We are headed to Paris for 8 days on Dec 29 and I am trying to decide whether I should go to Versailles and if so when. We have 2 children 6 and 8 and this is our first time to Paris.
I am deciding between.
1. Not going at all, as there is lots to see in Paris itself
2. Going on Dec 30 or 31 with the day pass at E16 or Palace only for E13.50:
▪ King’s and Queen’s State Apartment, with audioguide in 8 languages
▪ Chapel, with audioguide in 8 languages
▪ 17th-century galleries, with audioguide in 8 languages
▪ History of France Galleries
▪ Dauphin’s Apartments : the heir to the throne, with audioguide in 8 languages
▪ Mesdames’Apartments : Louis XV’s daughters, with audioguide in 8 languages (at week-end only, in low season)
Day Pass not Palace Only:
▪ Grand Trianon
▪ Marie-Antoinette’s Estate, from 22 March to 28 September
(From 1 November to 31 March access to the following visits Marie-Antoinette%26#39;s estate only includes:
▪ Grand Trianon
▪ Gardens of the Petit Trianon.
and elswhere it says there could be temporary closures)
3. Going on Sunday January 4 for free:
On first Sunday of each month,
from November to March
Non guided visit, free access to:
%26gt; the Grand Trianon,
%26gt; Dauphin%26#39;s Apartments and Mesdames%26#39; Apartments, in the Palace (entrance C, Pavillon Dufour)
Guided tours for individuals (booking on-site, limited number of places), free access to:
%26gt; Louis XV%26#39;s and Louis XVI%26#39;s Private Apartments, Chapel
%26gt; The Talking Museum
Reduced rate (11€) for the exhibition %26quot;When Versailles was furnished in silver%26quot; and for the State Apartments, in the Palace
I%26#39;m also trying to figure how the State Apartments differ from the private apartments
Thanks in advance
|||
With 8 days, you have enough time to spend a whole day in Versailles.
You can even go to the back of the park to visit the Trianons and the Hamlet (children should love that, there is a little bridge with many carps, impressive) so they can throw bread at ducks, and there is a small kind of zoo-like area with donkeys, rabbits, hens...and goats (no bread for them as their stomach would swell)
|||
Ok, I love Versailles, I have been at least 6 or 7 times now, but, I have to tell you my least favorite visit was as a child of about 10. I was with my grandmother at the time and we only saw the Palace itself, not the grounds. It was nice, yes, but a small child can only take in so much fancy gilted furniture and flocked wallpaper before they get bored.
Since you are going in the winter you will not really have the opportunity to enjoy the grounds and gardens. Statues will be covered up, flowers kaput, no rowing boats in canal, etc.. and likely they will not be renting the bikes on the grounds. These are all things kids enjoy ( mine did) .
With two such young kids I think you will find it not such a great time investment as they are unlikely to allow you to wander slowly through, listening to the audiotape describing each painting or peice of furniture,, so I vote no, don%26#39;t go.
To give you all a good taste of gilt and overblown , may I suggest you go to the Lourve and visit Napoleons Apartments there, they will definately give you a flavor of what an interior of a Palace was furnished like ( at a similar but somewhat later time period) . Kids will ooh and ahh over chandlier size of a car, but then you can run off to Egytpian section and show them the mummies, or go down to basement and show them the medival remnants of the old Louvre, be sure when you do that to tell them to look for %26quot;makers marks%26quot; on the great stones, each stone has a mark carved into it. It was how each stone cutter got paid, he would %26quot;sign%26quot; each stone he carved. You usaully cannot see these marks as they are done on inside of stones, but since the foundation was meant to be underwater( moat) there are stones with the marks showing. It was fun for my daughter to pick out the different marks.
Have fun !
|||
I can recommend going to Versailles with children. Went in July 2007, and my then 8 year old daughter and 12 year old son loved both the gardens and the Palace. Did not visit the Grand/Petit Trianon, to avoid feeling rushed. When my children talks about our vacation in Paris, Versailles is one of their definitive highlights, especially the Hall of Mirrors.
|||
It would appear that you%26#39;ve done your basic research on CHATEAU de VERSAILLES. You DO NOT need to %26quot;..decide..%26quot; whether to visit or not...until you%26#39;re actually in Paris. Bear in mind that Paris has a remarkable tendency to shred pre-planned intineraries within 15-to-30 minutes of arrival--%26quot;..Nah, let%26#39;s do (fill-in-the-blank) instead..%26quot;. %26#39;Plans%26#39; change...or can be changed to suit mood, moment or opportunity. If you%26#39;ve done your basic research, you can then %26#39;shift gears%26#39; and do (fill-in-the-blank) as if it was part of your %26#39;plan%26#39; all along. But...as the parent of two young children, you no doubt know everything there is to know about changed %26#39;plans%26#39;.
|||
Thanks for the replies. Versailles sounds interesting but better in summer.
I know plans change with children, I just like to start with a working itinerary. Also with things closing early on Dec 31, most things closed Jan 1, Jan 4 being free for several sites and our last day Jan 5 being a Monday where there are many other closures (including Versailles), it%26#39;s a little more complicated.
I was originally trying to make Dec 30 and 31, doing some walks around Paris and seeing some child friendly things and would actually prefer not to go to Versailles until it was on the top of my list. I was planning to get a 2 day Museum Pass on the 2 and 3 (will wait until I am there) and figured Versailles would not be the best use of that pass. I think I will just put it on as a maybe on the Free Sunday and just see the included stuff if we go.
|||
Can you hire bikes for kids at Versaille??
My kids love bike riding and was wondering how to incorporate that into a trip to Paris without driving in traffic.
I assume the bikes in Versaille would be open in April? Do you need to book the bikes before you get there?
Or would you recommend some other place to bike ride.
cheers
|||
%26gt;%26gt; My kids love bike riding and was wondering how to incorporate that into a trip to Paris without driving in traffic. %26lt;%26lt;
It%26#39;s veering a bit from your Versailles-related inquiry, but there are several ways to enjoy relaxed cycling in a traffic-free environment in Paris - Here are two examples :
- The banks of the Canal Saint-Martin between the Rue du Faubourg du Temple and the Place Stalingrad are traffic-free every Sunday between 10AM and 6PM
- The Promenade Plantée, a former railway converted into a green path, between Bastille and the Bois de Vincennes
|||
I can%26#39;t imagine going to Paris and not going to Versailles especially if you have not been there before. It is unforgettable and fabulous.
|||
Yes, you can rent bikes on the grounds at Versailles. I do not know for sure if that concession is open in April, but I bet it will be, especially if weather is decent. You do not make reservations, in fact I highly doubt you could, as I said it is set up as a concession on the grounds, right where the canal starts, just near washrooms and cafe and tram stop. You will not miss it if it is open. They charge by the hour or 1/2 hour, there may have been a daily rate but I didn%26#39;t notice it.
For kids over age 12 I can highly recommend bike tours from and in Paris, we took two Fat Tire Bike tours, its an American run company and lots of fun, I do think they cut their services in winter though , so check their website. Riding in Paris was fun, and we also took the one to Versailles. The kids in our group had less trouble then some of the more %26quot; mature%26quot; and %26quot; fluffy%26quot; ladies, LOL . The ride in Paris was easiest as Paris is pretty flat. I would not take a child younger then 12 on the bike tours though.
Versailles is wonderful, but remember , we are talking about two young children ( 6yrs and 8yrs) and we are talking about the winter.. hardly the same as when I took my 12 yr old in the summer!
|||
-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-
This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
Removed on: 1:16 pm, October 11, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment