Skip the Line: Versailles Palace and Gardens Day Trip from Paris by Train

This tour was definitely not what the four people in our group expected. We were supposed to skip the line however when we were going to skip the line we waited for a guy named Kit to get the tickets. The regular line was shorter than the skip the line. Kit had us all wait on line while he went to retrieve the tickets. He came back with 10 purchased tickets and 10 children’s tickets that he must’ve had in his possession before and he gave us the children’s tickets to try to use them to get us in. That caused a 45 minute delay for all 20 of us to get in. Therefore we never skipped any line. We got in one hour before closing and were not able to complete the entire palace. Everyone on the tour appeared frustrated. When we finally got in, we had to wait another 15 minutes for him to give us headsets. He never even explained how to use them. He appeared to be in a rush to get out of the palace.We always use Viator and I am quite upset about the whole situation and experience as we all traveled thousands of miles to see the palace. I raved about this company to my friends and I’m very disappointed. Even with the poor experience, we continue to use this company to book our tours.. I called and put in for a refund and I am waiting to hear back because this experience was sub par. We are loyal customers and I am hoping that your company will do the right thing and refund us the money that we put out for this tour.

We had a wonderful time with our guide Phil from Florida. He was charismatic and didn't follow script so you control how much history you want to hear. He didn't have a public speaking permit so he showed us various gardens in Versailles. We also rent a golf cart after the official tour. Our advice is that don't lose the map because it has the golf cart route and is different than the walking tour map. We don't recommend eating there because there are many bees. The waiters put electric fly swatters on each table. Phil also explained how to ride the train and metro back to Paris. One of our return tickets didn't work but the customer service rep at the Train was nice enough to let us in. We just needed to buy a one-way metro ticket.

Our tour guide George was amazing! Very knowledgable, energetic and a pleasure to be around. We got to Versailles at 10 am and there was already a 3 hour long line. We skipped the line and were inside the palace in 10 minutes. Highly recommended tour, worth every penny!

The trip was great, the only problem was the palace was on strike and we couldn't go in. Our tour guide made the best of things by giving us a tour of the gardens. She made the day much better and our disappointment less.

Awesome day! Great way to cover the grounds as the property is much bigger than it appears. Palace is awesome and its great to skip the lines

We took this tour while spending 3 days in Paris as it turns out, May 5th was a partial holiday. Met the tour director near where we picked up the local train. Interestingly enough, a few guys playing accordians and a trumpet came through the car, playing mariachi music for Cinco de Mayo, and accepting donations. Wasn't really expecting that in France! The train ride is brief, and we disembarked at Versailles. Our guide explained on the way down that he was there to show us the gardens, but that we'd be on our own in the Palace. That was a disappointment I don't know if the inability to have a tour guide in the Palace is unique to Versailles, but other tours we've taken have guides with radio headsets, so that they could talk to everyone in the group quietly into our earbuds. This was done extensively in Italy, so it was a bit of a disappointment. In any event, the guide was very knowledgeable about the gardens, and then we toured the palace on our own. The gardens are interesting, but the Palace is over the top in terms of decor, art, etc. So much to see! The Palace does get a bit crowded, but the hallways are wide enough that you could go as quickly or as slowly as you wanted. We wrapped up our tour of the Palace, walked back to the local McDonalds yes, a McDonalds at Versailles, and then across the street to the train station to make our way back to Paris. We managed to remember which stop to get off at, and our tour was complete. I marked it 4, knocking off 1 because we were not aware of or missed the note that the guide wouldn't accompany us through the Palace. It would have been more informative if the guide could have helped us understand all of what we saw in the palace. By the way, Skip The Line proved well worth the extra cost we also used it at Eiffel's Tower and at various locations in Italy.

Oh my goodness! As our guide said, all that glitters IS gold at the palace in Versailles. The gardens were beautiful though we were too early for the flowers to be in bloom. The palace was packed full of beautiful art and furnishings of the period. The Hall of Mirrors was unbelievable! This was a GREAT reprieve from the crowds and traffic in Paris. Kudos to Fat Tire tours for making it such a fun and memorable day!!

I would highly recommend this tour to everyone. the train made the trip quick and easy. Versailles is elegant and huge. Something for all interests. When the guided tour ended we were free to visit as long as we liked and catch any train back to Paris that day.

By Far Extraordinaire....to much to absorb in one visit. Amazing history of Louis XIV and ornate placements of the Palace along with the vast beauty of the grounds and gardens. Certainly worth a revisit!

This tour was excellent, and Sonja, our tour guide was the best! Highly recommend!