Versailles Palace Guided Day Tour and Trianon from Paris
Paris, France
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Enjoy access to the Domain of Versailles to avoid the often-long queues. Explore the opulent palace and expansive gardens. This is a great way to see this must-see attraction outside Paris.
- Versailles Domain tour with guide-interpreter from Paris
- Great Royal Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors and the Queens Apartments
- Free time to explore the famous gardens
- Book ahead and skip the long lines
What's Included
- Versailles Palace entrance
- Versailles Gardens entrance
- Queen's Hamlet entrance with Petit and Grand Trianon
- Fountain shows in the Gardens (only during Summer time)
- Professional live guide
- Round Trip transportation in an air-conditioned coach
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 6 Av. du Dr Brouardel, 75007 Paris, France
Starting June 3, 2025 NEW MEETING POINT:6, avenue du Docteur Brouardel, 75007 Paris Closest metro station : Bir-Hakeim (line 6)
End point
- 18 Av. de Suffren, 75007 Paris, France
Itinerary
The first part of your Versailles experience is a guided tour of the palace. During the visit, you’ll see the incredible Royal Apartments where the King and Queen — Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette — once lived and the famous Hall of Mirrors.
Then, enjoy some free time in the gardens to wander through the impeccable ‘Groves’ in summer or to bundle up for a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride in winter. Admission tickets are included if you would like to visit the Gallery of Battles at your leisure.
After your meal (own expense), take a visit of the Trianons, the private retreat of both Louis XV and Louis XVI. Then head for the Queen’s Hamlet, Marie Antoinette’s similarly private retreat.
Versailles Fountain Show Special Program:On Saturdays and Sundays from April to October and Tuesdays from mid-May through June the impressive fountains in Versailles’ garden are made even more so with a display set to music that dates from the time of Louis XIV’s court. Entry fees to the special fountain show are included with this tour.
Then, enjoy some free time in the gardens to wander through the impeccable ‘Groves’ in summer or to bundle up for a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride in winter. Admission tickets are included if you would like to visit the Gallery of Battles at your leisure.
After your meal (own expense), take a visit of the Trianons, the private retreat of both Louis XV and Louis XVI. Then head for the Queen’s Hamlet, Marie Antoinette’s similarly private retreat.
Versailles Fountain Show Special Program:On Saturdays and Sundays from April to October and Tuesdays from mid-May through June the impressive fountains in Versailles’ garden are made even more so with a display set to music that dates from the time of Louis XIV’s court. Entry fees to the special fountain show are included with this tour.
1
Paris
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Versailles (Pass By)
2
Monument a Louis XIV
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Palace of Versailles
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
4
La Galerie des Glaces
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
The Royal Chapel (Pass By)
5
Jardins du Chateau de Versailles
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
I Trianons E Le Hameau
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Paris (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour is not accessible by wheelchair and requires a lot of walking
- Comfortable shoes are highly recommended
- Strollers are forbidden in the palace and the 2 Trianon Palaces
- Unique entrance : any exit is final
- IMPORTANT INFORMATION Please note that starting June 3rd, the meeting point for this tour will change to: 6 avenue du Dr Brouardel, 75007 Paris
- During the high season, this popular destination can experience significant crowds. As a result, there may be some unavoidable queues.
- The Fountains Show is only operating during the Summer
- Fountain Show dates: Every Saturday and Sunday from April 5 to October 26, 2025 + Friday August 15th.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.0
based on 179 reviews
Sue_T, Mar 2026
Guide spoke English BUT very hard to understand. She was rushed and it seemed obvious that she did not want to be there. It was very hard to even keep track of her as she was short and Rarely used an umbrella or similar
It also seemed very clear that she did not like Americans
She also told us that the Petit Trianon was NOT open !!!!! Wrong info!!!!
Would recommend tour but NOT with this tour guide
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Dear Sue,
Thank you very much for your comment.
We are very sorry that your experience with the guide did not meet your expectations. This is not the level of service we aim to provide to our customers. We take your comments very seriously and will pass them on to the relevant department.
Our goal is always to offer a high-quality service, and your feedback helps us improve. We will investigate internally what happened to ensure that similar situations do not occur again.
We also appreciate that you still recommend the tour, and we hope to offer you a much better experience in the future.
Kind regards,
Paris City Vision
Cindy_O, Sep 2025
Beautiful location! Definitely worth it to book the tour. We learned a lot of history and didn't have to wait or figure out travel.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Dear Cindy,
Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad you enjoyed the location, learned some history, and appreciated the ease of travel without waiting. We hope to welcome you again on another tour soon!
