We made the pilgrimage to Versailles on a sweltering hot June day this year - along with about a million other people! The journey out from central Paris by rail is very easy, and you can buy combined rail/entry tickets at the station on your outward trip, or alternatively, invest in a 'Carte' which allows entry to various museums. I would not recommend waiting until you get there to buy an entry ticket: queues are long and tempers fray easily. The place is, of course, stupendous - built on a massive scale, so big that they lay on a little toytown train to ferry you out to the Trianons, which are about a quarter of a mile away from the main chateau. You may feel a bit silly riding on it, but it's worth it - you do a LOT of walking otherwise. As for a tour of the chateau itself, seriously consider investing in an audio guide: this buys you access to more rooms and gets you away from the truly horrendous crowds shuffling through the main salons. I've never seen so many people crammed together: literally shoulder-to-shoulder, and crawling along at a snail's pace: not much fun, especially on a hot day. Overall verdict: worth seeing, but plan carefully and pace yourself!
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Jul 20th, 2000
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