Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
line, try reserving in person—they almost always run more tours than they've listed
on the website.
Audioguides:
A free audioguide to the Château is included in your admission (pick up
just inside the palace, return as you leave). You can download a free Rick Steves au-
“multimedia” section at
www.chateauversailles.fr
. The palace audioguide and my au-
dio tour complement one another: Eager students can easily transfer earbuds between
devices and listen to both tours as you shuffle through the lavish rooms.
Baggage Check:
LargebagsandbabystrollersarenotallowedintheChâteauandthetwo
Trianons (use a baby backpack or hire a babysitter for the day); you must use the free
baggage check and retrieve your items one hour before closing.
Services:
There are WCs on either side of the Château courtyard (in the ticket-sales office
and in the guided-tours office), immediately upon entering the Château (Entrance
H), and near the exit from the Dauphin's Apartments. You'll also find WCs near the
Grand Café d'Orléans, in the Gardens near the Latona Basin, at the Grand Canal, in
the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon, and at several other places scattered around the
grounds. Any café generally has a WC.
Photography:
Allowed, but no flash indoors.
Eating:
TotheleftoftheChâteau'sgoldenRoyalGateentrance,theGrandCaféd'Orléans
offers good-value self-service meals (€5 sandwiches and small salads, great for pic-
nicking in the Gardens). In the Gardens, you'll find several cafés and snack stands
with fair prices. Most are located near the Latona Fountain (less crowded) and in a
delightful cluster at the Grand Canal (more crowds and more choices, including two
restaurants).
In
town,
restaurants are on the street to the right of the parking lot (as you face
the Château). Handy McDonald's and Starbucks (both with WCs) are across from the
train station. The best choices are on the lively Place du Marché Notre-Dame in the
Spectacles in the Gardens:
TheGardensandfountainsatVersaillescomealiveatselected
times, offering visitors a glimpse into Louis XIV's remarkable world. The Sun King
hadhisengineersliterallyreroutearivertofuelhisfountainsandfeedhisplants.Even
by today's standards, the fountains are impressive. Check the Versailles website for
current hours and for what else might be happening during your visit.
On non-winter weekends—and some spring Tuesdays—the Gardens' fountains are
in full squirt. The whole production, called
Les Grandes Eaux Musicales,
involves
55 fountains gushing for an hour in the morning, then again for about two hours
in the afternoon, all accompanied by loud classical music (€8.50, April-Oct Sat-Sun
