A Versailles day trip from Paris costs about €40 (about $45) per adult if you go on your own between April and October: €35 for the Passport ticket and €5.10 for a round trip on the RER C, which takes 30 to 35 minutes each way. From November to March the Passport drops to €25, so the day costs about €30 ($33) (prices checked October 2026). For most people the best plan is a 9 am palace slot booked on the official site, the gardens before lunch and the Trianon estate in the afternoon. If you’d rather have someone handle the train, the tickets and the history, the Versailles palace and gardens tour by train from Paris is one of the best-reviewed guided options on Viator, and it rides the same RER line you would.
How much does a Versailles day trip cost?
The do-it-yourself version costs a Passport ticket plus two train tickets. These are adult prices for visitors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes Americans, from the château’s 2026 ticketing page and Île-de-France Mobilités’ 2026 fares, with dollars at €1 = $1.11.
| Your plan | April to October | November to March | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport + RER C round trip | €40.10 (about $45) | €30.10 (about $33) | Palace at a set time, Trianon estate, gardens, train both ways |
| Late-admission Passport + RER C | €33.10 (about $37), entry from 4 pm | €23.10 (about $26), entry from 3 pm | The same, with about 2.5 hours before the palace closes |
| Paris Museum Pass holder + RER C | €20.10 (about $22), including the €15 gardens ticket | €5.10 (about $6) | Palace and Trianon on the pass, gardens free in winter |
| Guided tour from Paris | See the tour cards below | See the tour cards below | A guide and entry, plus transport on most tours |
What a family pays: under-18s enter the palace and the Trianon free, but they still need a free timed booking and their own train tickets. Two adults and two teenagers pay €70 for Passports from April to October plus €20.40 for four round trips on the RER, about €90 ($100) in all. From November to March the same family pays about €70 ($78).
Guided tours cost more, from roughly double the do-it-yourself price for a group tour by train to several times that for a small group with a minibus. You’re paying for the guide, the reserved entry and someone else doing the planning.
Which Versailles ticket do you need?
Buy the Passport. In 2026 it’s the only ticket that includes a visit to the palace with a fixed time slot, according to the château, so there’s no cheaper palace-only ticket to hunt for. The time slot applies to the palace alone: the Trianon estate and the gardens have no slot, so you visit them whenever they’re open.
| Ticket | April to October | November to March | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | €35 (about $39) | €25 (about $28) | Palace with timed entry, Trianon estate, temporary exhibitions, gardens (one entry on show days) |
| Late-admission Passport | €28 (about $31), from 4 pm | €18 (about $20), from 3 pm | Same as the Passport, for a late-afternoon visit |
| Passport + “Light of Liberty” VR | €42 (about $47) | €32 (about $36) | The Passport plus a 15-minute VR experience and skip-the-line palace access |
| Estate of Trianon | €15 (about $17) | €15 (about $17) | Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, the Queen’s Hamlet and their gardens, without the palace |
| Musical Fountains Show or Musical Gardens | €15 (about $17) | Gardens are free | The gardens on show days |
| Night Fountains Show | €39 (about $43) | Not held | Summer Saturday evenings in the gardens |
Prices are the standard rates from the château’s ticket page. EEA nationals and residents pay €3 less for the Passport, the Trianon and the gardens, with proof.
For US travelers: you pay the standard rate, and a US student card doesn’t get you in free. Free palace and Trianon admission is for under-18s of any nationality and for EEA nationals and residents under 26. Everyone, free visitors included, must book an entry ticket.
Book on the château’s official ticket site, which you reach from the tickets and prices page. Choose your date and palace time, then add free tickets for any children. Tickets are non-refundable and can’t be exchanged, so check the day of the week before you pay.
Versailles with the Paris Museum Pass
The Paris Museum Pass covers the palace and the Trianon estate, but you still have to book a free Passport slot for the palace, the pass’s Versailles page explains. The Trianon needs no reservation. The catch is the gardens: from April to October the pass doesn’t cover them on Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days, so pass holders who want the gardens buy the €15 ticket too. Versailles is one of the sites that tips the pass into profit, as our Paris Museum Pass math shows.
What if Versailles tickets are sold out?
You have three good fallbacks:
- Try the late-admission Passport. If the morning slots are gone, check the afternoon ones, which cost €7 less.
- Book a tour with reserved entry. Tour operators hold their own time slots, so a tour can have room on a day the official calendar is full. The guided tour by train from Paris includes the palace, gardens and train tickets, and the operator’s coordinators ride the RER with you.
- Buy a resold Passport. GetYourGuide sells the Versailles Passport ticket with palace, Trianon and gardens. Resellers can charge more than the official price, so compare and read the cancellation terms before you pay.
How do you get from Paris to Versailles?