Kind Regards,
Connie_B, Sep 2025
You might want to do some in depth research on French royalty before coming. Our guide was great, but it was86 degrees Fahrenheit and our return bus had no air for a 45 minute ride. Brutal.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re glad to hear your guide was great, and we appreciate the tip about brushing up on French royalty. We’re very sorry about the heat and the lack of air conditioning on the return ride, that’s not the comfort standard we aim for. We’ll follow up with our transport partner to ensure the buses are properly cooled, especially on hot days.
Kind Regards,
Patricia_H, Sep 2025
I got the guided tour of the Versailles Palace, but the afternoon tour left me abandoned with no guide… I paid for an afternoon guided tour of Trianon
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Dear Patricia,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are very sorry to hear that you were left without a guide during your afternoon visit to the Trianon. This is not the level of service we aim to provide, especially when a guided tour has been booked and paid for.
To investigate and assist you properly, please contact our Customer Service at booking@pariscityvision.com
with your booking reference, the date of your visit, and your contact details. Our team will review what happened and follow up with you.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience and hope to have the chance to make this right and welcome you back for the complete experience you expected.
Best regards,
Michelle_B, Aug 2025
My tour guide was VERY knowledgeable and nice. He made sure we knew the correct history and showed us a lot of
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you very much for your kind feedback. We are delighted to hear that your guide’s knowledge and friendliness helped make your experience so enjoyable. It is wonderful to know that the historical insights and the sites you visited left a positive impression. We truly appreciate your review and hope to welcome you again on another tour soon.
Best regards,
Pamela_H, Jun 2025
The guide was good and very friendly. She explained things well and answered extra questions. There was a little confusion when we arrived at the location as we had to walk to the actual meeting place but that worked out too. The biggest suggestion/complaint I have is that the description is a little deceptive. When it said we would have free time to explore the gardens, I didn’t realize it would be for us to figure out the gardens. All was well as we walked through Versailles, but then we were given tickets for the garden and the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon and told the direction to walk, but not that it was a loooong walk. We should have rented a golf cart. Once we realized our error, we rented bikes. That made the travel better, but there was still confusion about which direction to go and overall lack of understanding. I expected a little more guidance with the other pieces of the tour. Like I said, we saw the things listed, but do a little research and know what you want to see within the gardens and the amount of plants asking it would take to get you to the Trianons and Queens Hamlet so you won’t be as confused as we were.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Pamela,
Thank you for sharing your detailed feedback—we truly appreciate it. We're glad to hear you found your guide friendly, informative, and responsive to questions, and that overall you enjoyed your visit to Versailles.
We also sincerely apologize for the confusion and lack of clarity regarding the layout of the estate and the self-guided portion of the gardens and Trianons. Versailles is indeed vast, and we understand how overwhelming it can be without clear direction or context—especially when distances between sites are longer than expected. Your suggestion about renting bikes or a golf cart is a great tip for future visitors.
We’ll take your comments into account as we continue to improve how we describe the tour and prepare guests for what to expect. Thank you again for your valuable insights, and we hope to welcome you on another, smoother experience in the future!
Best regards,
Sophie_L, May 2025
Francois was fantastic. Great tour. On time and well handled. The bus could use a revamp. Windows dirty old seats
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour and that François made such a positive impression, we'll be sure to pass along your compliments to him.
We also appreciate your honest feedback about the condition of the bus. We’re currently reviewing our transportation options and will take your comments into account as we work to improve the overall experience.
Thanks again for touring with us, we hope to see you again soon!
Best regards,
Monika_G, Mar 2025
Fabulous tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and took time to answer questions! The ear phones with the little communicator that came without the tour made it so much easier to hear what our guide was saying in the noisy rooms. Lived the tour! We did purchase tickets to gardens and the small chateaus, however, we decided to walk but only had time to see 2. In hind sight, i would definitely rent the golf cart or take the little train that goes around.
Frank_S, Jan 2025
It was way too crowded, and we could not enjoy the tour. The only positive was our tour guide as she was very knowledgeable but could hardly hear her.
Robert_H, Nov 2024
Bus was on time and ready for us plus great guide through Versailles. Tour was great!! Had a wonderful time!
