FRANCE - Best of Europe 2014 - page 404

lily. In 1837, about 50 years after the royal family was evicted by citizen-protesters, King
Louis-Philippe opened the palace as a museum. Today you can visit parts of the huge palace
and wander through acres of manicured gardens sprinkled with fountains and studded with
statues. Europe's next-best palaces are just Versailles wannabes.
Worth ▲▲▲ , Versailles offers three blockbuster sights. The main attraction is the
palace itself, called the Château. Here you walk through dozens of lavish, chandeliered
rooms once inhabited by Louis XIV and his successors. Next come the expansive Gardens
behindthepalace, alandscaped wonderland dotted withstatues andfountains. Finally,atthe
far end of the Gardens, is the pastoral area called the Trianon Palaces and Domaine de
Marie-Antoinette (a.k.a.Trianon/Domaine),designedforfrolickingbluebloodsandfeatur-
ing several small palaces and Marie's Hamlet—perfect for getting away from the mobs at
the Château.
Ingeneral,allow1.5hourseachfortheChâteau, theGardens,andtheTrianon/Domaine.
Addanothertwohoursforround-triptransit,plusanotherhourforlunch,andyou'relooking
at an eight-hour day—at the very least.
Visiting Versailles can seem daunting because of its size and hordes of visitors. But if
you follow my tips, a trip here during even the busiest times is manageable.
Getting There
By Train: The town of Versailles is 35 minutes southwest of Paris. Take the RER-C train
(4/hour, 35 minutes one-way, €6.50 round-trip) from any of these Paris RER stops: Gare
d'Austerlitz, St. Michel, Musée d'Orsay, Invalides, Pont de l'Alma, or Champ de Mars. You
can buy your train tickets at any Métro ticket window in Paris—for no extra cost it will in-
clude the connection from that Métro stop to the RER. At the RER station, catch any train
listedas“VersaillesR.G.”or“VersaillesRiveGauche”(RiveGaucheistheVersaillesstation
closest to the Château—there are two others). Ride to the last stop.
At the Versailles R.G. train station, exit through the turnstiles by inserting your ticket.
Ignore the hawkers peddling guided Versailles tours and tickets. To reach the palace, just
follow the crowds: Turn right out of the station, then left at the first boulevard, and walk 10
minutes. To return to Paris, all trains serve all downtown Paris RER stops on the C line.
A Phébus shuttle bus links the Versailles R.G. train station to the Trianon/Domaine, but
doesn't go to the palace. It's ideal if you are visiting the Trianon/Domaine first, before the
Château—or if you want to return to the train station from the Trianon/Domaine (1-2/hour,
runs mid-April-Oct only, €1.70 or one Métro ticket, check current schedule for “Ligne TRI”
at www.phebus.tm.fr ) .
By Taxi: The 30-minute ride (without traffic) between Versailles and Paris costs about
€60.