Spring Magic: Journey from Paris to Normandy, Versailles
On our recent trip from Paris to Normandy had to include a day to visit the Palace of Versailles. My husband and I had visited 10 years ago. When we returned a year later with the kids, we chose a different castle tour to mix things up. Our other tour was fantastic too. However, we wanted our boys to see Versailles. There is nothing like it! The first time we visited Versailles was in February, so this visit in May gave us spring at Versailles. What a treat!
Versailles is an easy day trip from Paris. After traveling from Normandy to Paris. Versailles was a totally different vibe. We were staying at the Hilton Paris Opera for this part of the trip. The hotel is across from the train station Gare Du Lazare. It was the perfect location. Our train from Caen arrived at this station. We were able to head out the next day directly to Versailles. The train ride to Versailles is $2.50 each way.
When we arrived in the town of Versailles, we had a 15-minute walk to the castle. The city was vibrant on this spring day. We walked through an incredible farmers’ market full of local goods. Everything looked amazing. If we had more time, I would have loved to do a long stroll through the market, exploring with my senses. However, our tickets were timed, so we hurried off to the Palace. Speaking of, you must have tickets in advance to visit Versailles. The official website for the Palace is here. If you don’t want to figure out how to get to Versailles from Paris and/or want a tour guide, you can book a tour like this one from Viator. A huge bonus with Viator is that you can book now and pay later. I use Viator often when we travel. Make sure to read the reviews of the tours you are booking!
When walking up to Versailles, the golden gates are a huge clue that you have found what you are looking for! Even though I had been there before, I forgot how massive it was. It’s HUGE!
I recommend you tour the Palace first, then the gardens. It gets crowded quickly. It also gets jammed with tour groups. Bring you patience. Our tickets were for 10 on this day. The Palace is super impressive, but I am claustrophobic, so our family made it quickly through the people-jammed hallways and headed out to the gardens. It was worth going inside. The word that best describes it in my mind is ABUNDANCE!
The gardens are magnificent. We had perfect weather on this spring day. Everyone was out enjoying them. Parts of the gardens are included with admission, but another part is open without paying. It was nice to see locals enjoying this amazing space. I would love to go back and stay in Versailles. Speaking of the gardens, check out the pictures below. I have never seen anything like it in person. I felt like we were in a movie.
We had a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant in the gardens called Le Petite Venise. Our family loves a nice sit-down lunch when we travel to regroup. However, there are several snack shacks around with sandwiches, etc, that you can grab and go.
Versailles was a perfect add-on to our trip from Paris to Normandy.
Please check out my other posts on Normandy region:
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