If you want to feel like royalty without the royal headache of waiting in line, booking a skip-the-line tour to Versailles is the only way to go. It’s one of my top pieces of advice for the major tourist attractions.
Visiting Versailles is on almost everyone’s Paris bucket list, but the horror stories about ridiculously long lines – and I mean multiple hours – are unfortunately true. This is one of the biggest reasons I choose what days and how I visit places carefully.
For Versailles, I worked with The Tour Guy to experience their skip-the-line tour for Versailles to bypass the stress and received complimentary admission. It promised easy transportation from Paris, a knowledgeable guide, and a fast track into the palace.
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What Is The Tour Guy?
The Tour Guy is a tour company with locations primarily in Europe and the United States from Lisbon to Santorini to Phoenix. They curate tours that are both famous landmarks captured in a unique way and less known areas that you don’t want to miss.
Their guides are all highly trained and passionate about what they do. Most are local to the area, though I’ve done tours with guides who move with the seasons and provide tours in more than one local, like my Louvre guide who spends winters in Rome.
Which Versailles Tour Should You Choose?
The Tour Guy offers several Versailles tours, and I have some suggestions to think about. Personally, I want to spend the entire day at Versailles as it’s huge with so many different parts and outside Paris so not as easy to visit a second time.
Because of that, I like the tours that include the garden in addition to the palace. If you want a slightly shorter visit, skip the garden.
The tours that include garden access – and that’s most of them with The Tour Guy – let you wander the garden section on your own, so the length of the tour doesn’t include that time. The guide gave us a great overview of the gardens and some history, but then we were on our own.
I chose the Comprehensive Versailles Palace and Gardens Tour with Coach and Transport. It was perfect for our group, and I highly recommend it.
I also preferred the tour that allowed us to take a coach bus to Versailles, as it’s simpler when I’m traveling with my mom. They also offer options where you take the Metro from Paris to Versailles and one where you meet your guide by the bronze Louis XIV statue in front of Versailles.
Given the distance from Paris, meeting at the statue would make me a little nervous, but taking the train is easy, and that’s how we got around Paris for most of our trip. Find the option that works best for you, and I love that The Tour Guy has so many choices for each circumstance.
The good news is that each of them includes skip-the-line access for an easy adventure. The largest group is 25 people, and they also have a semi-private tour with just ten guests per group.
Meeting Up And Heading Out
The meeting point was easy to find. Your tickets will give you the exact location and landmarks and information about how to get there, but Google Maps will be your friend, too.
I always get nervous with tours that I’m not in the right place. The Tour Guy ensures their guides are there before guests arrive, and they hold large red flags or signs with The Tour Guy on them so you can’t miss them.
Make sure you arrive at the suggested 15 minutes before departure check-in time because they are serious about leaving when they say they will. Our larger group met up, then we were divvied into different smaller groups by a colored sticker, and hopped on a comfortable coach bus.
Usually, the ride to Versailles takes about 20 to 30 minutes, but due to some bridge issues, we had to take a detour through the suburbs that took 45 minutes. It wasn’t a guided sightseeing tour where they point out every building, but the guides did point out some of the highlights like the Roland Garros stadium that hosts the French Open.
Our guide Veronique gave us some logistical info and a big warning about pickpockets, which is always good to keep in mind. She was the consummate Frenchwoman, and I have to say that throughout the day I enjoyed translating some of her more colorful asides that those who only spoke English missed.
The Skip-The-Line Advantage
Once we arrived, we saw just how massive the regular individual entrance line was, with wait times that were nearly three hours at the time we got there. The skip-the-line tours enter Versailles at a different place, and it makes a difference.
With our group entrance, it still took a bit of time to get through security, about 40 minutes total, but that is nothing compared to the alternative. We were inside by 11:10 for our 10:50 slot.
While we waited to enter, Veronique provided each of us with the Vox sound system and brand-new earbuds for the tour. I love the tours that provide Vos systems so that we can wander a little further from the guide and still hear exactly what she’s saying.
Once we got inside Versailles, Veronique encouraged that we take a bathroom break, as opportunities are limited once the tour starts. The line was long but moved relatively quickly.
Exploring The Palace
The tour itself was fantastic. We started in the North Wing, moved through the breathtaking Hall of Mirrors, and finished in the Queen’s Apartments in the South Hall.
Veronique was a wealth of information from what we were looking at to the history of the building and those who lived there. I’ve toured Versailles before, but I learned more and enjoyed this tour more than any other I had taken.
One tip Veronique hammered home: don’t book on a Tuesday. The Louvre and other major museums are closed on Tuesdays, so everyone floods Versailles.
Even on a Thursday, it was busy. I couldn’t imagine trying to navigate it on a Tuesday, so keep that in mind.
The Gardens And Beyond
After the palace tour, you have some choices to make. The Tour Guy provides separate tickets for the palace and the gardens that they hand you when you first arrive, so make sure you don’t lose the second one.
Before heading into the gardens, there is a cafe, a shop, and better bathrooms. Definitely use the facilities and grab food before you scan your garden ticket because you cannot re-enter once you leave the palace area.
The gardens are enormous. Once inside, you can walk them for free, but I strongly suggest buying a ticket for the little train.
It is relatively inexpensive (with discounts for kids and teens) and runs every 10 minutes. It allows you to hop on and off at different stops, which is the best way to see the most ground without exhausting yourself.
Just be aware that the ride is a bit bumpy if you have back issues. Alternatively, you can rent a golf cart for a more personalized, but slightly more expensive, experience.
The gardens are massive and include many buildings beyond the main palace. Don’t miss the Hamlet of Marie Antoinette, which is gorgeous inside and out. It’s a bit of a trek, so the train is a lifesaver here.
Getting Back To Paris
The tour includes a bus ride back to Paris, which leaves after about an hour of free time in the gardens. If you want to stay longer, you can easily take the RER C train back on your own.
Versailles Château Rive Gauche is the last stop on the line, so you can’t mess up the direction. We chose to stay and soak in more of the gardens, and taking the train back was simple and stress-free.
If you book The Tour Guy excursions that travel by train, the guide provides you with your return train ticket. You can choose to hop back on the Metro whenever it works best for you.
There is also a small town just outside Versailles, and we spent time exploring it before returning to Paris. There are plenty of cafes and shops along the small streets, and there’s even a L’Entrecote location, my dining pick in Paris.
Versailles Is Best Experienced with a Guide
Booking with The Tour Guy took the hassle out of what can be a very chaotic day trip. From the comfortable bus ride to the invaluable skip-the-line access, it let me focus on the beauty of Versailles rather than the logistics of getting there. If you’re planning a trip, do yourself a favor and book their tour.
Hi Michelle,
Lovely article about Versailles. Can you get golf cart easily at Versailles ?