Versailles...ship tour or private tour

[SF]

We will be four adults is better to book a private tour to visit Versailles or take the ship's tour which is close to $250 per person. My concern is that the port is so far out that most private companies would not pick up and drop off from Le Havre.

 

If you visit Versailles on your own do you need to purchase tickets ahead?

 

How far a drive is it from Le Havre to Versailles?

[cruisemom42]

A little quick Googling revealed that it's about a 3-hour drive each way to Versailles from Le Havre.....and at least one private company that I checked charges 1,740 euros for their 10-hour tour.

 

Hmmm, that's well over $2000 even if they didn't charge any extra for 2 more people!!

[melody hounddog]

You don't need a tour. You can easily see it on your own by renting a car. France is very easy to drive around. A car will cost you about $88.

[Hlitner]

Agree with the prior post. You can easily rent a car and drive to Versailles and you can make it in about 2 hours each way if you use the A13 and drive the speed limit. You can buy tickets at the entrance gate. Another option is to take the train to Paris and then change to the appropriate RER train to Versailles...although this leaves you with a 15 min stroll to get to the Palace entrance. If you do this on your own you will pay no more then 150 Euros (total) for the car and gas. Divide this by 4 persons and its a pretty reasonable cost. One at Versaille you can either pay to join a private tour or simply get the audio tour and do it on your own.

 

Hank

[SanDiegoHeather]

I went to Versailles 3 years ago on a land based vacation over Christmas. The wait to buy tickets and get into Versailles itself was well over 2-hours. This is just something to consider!

[dogs4fun]

You can avoid queues by purchasing your tickets to the Chateau De Versailles online. There are several ticket options.

We purchased the Grandes Eaux Passport prior to our visit & experienced no waiting in line.

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/prepare-my-visit-/single/tickets-and-rates