Visiting the Palace of Versailles
Versailles is easy to visit and easy to get wrong. The Palace and the Trianon estate open at different times, the gardens cost money for half the year and nothing for the other half, and the ticket you probably want is not the one most people buy. Get those three straight and the rest of the day looks after itself.
Opening times, and the one that catches people out
The Palace runs 9.00am to 6.30pm from 1 April to 31 October, and 9.00am to 5.30pm from 1 November to 31 March. Last admission is 45 minutes before closing. It shuts every Monday, and on 25 December, 1 January and 1 May.
The part that catches people out is the Trianon estate. It does not open until midday, all year. So a morning tour cannot take you to the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon or the Queen's Hamlet, however long it runs. If those are on your list, you want an afternoon or a full day. An Palace of Versailles guided tour that includes them will say so in its inclusions.
The estate's own published hours. The whole site also closes on 25 December, 1 January and 1 May.
| Part of the estate | 1 Apr – 31 Oct | 1 Nov – 31 Mar | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palace | 9.00am – 6.30pm | 9.00am – 5.30pm | Mondays |
| Estate of Trianon | 12.00pm – 6.30pm | 12.00pm – 5.30pm | Mondays |
| Gardens | 7.00am – 8.30pm | 8.00am – 6.00pm | — |
| Park | 7.00am – 8.30pm | 8.00am – 6.00pm | — |
| Coach Gallery | 12.30pm – 6.30pm | 12.30pm – 5.30pm | weekdays in high season |
Which ticket you need
There are three you might buy, and one of them covers almost everybody.
The Passport — €35 high season, €25 low season
Covers: the Palace on a timed slot, the Estate of Trianon, the gardens and the temporary exhibitions. Best for: anyone spending more than three hours here. Reduced rate: €32.
The Estate of Trianon ticket — €15, or €12 reduced
Covers: the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, their gardens and the Queen's Hamlet. Does not cover: the Palace. Best for: a second visit, or an afternoon when you have already seen the State Apartments.
A garden ticket — only between April and early November
Covers: the gardens on Musical Gardens and Musical Fountains Show days. Best for: nobody to buy separately if your tour already includes it, and several do. From November to late March you need no garden ticket at all.
Who gets in free
Three rules, all published by the estate, and all worth checking before you pay.
- Under 18: free entry to the Palace and the Trianon estate.
- Under 26 and resident in the EU: the same. Residency is what counts, not nationality, and it is checked at the door.
- The first Sunday of the month, November to March: the whole estate is open free of charge.
A free ticket is still a booked ticket. You need a time slot for the Palace whether you are paying or not, so book it at the same moment as everyone else in your party.
A timed slot is not a queue-skip
Nearly every departure here sells fast-track or skip-the-line entry, and the phrase means something narrower than it sounds. What you skip is the ticket office. What you do not skip is the security check at the door, and on a July morning that is the queue you are actually looking at.
The estate puts it plainly: a timed Passport guarantees you get in within half an hour of the time you chose. That is a slot, not a fast lane. Two things genuinely help — take the first entry of the day, and go with a group that holds its slot as a block.
Worth doing. Arrive fifteen minutes before your slot rather than on it. Turning up on the minute is the commonest way people lose a booking here, and a guided group cannot wait for you. Getting there has the walk times from all three stations.
What you cannot bring in
Large bags and suitcases are not allowed. The automatic lockers take anything up to 46 × 43 × 26 cm, so a day pack is fine and cabin luggage is not. If you are visiting on the way to an airport, leave the case in a Paris station locker.
Photography is allowed inside without flash. There is no air conditioning in the State Apartments, so in July and August carry water. The heat inside is a bigger problem than the crowds, and it catches people out.
How long the estate actually takes
The estate's own suggested full day is the Palace at nine, the gardens from ten to midday, then Trianon from midday to half past four.
| What you want to see | Allow | Which ticket |
|---|---|---|
| The State Apartments, guided | 1 hr 30 min | any guided tour |
| Palace and gardens | 3 – 4 hours | Passport |
| Palace, gardens and the Trianon estate | a full day | Passport, afternoon start at Trianon |
| The gardens and the park alone | 2 – 4 hours | free Nov–Mar; garden ticket on show days |
| The Grand Canal on foot, there and back | add 1 hr 30 min | no ticket needed |
When it is quiet
Early is the answer, and it is a bigger difference than the season. The first slot of the day puts you in the Hall of Mirrors before the coaches arrive. By eleven the State Apartments are a slow shuffle from April to October, on every departure at every price.
Avoid Tuesday if you can. The Palace is closed on Mondays, so Tuesday takes the overflow. Late afternoon empties out again, though you then lose the Trianon estate to its closing time. Month by month has the seasonal picture.
Going with a guided departure
You do not need a guide to see Versailles, and it is worth saying so. What a guided departure buys you is a held entry slot, an edited route through 2,300 rooms, and someone who knows which door leads where. About half of them also take the journey from Paris off your hands, which for a first visit is the part most worth paying for.
Compare the guided departures
Sixteen of them, sorted by what they cover and what they leave out — entry, gardens, the Trianon estate and the journey from Paris.
Frequently asked
Is the Palace of Versailles in Paris?
No. Versailles is its own town in the Yvelines, about 20 km south-west of Paris, and the journey takes 35 to 60 minutes depending on the line. That is the single most common misunderstanding about this visit, and it is why so many tours sell the transport rather than just the ticket.
Is Versailles closed on Mondays?
Yes, the Palace and the Trianon estate are both closed every Monday, along with 25 December, 1 January and 1 May. The gardens and the park stay open every day of the year. If Monday is your only free day, the gardens and the Grand Canal are still worth the trip and cost nothing in low season.
What time does the Trianon estate open?
Midday, every day it is open, in both seasons. That single fact decides more Versailles itineraries than any other: a morning half-day tour physically cannot include the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon or the Queen's Hamlet. Plan them for the afternoon or book a full day.
How long do you need at the Palace of Versailles?
Ninety minutes covers the State Apartments at a guided pace. Add the gardens and you are at three to four hours; add the Trianon estate and the Queen's Hamlet and it is a full day. The estate's own suggested plan is the Palace at nine, the gardens from ten to midday, and Trianon from midday to half past four.
Do Versailles tours include transport from Paris?
Six of the departures listed here do, by RER train, coach or minibus, and three of those add hotel pickup. The rest meet you in Versailles and leave the journey to you. The transport ones cost more and take longer; what they buy is not having to work out the RER on the morning.
What is the difference between a half-day and a full-day tour?
A half day is the Palace and usually the gardens, in three to four hours. A full day adds the Trianon estate and the Queen's Hamlet, which cannot open before midday, so the extra hours are real rather than padding. Several operators sell both as grades of the same product.
More on the questions people ask most, or read what is actually inside the Palace before you choose a route. Every departure is listed on Palace of Versailles Tours.
Tours that arrive with the ticket and the slot already held
Versailles Palace and Gardens Tour from Paris
Transport includedTimed entryGardens included
From $75 per person
Versailles Palace Guided Tour with Gardens Access
Timed entryTrianon estateHeadsets
From $99 per person