Palace of Versailles: tickets, tours and a one-day plan

A one-day plan for Versailles in winter

The château's own advice for a full day is the palace at opening time, the gardens in the late morning and the Trianon estate from noon. In the low season that looks like this:

• 9am: enter the palace with your timed Passport. The château's highlights route takes about 1.5 hours: the King's Grand Apartments, the Royal Chapel and the Hall of Mirrors, 73 metres long, with 17 mirrored arcades facing 17 windows and 30 ceiling paintings by Charles Le Brun.
• 10:30am: walk out through the Princes' Courtyard into the gardens, free in winter, and down the Grande Perspective towards the 1,670-metre Grand Canal.
• 12:30pm: lunch. Picnic on the Saint Antoine plain between the palace and the Trianons, eat at La Flottille on the Grand Canal (open daily, 9am to 6:30pm) or at Angelina's stand by the Petit Trianon (noon to 5pm in the low season).
• 1:30pm: the Grand Trianon, Louis XIV's private retreat at the end of the Grand Canal's northern arm, then the Petit Trianon and the Queen's Hamlet, about 0.5 km beyond it as the crow flies. The château suggests about 4 hours for the Trianon estate; last entry is 4:45pm.
• 5:30pm: the Trianon palaces close; the gardens and park close at 6pm. Walk or take the little train back towards the palace and town for the RER C.

Getting around the Versailles estate: little train, electric cars, bikes and boats

The estate is bigger than most visitors expect: the park alone covers about 800 hectares, and the walk from the palace to the Trianon palaces takes about 30 minutes.

• Little train: €9 for the full circuit with hop-on, hop-off stops (€7 for under-18s, free for under-12s), or €5 for a single journey. It runs every day except Monday, from 11:10am to 5:10pm between November and March, linking the palace's North Terrace, the Petit Trianon, the Grand Trianon and the Grand Canal.
• Small electric vehicles: €42 per hour for up to four people (five with children), with GPS and an audio guide; the driver must be 24 or over and leave a driving licence as a deposit. Hire from the Water Parterre South Terrace runs from 10am to 5pm (last departure 4pm) and closes from 1 January to 15 February; the Little Venice hire point closes from 15 November.
• Bikes: €10 an hour or €23 a day from Little Venice, but hire is closed from mid-November to mid-February. Bikes are allowed in the park, not in the formal gardens.
• Rowing boats on the Grand Canal: €20 an hour for up to four people, closed from mid-November to the end of February and reopening in March.

Food at Versailles: Ore, Angelina and picnics

• Ore, Alain Ducasse's café in the Dufour Pavilion overlooking the Royal Courtyard, opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5:30pm. Its breakfast with direct palace access costs €57 in the autumn–winter season (9am to 10:30am), and lunch with direct access €90.
• Angelina's tea room on the first floor of the palace, after the ticket check, opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm in the low season; its stand at the Petit Trianon opens from noon to 5pm and needs no ticket.
• Picnics are allowed in the park, notably on the Saint Antoine plain and by the Lake of the Swiss Guard. In the formal gardens the Marmousets hall near the Water Walk is the only place where picnics are permitted.
• There are free water points across the estate, and the Versailles market halls (closed on Mondays) are a short walk from the palace.

Versailles with the Paris Museum Pass

The Paris Museum Pass (€85 for two days, €105 for four, €125 for six) includes the palace and the Trianon estate, but pass holders must still book a free timed Passport ticket online to enter the palace; no booking is needed for the Trianon. The pass gives no fast track at the security check and does not cover the gardens on Musical Fountains or Musical Gardens days. It pays off only if you will also use it at several Paris museums; under-18s and EEA under-26s already go free.

What to skip at Versailles in winter

• Skip a late-afternoon palace slot as your only visit: last entry is 4:45pm and the palace closes at 5:30pm.
• Skip the Gallery of Coaches on a weekday: it opens only at weekends (and in the Christmas holidays).
• Skip planning a bike ride or a rowing boat between mid-November and February: on-site hire is closed. A bike tour that brings its own bikes is the alternative.
• Skip paying for an electric car if you only need to reach the Trianon palaces: the little train covers the same circuit for €9.

Versailles mistakes to avoid

• Going on a Monday. The palace and the Trianon estate are closed every Monday (the gardens and park stay open), and the Versailles market halls are closed too.
• Arriving without a palace time slot. Every visitor needs one, including those who go free and Paris Museum Pass holders, and the château guarantees entry within half an hour of the slot only for tickets bought online.
• Arriving mid-morning on a busy day. The château names Tuesdays and weekends as the most crowded days and advises arriving at the 9am opening; even with a timed ticket you may have to queue to get in.
• Underestimating the walking. The Grand Trianon is about 30 minutes' walk from the palace and the Queen's Hamlet further still; wear comfortable shoes or use the little train.
• Bringing a suitcase. Large bags and suitcases are not allowed; free lockers in the South Ministers' Wing take bags up to 46 × 43 × 26 cm.
• Paying zone fares. One €2.55 Métro-Train-RER ticket covers Paris to Versailles by RER or train; only the bus needs a separate Bus-Tram ticket.