Gabriela_D, Nov 2024
I Was told this was an all day guided tour and it was not. The tour guide did not introduce himself and never gave his name simply “red umbrella”. Nor was he wearing visible name tag Red umbrella finished tour of Versailles castle approximately 10:35am. For visiting the Trianon & Queens Hamlet he told us to go to the garden and that it was a 35 minute walk each way. He was asked 3 times is there another alternative to walking his response go to the garden iI specifically asked if the path was well labeled and in English his response go to the garden. We got lost in the garden with no signs and contacted tour company for help and they refused to help. We also found out Trianon & Queens Hamlet did not open til 12noon. We should have been advised to grab lunch and YES there was a great option for getting to Trianon & Queens Hamlet, there is a small hop on hop off train which does a loop and takes you to all places. More efficiently audio phone with recorded tour are available at all locations. Better choice then bad guide that does not give you all the information and causes you to loose time and wander around lost for 1.5 hours pre purchase your own tickets get uber rent audio phone and use hop on hop off train. When i pay that much money for a tour i expect a complete tour not partial and a knowledgable guide
Angel_D, Nov 2024
Tour guide was very patient and he explained the history very well. Helpful and answered politely whenever we asked questions. I find the entire tour well organised and Viator customer service response time was quick too.. yes I recommend this tour. But beware to clock almost 25k steps, you need strong legs and good walking shoes :)
Tom_O, Oct 2024
This tour was a terrible disappointment! This was supposed to be a full day tour. We had a 1 hour guided tour of the palace. Then we were told we had about an hour to see the gardens and the Marie Antoinette hamlet unguided before returning to the bus. We were told we could stay longer but we would have to find our own way back to Paris. It also seemed as if Viator wasn’t running the tour but had piggy backed on some other tour operators. You could take the RER train and pick up a self guided audio device for 1/2 the cost and just as much benefit! I will think twice before I use Viator again!
Joan_P, Oct 2024
Our guide was very good and informative. The only problem was that our bus was delayed an hour leaving because of a protest at Versailles. But instead of getting to stay an additional hour as we were told when we were picked up we had to leave at the original time. So our time in the gardens was cut short by 1 hour. Very disappointing.
Thomas_K, Jun 2024
When we arrived at the pick up location in Paris, the tour operators treated us with indifference and rudeness. They seemed dismissive and annoyed that I would be asking them if I was in the correct location for the tour bus. Then, when we arrived at Versailles, there was confusion for a good 20min, because they had reserved a Spanish speaking tour guide for our English only group. Then they rushed us through Versailles for the next 90min, only to then let us know we were on our own to find the gardens and Trianon and find our way back to the bus. There was then confusion at the bus area, since no one in our group received specifics on exactly where the bus would be or what it would look like or how it would be labeled. The only reason I gave 2 stars instead of one is because at least the Viator Paris team was extremely responsive via WhatsApp. This was greatly appreciated. Versailles itself was incredible. The tour operators however left much to be desired.
Sharyl_M, Sep 2023
This was a terrible experience. Went from 8 hour tour to 10 1/2 hour, which made us miss our dinner reservation. The tour guide did 2 hours at the place and then left the tour group in the garden, no maps or direction was given. It was not a all day guided tour. Andre was mad that my husband had to go to the restroom and asked him why he didn't go earlier. He was irritable, seemed annoyed and did not seem to want to show the tour group anything. Stated in the garden, Lunch is over the hill at the restaurant. There were 3 restaurants and we were not told which one to go to. He did not know about any alternative transportation. "Well if you have 38 euros you can rent a cart if you want to spend the money." The train he didn't even suggest. We have taken tours on Viator for years and this was the worst one. We feel we should get a refund.
Erik_G, Aug 2023
The guide was great and she spoke English very well.
We started the tour with the Palace of Versailles, then moved on to an overview of the gardens and fountains from the terrace above the Escaliers de Latone (Latone's Stairs) that gives a panoramic view of the grounds. The guide gives you hints about their favorite things to see, and then you are free to roam the grounds until your tour's assigned lunch time, when you meet at the restaurant (La Flotille) by the boat pond at the end of the long promenade between Latona's Fountain and the Apollo Fountain.
Lunch was excellent and very satisfying.
After lunch, you are given tickets (self guided) to the Trianon. I mention that the Trianon tour is self-guided, because one of the people in our tour group was upset because that she thought that the tour of the Trianon would be guided. Our family was glad that it was not guided because that allowed us to wander where our interests dictated at our own pace. BE WARNED; the walk from the restaurant to the Trianon is not short (but very rewarding). There are golf carts for up to 4 people available for rent if you prefer to ride to the Trianon. (You can not rent carts at the Trianon for the return trip from the Trianon back to the starting point - the carts are round trip from the starting point.)
