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

Everyone told us to skip Versailles because the lines would be too long and it would be so crowded we would not enjoy it. So wrong!!! Our guide Ricardo was not only knowledgeable about the history, but he knew how to navigate the site so efficiently that not a moment was wasted on a line!!

There is so much to be seen at Versailles. It is a complex mixture of opulance, historic individuals and events right through WWI. Our group was small and very friendly. Our guide spoke with us about our destination on the 1hr drive there. He escorted us into the palace and stayed with us for about an hour and a half. Much of his talk was about the mythological figures in paintings...too much. We were then on our own for lunch for about an hour and a half. He then met us to escort us to "the little farm" Le petit Trianion. After about 40 minutes we were again on our own. "How long do you think you"'ll need?" He asked. Well our tour lasted 6 hours including lunch. 3 hours were on our own. This was the priciest tour we took in France and not worth the price.

I enjoyed all the knowledge out tour guide shares with us. She was able to answer all our question with great detail. After seeing the long lines I was very thankful to have the tickets to skip the line. There were only six of us during the walk through Versailles which made it easy to listen and stay in a group among so many people. I liked that our guide gave us an hour or so to walk the gardens. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see more of them. That had nothing to do with our tour. The gardens are so big you would have to make another trip to see all of the grounds. The lunch was excellent! The little lady restaurant was beautiful and the staff was so friendly. Our guide was nice enough to suggest a few other places to see while in Paris. She accommodated is with a drop of where we could walk and visit a few other places in the evening. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Great pleasure we experienced with this day trip. We were just 5 people and that gave us the opportunity of getting the most of the kindness and knowledge of Sara!! Even though it was a terribly hot day Sara did the best to make us enjoy. Privileged access to Versailles (the Queues were huge!!) best spots to take pictures !! Excellent guide and for the fact of being just 5 we got a lot of details and the chance of interacting with the knowledgeable Sara!! Congrats and thanks for a wonderful day !! Totally recommended!!

We enjoyed the trip it was well organized, the guide was friendly and he provided a good information the food was great

This was one of the few tours we booked through Viator that went off without a hitch. However, if I could do it again, I would not book through Viator. Their prices are over inflated, the communication with the tour providers and AAA is absolutely horrible, and the customer service stinks! I strongly recommend you wait until you get to France to book your tours. There are plenty of tour providers there and your hotel can help you out. You will save lots of money and avoid the many, many problems we experienced with Viator. AVOID VIATOR!!!!

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.

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.

The tour of Versailles was nice it is a magnificent home with incredible history. We had a good guide that was able to answer a lot of questions-the lunch was good also.

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!