your day
- Arrive at 9am or in the late afternoon. Book a morning slot for the palace, and keep the Trianon for the afternoon.
- Travel light. Bags are checked at the entrance. Large luggage is not allowed, and lockers are in the Aile des Ministres Nord, the north wing, when the service is running.
- Plan your stop. The toilets are in the basement of the Dufour Pavilion, after Entrance A. There are none on the first floor.
- Collect your audio guide at the Dufour Pavilion. It is best to book it in advance.
- Wear comfortable shoes. The estate is very big and the paths are long. A little tourist train, about 20 minutes, links the palace with the Trianon and the Petit Trianon, and on foot the Grand Trianon is about 25 to 30 minutes from the palace.
- Arrive early for the palace slot. With an online ticket you can go in within half an hour of the time on it.
Choose your visit
Short on time? Take the guided tour with reserved entry and walk the gardens afterwards. Want everything? Take the ticket with gardens and the Trianon, and give it a full day. Not sure yet? Compare all the options in our guide to the tickets, and read the history of Versailles for the story behind the rooms.