HINT: There is a free app available for your smart phone that will give you a visual / audio guide to the palace, gardens, and Trianon estate from the official Versailles website. This app can be downloaded prior to your visit and viewed offline while on site (no internet connection needed once you have downloaded the app). We did not use this app, so I can't speak to how well it works.
We walked to the Grand Trianon and toured at our leisure, then went through the Petite Trianon to gain access to the trail leading to the Hameau de la Reine (Queen's Hamlet) - a group of rustic Normandy cottages around a man made lake that Marie Antoinette had constructed during her stay at Trianon. This is a real treat that is not to be missed, but it is NOT a short walk from the Petite Trianon. You can not ride a golf cart on the trails to the hamlet, so plan on walking to this site whether or not you have a cart.
When you initially get off of your bus, your guide will give you a meeting place in the parking lot and let you know what time you need to meet the group at that designated spot to board your bus. Make sure you keep track of how long it takes you to get to the farthest spot that you adventure away from the starting point on the terrace so you know how much time to budget for the return trip to make it back to the departure point in time to meet up with your group. We kept that in mind, and made it back in plenty of time to use the restrooms and visit the gift shop near the entry gates before joining our group in the parking lot for the ride home. Also keep in mind that it is a slightly uphill walk from the Trianon to the grand terrace in front of the palace, so plan on a few rest stops.
Overall, my family had a great time and made memories to last a lifetime! And we got in some nice healthy exercise in the mix.
Carolyn_D, Aug 2023
The tour was very good. The bus was very comfortable and it was nice to know transportation was looked after, especially after a full day tour.
Our guide Cecelia was very personable, knowledgeable and had some fun & interesting anecdotes! Felt a bit rushed in the Palace but I understand they limit viewing time to manage crowds and allow as many people through as possible.
The set menu lunch was ok. Good value for money but also felt a bit rushed and like they wanted us out as soon as possible. This was also a good opportunity to meet others on the tour and hear their travel stories.
When they said they’d pick us up at 6pm. I wondered what I’d do for 6 hours but in the end it wasn’t enough to see all the gardens & grounds. It is huge and truly magnificent!
ANN_M, Aug 2023
Unfortunately, our experience on this excursion was terrible. I would not recommend this at ALL!! We could barely hear our guide through most of the tour and then once we got to lunch our guide left and did not finish the tour with us. We were left to wonder for an additional 5 hours before the bus came. In hindsight we should have taken a cab back to the meeting place. Also, the description of this tour is inaccurate as we didn’t see some of the things mentioned as the Queen’s private retreat or the fountain show. I would recommend doing only a half day tour. It’s more than enough time to see the castle. Do not waste your time or money on this tour!! Very disappointing!!
Carol_M, Jul 2023
My trip was very good from the smooth bus ride to our guide being very knowledgeable about art and the history , to a very delicious 3 course lunch with wine
It is such a huge property that even a whole day you can’t see everything
Steven_D, Jul 2023
The combination of the palace visit and the grounds. Absolutely stunning and even overwhelming in appearance and the work put into it. Also disturbing that this elite society lived in this fashion, while the Paris population suffered without adequate food, health reform or education.
Yee_T, Jun 2023
I have been to multiple walking trails all over the world, and this is my 6th time at the Louvre. Adam was really a great facilitator and storyteller and among the best I have experienced so far. Was fact checking along the walk, as I understand that history can be quite subjective at times, but I must say that most of the fantastic stories Adam was sharing gave me wonderfully powerful new insights. I and my 10 year old daughter enjoyed ourselves very much; which speaks to the range that Adam was able to deliver on.
Kathleen_K, Jun 2023
It wasn’t well organized. Needed more information about getting around the massive gardens. Tour guide left us at lunch and we were in our own to navigate the gardens and wasn’t there to help us find the bus.
Janae_L, Jun 2023
Our tour of Versailles was a very positive experience. Our tour guide was lovely, though there was quite a bit of technical issues getting the earpieces to work properly while we walked throughout the castle. The biggest benefit of the tour was getting to hear a little bit about the history directly from the guide, instead of having to read all of the signage to understand the important bits (which were in French, and we couldn’t understand anyway). The lunch was good, but not anything to write home about. The gardens were absolutely amazing and well worth coming just to walk through the beautiful landscape and see the beautiful old buildings on the premises.
