Things to do in Versailles

Versailles is not a Paris neighbourhood but a separate town about 20 kilometres southwest of the city, reached by RER C to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche or by train from Saint-Lazare or Montparnasse in roughly 40 minutes. Most visitors base themselves in Paris and treat it as a day trip rather than an overnight stop.

The Chateau de Versailles, its gardens and the Trianon estate were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, and together they reward at least half a day; rushing the palace, the gardens and Trianon into two or three hours means skipping most of it. The chateau is closed on Mondays, never any other day.

Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte remain the other major Ile-de-France chateaux, while Disneyland Paris covers entertainment rather than heritage: Versailles is the high point of French royal history on this list, not a stop to add without planning.