We are going to paris for 10 days in September (4 adults, one 15 month old baby) and we are making 2 side trips - one to Versailles and one to Fontainebleau, as I was looking for relatively easy trips to take with a baby where we could see a little of the countryside.
I have been using this forum for research for the last 6 months and it is the best invention ever! However, of course I still have questions that have not been answered (or I can%26#39;t find the answers through my searches on the forum).
Versailles:
For Versailles we are taking the train, but my question is - does the train bring you right to Versailles or do you need to take a taxi there from the train station? And, are there places to eat lunch at Versailles or should we bring a picnic? Is there a town within walking distance with restaurants? (Remember we have a baby with us - we will not be up for big hikes).
Also, for Versailles, I understand that the best way to see the castle itself is with a guided tour so that you can see areas where you are otherwise not allowed (hall of mirrors, etc). Can I book a guided tour once I am there, or do I need to go with a tour company from Paris?
Also, for Versailles I understand that for $6 more on the weekends there are fountains and music in the gardens, which I think my daughter would enjoy. But I also heard that there are fireworks? Is this true and is that also every weekend - or only on special occasions, or am I confusing Versailles with something else? She would love the fireworks.
Fontainebleau:
We were originally going to rent a car in Paris and drive there because we really enjoy exploring by car. But I think we will just take the train to minimize the frustration factor with a baby. Advice on either method would be great.
However, again - can you walk to the chateau from the train station? How about to a town? And, is it possible (or even a good idea) to rent a car once we arrive by train, so that we can do a little exploring around the area, but without the frustration of driving in Paris? My mother really wants to see the %26quot;French Countryside%26quot; as she puts it, and I know we will see it by the train, but it is so fun to drive around and discover things on your own.
Thank you so much! I can%26#39;t wait for this trip, and I am so grateful to all of your help in planning it. I will craft very detailed trip reports once I return!
~ Coralyn :)
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Chateau de Versailles sits smack in the middle of the town of Versailles - it is not in a remote or rural location. From the Versailles-Rive Gauche station, you can walk about 1/2 mile. You walk out the front of the station, turning right. When you reach the boulevard, turn left and walk up to the chateau (you%26#39;ll be able to see it as soon as you start up the boulevard.
There are any number of cafes and restaurants - some in front of the train station, and others along the right-hand side of the boulevard and where the road breaks to the right to go up the right side of the chateau, many cafes.
If you bring a picnic, you%26#39;ll have to carry it thru your tour, I suppose, then you must walk out the back of the chateau, past the formal gardens and to the grassy bank by the Grand Canal. This is the only area where you are allowed on the grass within view of the chateau. There is also a sandwich/snack bar around there, and a restaurant with a cafe on its left side (less formal).
To go to Fontainebleau, you can take the train to Avon/Fontainebleau - when you walk out of the station, you must take a bus into town - I think it will have a sign on the front of the bus that says Chateau, not sure, but ask anyone as there most likely will be others walking to the bus stop, right in front of the station. The bus takes you into the town and stops immediately across from the Chateau (again, it is in the middle of town, not in the countryside). There is a nice shopping street in the area, cafes and eating places. I%26#39;m not sure about bringing a picnic to this chateau, maybe someone else can advise.
When you leave, return to the same bus stop where you got off and take the bus going the opposite direction to go back to the train station. Again, just ask others around you to ensure you are in the right place.
There are probably taxis around the chateau and around the train station - we didn%26#39;t use one so not sure.
I%26#39;m sure both of these chateaux have their own websites - read thru them to gain more information about %26#39;how to reach us%26#39; or %26#39;access%26#39;...
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Versailles:
For Versailles we are taking the train, but my question is - does the train bring you right to Versailles or do you need to take a taxi there from the train station?
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; The train station, if you arrive at Rive Gauche via the RER from Paris, is within a short walk from the Chateau.
And, are there places to eat lunch at Versailles or should we bring a picnic? Is there a town within walking distance with restaurants? (Remember we have a baby with us - we will not be up for big hikes).
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; The chateau is surrounded by the town of Versailles. There are numerous restaurants within a short walk, in either direction of the train station and the front gates of the chateau.
Also, for Versailles, I understand that the best way to see the castle itself is with a guided tour so that you can see areas where you are otherwise not allowed (hall of mirrors, etc). Can I book a guided tour once I am there, or do I need to go with a tour company from Paris?
