Versailles is close enough to Paris that most visitors treat it as a day trip — and long enough to see that a poorly planned day trip misses most of it. The perfect day trip from Paris uses the RER C, starts at dawn, and ends with a Grand Canal picnic. Here is how to do it.
Before you go — the night before
- Book a 9.00am timed-entry slot at chateauversailles.fr. Any later, and the Hall of Mirrors will already be full when you reach it. See tickets guide.
- Choose the Passport ticket if it is a Tuesday, Saturday or Sunday from April to October — you will want to see the fountains. Fountain-day itinerary here.
- Buy a return RER C ticket to Versailles Château Rive Gauche (€9 return, zones 1–4). Any Paris Métro station with an RER office sells them.
- Charge a phone. Pack a light waterproof (Versailles weather changes fast), and a refillable water bottle — there are free drinking fountains on the estate.
The day, hour by hour
7.15am — Leave Paris
Board the RER C at whichever branch is closest to your accommodation. The line runs from Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel, Musée d'Orsay, Saint-Michel, Invalides. Check that the destination board reads Versailles Château Rive Gauche — the RER C splits west of Paris into six branches and only one goes to Versailles. Journey: 35–45 minutes.
8.15am — Arrive at Versailles Château Rive Gauche
Exit the station, turn right, and walk down Avenue du Général de Gaulle. You will see the Palace roofs within two minutes. The walk to the Place d'Armes gate is ten minutes.
8.30am — Breakfast at La Petite Marquise
This café-boulangerie on Rue Colbert, two minutes from the Palace gate, opens at 7.30am and does an excellent pain-au-chocolat (€1.80) and coffee (€3). Sit at the counter; you are on a schedule.
8.55am — Join the entry queue
Pass through the Royal Gate. There are two queues: A for booked online tickets, C for Paris Museum Pass holders. Have your QR code ready on your phone. Security is airport-style; expect a five-minute wait.
9.05am — Enter the Palace
Follow the marked circuit. Do not stop in the first rooms — the Hercules Salon and the Grand Apartment — beyond a quick look; crowds accumulate here as the day progresses. Move steadily through to the Hall of Mirrors.
9.25am — Hall of Mirrors
You will have the room to yourself for perhaps ten minutes. Walk its full length once. Then walk it again in the opposite direction. Look up: Le Brun's ceiling is the whole point. Room reading guide here.
10.00am — Queen's Apartments and Coronation Room
Continue the circuit through Marie-Antoinette's bedroom and the Coronation Room, which houses David's enormous canvas of the coronation of Napoleon. Exit the Palace by 11.00am.
11.15am — Coffee at Angelina
The Angelina tea room in the Pavillon d'Orléans (attached to the Palace) is a good place to regroup. Split a Mont-Blanc pastry (€10).
11.45am — Down into the gardens
Walk out onto the Water Parterre and descend the Latona steps. The Tapis Vert stretches ahead for one kilometre to the Apollo Fountain and the Grand Canal.
12.30pm — Picnic at the Grand Canal
Buy a picnic at the small kiosk beside La Petite Venise (sandwiches €8, beer €5) and eat at the head of the Grand Canal. On a hot day, hire a rowing boat (€19 per half hour) or an electric golf cart (€38 per hour).
1.30pm — Trianon Estate
Take the little train (€8.50 return) from behind the Palace to the Trianon stop. Visit the Grand Trianon first (30 minutes), then walk to the Petit Trianon (15 minutes), then the Queen's Hamlet (30 minutes on site). Hamlet essay here.
3.30pm — Musical Fountains (if applicable)
If it is a fountain day, take the little train back to the Palace gardens and pick up the fountain route from the Latona basin. Fountain itinerary here.
5.30pm — Return to Paris
Walk back down Avenue de Paris to Versailles Château Rive Gauche station and board the RER C back to your Paris start point.
What this day trip misses
A single day at Versailles cannot include the King's Private Apartments (guided tour only, 90 minutes), the Royal Opera (open only for special visits), or the state coach collection at the Grandes Écuries. Return visitors should plan a second day around one of these. See the full visiting guide.
The itinerary above covers about 8 kilometres of walking. Book proper shoes, not the ones you brought for restaurants.