Be forewarned that there is a lot of walking involved. We did 10 miles/16 kilometers and we didn’t even get to see half of what I wanted to explore in the gardens. If I were to do it again, I would just buy a ticket for the gardens and explore further. So beautiful!
Laura_H, May 2023
DO NOT DO THIS TOUR!!!!
This “all day guided tour” is only a Guided tour of the staterooms for just over an hour, then you are walked down to the restaurant which is about 20ish minutes away from the front area and left to your own devices for the rest of the time.
We were told there was fountain shows and that our tickets included the queens hamlet and Grand Troon.
This tour specifies IN the description that it is a full day GUIDED tour with the afternoon also being a guided tour. Given that my partner and I love history and learning we chose this premium option. Being dumped for the entire afternoon meant we had to piece things together and as most stuff is in French without English translations (like about the furniture etc) we had no idea what it’s history was as I don’t speak French.
The tour also ended late (it advertises approx. 8 hours but it’s closer to 10 hours as we didn’t leave until about 6:05 pm) so don’t make dinner reservations. Our bud was also 20 minutes late and the guide that met us at the gate for the return trip had no idea what was happening.
I reached out to Viator about the fact that I paid just over $ 550 AUD (€ 335 ish) and was fairly upset but they are of the opinion that it’s fine to pay for a product (full day, 8 hour tour) and get a small fraction of that.
Save yourselves $100s and go elsewhere. I wish I’d known before I bought this.
Natalie_B, May 2023
This was surprisingly not much of a tour. Six or more of the hours were “Free” time. We could have paid for our own entry, ordered a much better lunch and bottle of wine, and still spent a lot less money.
LINDAKAY_M, May 2023
Basically no garden tour. Walked from palace to lunch restaurant. Where guide dumped us. We were informed to find our own way back.
Melissa_E, May 2023
This was a waste of money. Our tour guide Blandine rushed us through Versailles, complaining that she was cold and tired. (Everyone was cold because it was a cold and rainy day.) She then left us and told us to make our own way around the grounds (Grand Trianon or Petit Trianon) or come back early. When we tried to come back early we were at first told we couldn’t go on the bus, that it was only for French people. We had to beg.
The next morning we got 8 harassing phone calls and multiple texts from Paris City Tours, telling us to bring back our devices. However, we had already turned ours in to Blandine before she left us. Within 10 minutes of responding, I started to get multiple phone calls from unknown numbers and Facebook friend requests from strangers. Viator said that they felt this was not a good experience but then denied a partial refund request.
Marilyn_P, May 2023
Unfortunately the weather had an adverse affect on our experience today but there's nothing the tour operator could do about that. Our guide was lovely - very informative and went at a good pace making sure everyone stayed together. The restaurant for lunch was at the very far end of the garden and had we known we could have taken the petit train down for 4.6euros we definitely would have. We were absolutely soaked by the time we got there. Needless to say we caught the petit train back up after lunch, which was very good by the way. Because of the weather, our guide arranged for the bus to return 3hrs early to pick us up. We were very grateful for this. We missed the gardens totally
but I'll do them next time.
Margiecurtis, Mar 2023
We were rushed through the first part of the tour. Then had way too long at the restaurant. After seeing the Trianon, we had over 1 1/2 hours of free time which was not needed. The bus wasn’t there until it was time to leave so we couldn’t even board to wait for the rest of the people. Where we met the bus, there weren’t even any benches to sit on. So I standee there waiting for about 50 minutes.
From $145.14
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Versailles Palace Guided Day Tour and Trianon from Paris
179
8 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$145.14
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Paris, France
- Living Museum of the Horse (Musée Vivant du Cheval) Tours & Tickets
- Butte aux Cailles Tours & Tickets
- Pierre Hermé Pâtisserie Tours & Tickets
- Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) Tours & Tickets
- Canal Saint-Martin Tours & Tickets
- Moulin Rouge Tours & Tickets
- Dome Church at Les Invalides (Dome des Invalides) Tours & Tickets
- Buttes-Chaumont Park (Parc des Buttes-Chaumont) Tours & Tickets
- Petit Palais Tours & Tickets
- Gare du Nord Tours & Tickets
- Pont Neuf Tours & Tickets
- Notre-Dame Cathedral Tours & Tickets
- Napoleon's Tomb Tours & Tickets
- Rue Mouffetard Market Tours & Tickets