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; There are some areas of the chateau which can only be seen with a guide. These are called Visite Conference, and they include the Chapel, the Opera House, and Marie Antoinettes rooms in the main palace. The Hall of Mirrors, however, is part of the State Apartments, and is included in the self-guided or audio-guided tours. You do not need to purchase a separate ticket. If you buy the all-day Passeport, or you have a Paris Museum Pass, the Hall of Mirrors is included.
Also, for Versailles I understand that for $6 more on the weekends there are fountains and music in the gardens, which I think my daughter would enjoy. But I also heard that there are fireworks? Is this true and is that also every weekend - or only on special occasions, or am I confusing Versailles with something else? She would love the fireworks.
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; The gardens are extra on the weekends if you do not buy the Passeport, however, with the Passeport, you will not pay anything additional. Your choices, essentially, are to do each area %26quot;a la carte%26quot;, or to buy the Passeport and have everything included, the Visite Conference notwithstanding....these are always an additional charge.
Fontainebleau:
We were originally going to rent a car in Paris and drive there because we really enjoy exploring by car. But I think we will just take the train to minimize the frustration factor with a baby. Advice on either method would be great.
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; I think you would find renting a car the easier of the two options. Public transportation to Fountainebleau requires both train and bus, whereas a car will allow you to park relatively close to the chateau. Also, a car will allow you to combine a trip to Fountainebleau with Vaux le Vicompte, as the are close enough to each other to spend a half day at each with lunch in the middle, and easily accesible by car.
However, again - can you walk to the chateau from the train station? How about to a town?
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; No, you must take a bus, but yes, the chateau, like Versailles, is surrounded by the town.
And, is it possible (or even a good idea) to rent a car once we arrive by train, so that we can do a little exploring around the area, but without the frustration of driving in Paris? My mother really wants to see the %26quot;French Countryside%26quot; as she puts it, and I know we will see it by the train, but it is so fun to drive around and discover things on your own.
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; Renting a car at Orly might be a better option if you don%26#39;t want to rent one in the city. However, if you do this trip on a weekend, driving out of the city won%26#39;t be that difficult, and one person could rent the car near your hotel, then pick everyone up and head out of the city for a day of touring the countryside.
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The fireworks at Versailles are part of %26quot;spectacles%26quot; held on weed-end evenings during the summer months; check the Versailles tourist web site for details. And boy, are they worth it! When we were there the fireworks, with musical accompaniment, went on for a good 40 minutes.
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Renting a car for Fountainbleau should be fairly easy, but I am not sure that anyone would have fun dragging a 15 mo. old through two chateaux in a day. I would vote for a visit of the town (very bourgeois/quaint) to pick up picnic supplies, a visit of the chateau followed by a picnic on the grounds and if you still have the time/energy to explore, perhaps a stroll through the local forest.
For Versailles, the fireworks risk being too late for the 15 mo. old, so do it for yourselves, but certainly not for her (she%26#39;ll never remember it anyway). You can sign up for a guided tour upon arrival at the chateau. They give you a time to show up, so you can wait while strolling through the grounds.
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As to Fontainebleau, the château and the forest are wonderful, but I%26#39;m afraid you won%26#39;t see much of the French countryside through the train windows - you%26#39;ll wander through tasteless suburgs until Melun and then villages near the Seine river...
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Thanks for the answers and suggestions!
My thinking as I plan this trip is that I need to keep all 5 of us together all the time, which has made planning things a little hard, trying to figure out how to do everything and still keep the baby from getting cranky.
But now that I think of it, maybe we will just do the Versailles trip together and to satisfy my mom%26#39;s desire to get out to the countryside a little bit maybe I will send her and her husband off on a day trip of their own to the Loire Valley or some other beautiful place. I%26#39;ll look into some tour companies. That way she actually gets to see what she wants, and since we drive each other crazy anyway, we will get a much needed break from each other and she and her new husband can get some time to themselves.
~ Coralyn :)
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If your mother wants countryside, Versailles isn%26#39;t going to fulfill her wish. The palace is adjacent to the town of Versailles, and the countryside doesn%26#39;t start until considerable farther out from Paris.
Fontainebleau should be more like it, and from there you could do a nice drive.
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If your mother wants countryside, Versailles isn%26#39;t going to fulfill her wish. The palace is adjacent to the town of Versailles, and the countryside doesn%26#39;t start until considerable farther out from Paris.
Fontainebleau should be more like it, and from there you could do a nice drive.
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