The RER C is the easiest way: trains from central Paris reach Versailles Château Rive Gauche in 30 to 35 minutes, and the palace is about 10 minutes’ walk from the station. Two SNCF lines and a bus are the backups. Times are from the Versailles Tourist Office and walking times from the château’s practical information.
| Route | Board in Paris at | Get off at | Ride | Walk to the palace | Fare each way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RER C | Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Musée d’Orsay, Invalides, Champ de Mars - Tour Eiffel | Versailles Château Rive Gauche | 30 to 35 min | About 10 min | €2.55 |
| Transilien line L | Saint-Lazare or La Défense | Versailles Rive Droite | 25 to 30 min | About 17 min | €2.55 |
| Transilien line N | Montparnasse | Versailles Chantiers | 12 to 25 min | About 18 min | €2.55 |
| Bus 171 | Pont de Sèvres (end of metro line 9) | Château de Versailles | About 30 min without traffic | None | €2.05 Bus-Tram ticket, plus your metro ride |
How to ride the RER C to Versailles
- Get two Métro-Train-RER tickets (€2.55 each). Load them onto a Navigo Easy card at a station or into the Île-de-France Mobilités app on your phone. Since 2025 one ticket covers the whole Paris region except the airports, and it’s valid for 2 hours from when you tap in, including a metro ride to the RER, as long as you don’t exit, according to the ticket’s terms. Buy the return ticket at the start: the château warns that the Versailles station is very busy.
- Check the destination. The RER C splits into several branches, so make sure the departure screen lists Versailles Château Rive Gauche.
- Walk to Entrance A. It’s the palace entrance for individual visitors, about 10 minutes from the station.
The RER C has planned closures for works, mostly on evenings and some weekends. Check the Île-de-France Mobilités or SNCF Connect app the day before. If the line is closed, take line N from Montparnasse or line L from Saint-Lazare: the same ticket works.
Driving is the slow option this winter. The A13’s Saint-Cloud tunnel, the motorway route from Paris to Versailles, is closed in the Paris-to-Versailles direction from November 16, 2026 to the end of August 2027, according to Bison Futé, and the château recommends public transport for that period. The detour can also slow minibus and coach tours leaving Paris in the morning.
Train or guided tour: which should you book?
Go on your own if you’re comfortable booking a timed ticket and riding the metro, and you’re happy to read or listen to the free app as you walk. It’s the cheapest option and lets you stay as long as you like. Book a guided tour if it’s your first time, you want to understand what you’re seeing in rooms that can be packed, or official slots for your date are gone.
We compared five Versailles tours on Viator in October 2026. The cards under the picks show each tour’s current rating and starting price.
| Tour | How you get there | Length | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palace and gardens tour by train | RER with the operator’s coordinators, train tickets included | Half day, with a 3-hour guided visit | First-timers who want a guide without a coach |
| Palace guided tour with reserved entry | On your own; meets in Versailles | 90-minute palace tour | Do-it-yourself travelers who want a guide inside only |
| Small-group tour with transportation | Air-conditioned minibus from Paris | 4 hours | Skipping the train, groups of up to 16 |
| Full-day bike tour with palace, gardens and picnic | Train from Paris, then bikes | Full day | Active travelers and teens |
| Private palace and gardens tour by golf cart | Private guide; check the meeting point | Varies by option | Families and anyone who can’t walk the gardens |
Which Versailles tour to book
- Best overall: the Versailles palace and gardens tour by train from Paris covers the palace and gardens with a guide, includes all tickets and the RER, and avoids the motorway entirely.
- Best if you travel on your own: the Versailles palace guided tour with reserved entry is a 90-minute guided palace visit that meets in Versailles, so you take the RER yourself and keep the afternoon free for the gardens.
- Best without the train: the Versailles small-group tour with transportation from Paris leaves Paris by air-conditioned minibus and caps the guided group at 16. Hotel pickup isn’t included, and the A13 closure can add time this winter.
- Best for active travelers: Fat Tire’s Versailles full-day bike tour with palace, gardens and picnic combines the train from Paris, a bike ride through the estate, a picnic and a palace visit. It’s a seasonal tour, so check winter dates.
- Best for families: the private Versailles palace and gardens tour by golf cart pairs a private palace visit with the gardens by golf cart, which saves young legs the long walks.
- Compare everything else: the full list of Palace of Versailles tickets and tours on Viator includes Giverny combos and private day trips.
Book on ViatorVersailles Palace Guided Tour with Reserved Entry
Book on ViatorVersailles Small Group Guided Tour with Tranportation from Paris
Book on ViatorVersailles Full Day Bike Tour with Palace, Gardens, & Picnic
Book on ViatorVersailles Royal Palace & Gardens Private Tour by Golf Cart
Book on ViatorPalace of VersaillesA day at Versailles, hour by hour
The château’s own advice is to spend the whole day and to arrive when the palace opens at 9 am. This plan puts the palace first and the Trianon after lunch, as the Visit Paris Region tips suggest, with the formal gardens in between because they start right behind the palace.
