Best of Versailles Day Trip from Paris including Skip-the-Line and Lunch

So much to see, so little time. It was great to skip waiting in lines. Versailles is breathtakingly beautiful and definitely a must see, inside as well as the gardens.

This tour is a must. It is the only way to do the Palace- Zara our tour guide was excellent. Very knowledgeable and made the ride there interesting by providing information that you would not get unless you were with a local. Once at the palace, you do skip the lines and Zara moved us past all the crowds, she is wonderful. Lunch was spectacular- very nice, elegant restaurant with great food. After lunch she took us to the Mini Palace that belonged to Marie Antoinette. It was spectacular. I do recommend a full day there as I am not sure if you get to the mini palace on a half day.

My husband and I booked Viator's Best of Versailles Day Trip from Paris, and we were generally happy with our experience.

This was a full-day, small group 8-person skip-the-line tour. We were instructed to meet the group at the tour company office at 8:00 a.m. with a scheduled departure of 8:20 a.m. We would have appreciated hotel pick-up, but that was not an option. We barely got there in time, since it was rush hour in Paris, and we had a difficult time getting a cab, despite the concerted efforts of our hotel concierge to call two cab companies. Apparently others had the same issue.

All was well, however, when we got underway. Our English speaking guide, Michelle, was most pleasant and informative. She got us into Versailles with very little wait and led us through the palace, providing helpful commentary along the way, which was communicated to us through our ear buds. Unfortunately, her equipment was not the best, so it was often difficult to hear her unless we were right beside her, which was not always possible given the very crowded conditions. This was not the fault of our guide the company should really invest in better equipment We did not have this problem on a 25-person tour of the Louvre the day prior. Of course, a highlight of the palace was the Hall of Mirrors, which was opulent, but hard to fully appreciate because of the crowds.

Once we had exited the palace, we had free time to explore the beautiful gardens, pools and fountains on our own before meeting back at La Flottille, a lovely Versailles café by the canal, for a delicious 3-course lunch with wine. By this time, we were all having a great time!

After lunch, we concluded our tour with a visit to the Queens Hamlet and the Grand Trianon, the charming estate and grounds of Madame Pompadour and Marie Antoinette. Despite a couple of minor glitches mentioned above, we enjoyed this tour very much and would not hesitate to recommend it.

Favorite tour of the 2 weeks in France ! Michelle was the best ! Our van was comfortable and air conditioned , Michelle is a master at French art and history and gives you sooooo much information that is well said and easy to understand . Versailles deserves 2 whole days , but with the skip the line pass and Michelle we did not feel that rushed. 4 in our group and we all loved the tour and Michelle .

This is one tour that we wished we had more time. The lunch was the best including the wine. The views were beyond belief. You can easily spend two days here and still not see everything you want to see.

This tour was excellent! Michelle was our guide and she was well informed, enthusiastic and full of interesting information, a joy to be with. The group was small 8 total and we all got along remarkably well. The lunch was delicious and not crowded, and the afternoon visit to the Trianons and gardens was well worth it. Definitely will recommend to friends!

This was an interesting and informative tour. Our guide was patient and accommodating. There is much more to this tour than the palace. The gardens and farm were the highlight of this trip for us. A day well spent.

The tour company was fabulous. There was only 8 people on the tour. To see Versailles is not to be missed. It is an unbelievable palace and grounds.

Very cool trip!

Nicola - you are amazing!! Great guide with tons of knowledge plus she spoke clear and succinctly. I wasn't expecting much for the lunch, but it was also excellent! Nice small group of only 8. Versailles is not to be missed and this tour delivered everything that we wanted. Thanks!