- 8:00 am: take the RER C from Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Musée d’Orsay or Champ de Mars.
- 9:00 am: enter the palace at your slot. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the State Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors and the King’s and Queen’s apartments.
- 11:00 am: walk down to the gardens: the Latona Fountain, the Mirror Pool and the view down the Grand Canal. On show days the music and fountains run from 10 am.
- 12:30 pm: lunch. Angelina’s tea room is inside the palace, Ore by Alain Ducasse is in the Dufour Pavilion by Entrance A, and La Flottille, a brasserie on the Grand Canal, opens every day from 9 am to 7 pm from April to October.
- 1:30 pm: head to the Trianon estate, which opens at noon. It’s a 30-minute walk, or about 20 minutes by the little train or an electric cart rented on site.
- 4:30 pm: walk back through the park to the station, or stay for the 5:20 pm finale at the Neptune Fountain on show weekends (2026 schedule).
Opening hours at Versailles
| Area | April to October | November to March |
|---|---|---|
| Palace | 9 am to 6:30 pm, last entry 5:45 pm | 9 am to 5:30 pm, last entry 4:45 pm |
| Trianon estate | Noon to 6:30 pm, last entry 5:45 pm | Noon to 5:30 pm, last entry 4:45 pm |
| Gardens | 7 am to 8:30 pm, last entry 7 pm | 8 am to 6 pm, last entry 5 pm |
| Park | 7 am to 8:30 pm | 8 am to 6 pm |
The palace and the Trianon close every Monday. Everything closes on January 1, May 1 and December 25. Hours are from the château’s practical information, where high season runs to November 1.
Is the Trianon estate worth the walk?
Yes, if you have the energy after the palace. The Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon are smaller royal retreats, and the Queen’s Hamlet is the rustic village built for Marie Antoinette. All three are included in the Passport. If you’re short on time, skip the Grand Trianon and walk straight to the Petit Trianon and the Hamlet.
When do the Versailles fountains run?
The fountains run with music on show days from April to October, when the gardens charge admission. From November to March the gardens are free every day. In 2026, according to the château’s show page:
- Musical Fountains Show: Saturdays and Sundays from April 4 to November 1, plus Tuesdays from May 5 to June 30. Music from 10 am to 7 pm, with fountains launched at set times and a finale of historic jets at the Neptune Fountain at 5:20 pm on weekends.
- Musical Gardens: Tuesday to Friday from April 1 to October 30, with music in the gardens and some fountains running, including the Mirror Pool.
- Night Fountains Show: Saturday evenings from June 6 to September 19, from 8:30 pm, at €39 (about $43) for a standard ticket.
On show days the Passport includes one entry to the gardens, so once you leave them you can’t go back in. The 2027 dates hadn’t been published when we checked; expect the same April-to-October pattern and check the show page before you book.
What’s the best day to visit Versailles?
Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, at 9 am. The château’s FAQ names Tuesdays and weekends as the most crowded days and recommends arriving when the palace opens. Mondays are out, because the palace is closed.
The season matters too. From November to March the Passport is €10 cheaper and the gardens are free, but the palace closes an hour earlier and some groves are closed. From April to October you get the fountain shows and longer opening hours.
Tips for your Versailles day
- Leave luggage at the hotel. Large bags and suitcases aren’t allowed in the palace, and the château’s practical page said its left-luggage service was suspended when we checked, so carry as little as you can.
- Download the free Palace of Versailles app. It has audio tours and a map and works without an internet connection, according to Visit Paris Region.
- Keep your phone online anyway. Your tickets, the RER times and any works notices live on your phone, and Verizon’s TravelPass costs $12 a day per line abroad. A France eSIM from Airalo is set up before you fly: use code GUIDEZ15 at checkout if you’re new to Airalo, or GUIDEZ10 if you’ve bought from them before. Our Airalo vs local SIM vs roaming comparison runs the numbers.
- Wear walking shoes. The walk from the palace to the Trianon takes about 30 minutes each way, before you add the Grand Canal.
- Consider staying the night. The Waldorf Astoria Versailles - Trianon Palace, a Hilton hotel, sits on the boulevard de la Reine at the edge of the palace park, so you can be first in line at 9 am and see the gardens in the evening.
If Versailles is one day of a longer stay, our 4-day Paris itinerary fits it around the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre, and the Eiffel Tower tickets guide covers the tower on the same RER C line. For the rest of your Paris days, open Traveliri’s Paris map on Guidez, which is in Hebrew. Ready to go? Book your 9 am Passport slot on the official site, or let a guide handle the day on the Versailles tour by train from Paris.
