Best Of

Day 1. It was almost chilly this morning with a thin overcast, but by late morning we had another day of, clear, deep blue skies. It was cooler when the wind kicked up, but generally we had another beautiful day. We started the day with a guided walking tour of the king’s apartments that we had booked several weeks ago. This behind-the-scenes tour avoids the mass of humanity touring the palace. And, yes, surprise, surprise, due a combination of factors we, like Fran, were shown the opera house which is supposedly not normally part of the tour. After hearing reports from others who have taken this tour, I’m beginning to think the visit to the theater now has actually become a permanent feature of this tour. The tour is conducted using a device similar to a VOX, but between device issues and the guide not always speaking into the (directional) microphone, the narration was less than adequate. My experiment with wireless connection to my new Bluetooth enabled hearing aids was a failure. I’ll try again tomorrow with Tauck’s VOXes. They worked great with my iPad and the app, however! 🙂

After the private tour, we remained in the Chateau and toured it on our own along with the masses snaking their way through the remainder of palace. We then headed outside to visit a few of the gardens before having lunch at Flotille where we sat outside in a covered area overlooking the Grand Canal and rental rowboats. Then it was back to the hotel for a nap. The welcome dinner was changed to outdoors where it was a tad cool. We met our TD who has only worked for Tauck for two years. She is a relatively young American but currently lives in Belgium. She has tour and hospitality experiences so is no rookie in that regard. If first impressions are truly an indicator, she should be great- she knocked it out of the park this evening!

Today we logged 6 miles. I had some leg cramps last night. Tomorrow we are headed to Chartre.

A few additional comments about touring the Château and grounds today. First, I suggest you download the app. to your phone or iPad. It has the same narration as the audio guide device you can rent, but the app includes a graphical representation of where you are- it is easy to lose track where you are. Every room has information placards, and in the upper right corner of each is the room/sequence # but rooms have two signs and two different explanations/numbers, so while navigating the crowds, it can be easy to get ahead or behind. The main features of many rooms, which, in some cases are almost devoid of furniture, are the paintings of the royals, family, events, battles, etc, so it is easy to lose interest. Don’t forget to look up, there are some fabulously painted ceilings. Don’t plan on having unobstructed views- it gets very crowded. You can book private (?) and staff guided tours, but the masses, using audio guides, maps etc etc , are let in in 15 minute intervals, and due to the jackrabbits and turtles, individual groups merge into one long mass of slowly moving humanity. Don’t forget there will be school kids and other youth groups, tours, some quite young! While selfie sticks are prohibited (thank goodness 😀 ), there were still a few scofflaws.

As has been said before, don’t under-estimate the size of this place. Don’t under-estimate the effect of the gravel paths on your feet,walking, and shoes- wear comfortable, closed-toed shoes. You’ll needs to use the shoe brush and cleaning cloth you’ll find in the room closet to clean the fine gray dust from your shoes!!!

They following are not in chronological order, I was tired (I actually nodded off a few times) so did some batch uploads.

Today was all about the Trianon Estate which is comprised of the Grand Trianon palace, the Petit Trianon (and their associated gardens), and the Queen’s hamlet. Trianon opens at 12:00. Since we arrived at the Waldorf Astoria at 11:20 and couldn’t get into our room, we decided to head to Trianon. The planning issue, again, while we could have changed in a hotel restroom, we thought it a hassle so wore what we were wearing on the flight to Trianon. The clouds burned off earlier so we had bright sun, and check out the blue sky!!! The mild temps rose throughout the afternoon and peaked at 80 or so about 3:00 - 4:00. We both wished we had worn shorts! We walked about a mi from the hotel to the Petit Trianon. Near the entrance was a small cafe, Angelina, where we stopped for Cokes and split a ham and cheese sandwich before touring. From the Petit Trianon we followed one of the many gravel paths that lead to the hamlet, then we backtracked to tour the Grand Trianon, before catching the little train to the Palace then walked back to the hotel. We finally got into our room and showered and rested before heading out for dinner. Total walking today = 8 mi. / 17,800 steps!

We were using the Versailles app which you can use offline once it has been downloaded. The narration is clear and easily understood, but there isn’t narration for all rooms that you see, and it does not always follow the sequence visitors are likely to follow. There are placards in each room with the same and sometimes more info.

Another comment about planning and tickets- the hotel gives you “Passport” tickets to tour the Chateaux and other places, however it is a “timed entry” if they have availability. At the Chateaux you get to “tour” with the masses, almost being swept along with them. It is an audio guided tour. Like Fran, we got the “Year in Versailles” pass that allowed us to go to the head of the line and enter, for as many times as you want for a year. It is worth it in my mind if you will be visiting Versailles longer than just one day. Check out all the options and also read Fran’s review, she also purchased a “Year in Versailles pass.

Tomorrow we have a guided tour (Versailles staff guide) of the King’s Apartments at 9:30 am which we booked a month or so ago. This tour is one of the only guided tours available in English. After that, we may tour the remainder of the Chateaux and wander through a few of the gardens. The welcome dinner is tomorrow evening.

Now I remember why I hate CDG! Actually, it wasn’t too bad. They kept opening stations at passport control, but slowly. We met the Tauck driver at baggage claim but had to wait for other passenger(s) who never showed up so we left. No accidents or stops, just incredibly slow traffic all the way to Versailles. The actual timeline might be different, but the end result about the same- we landed at 8:19 am but didn’t get to the Waldorf-Astoria until 11:20 am.

Timeline:
Takeoff from RDU 6:15 pm
Landed at CDG 8:19 am (6 hr diff. 8+06 flight)
Arrived at a “parking spot” at 8:51 (no terminal, no jetway, just a stairway and overcrowded buses (to Terminal 2.)
Arrived at passport control at 9:151- sign switched from 5 min. wait to 10 min when we got there. Complete lack of urgency.
.Arrived baggage claim at 9:25 where we met our driver and about a half dozen other Tauck drivers- more than one Tauck tour starting in Paris over the next few days?? We drove away in a Tesla S!
Arrived at the Waldorf at 11:20. Our room was not ready and wouldn’t be ready until 3:00!

We would have liked to get into our room to change shoes, etc, before we headed to the Trianon Estate. We spent all afternoon, seeing the Petit Trianon, Grand Trianon, and Queen’s hamlet. Approx 5 mi. 13,000 steps. More later, I’m nodding off.

Now that I’ve been home for a bit and over my jet lag, I’m offering my impressions of this fantastic trip.

A word about planning this trip. 3 nights in Paris is not 3 days in Paris. Plan ahead as all the things you want to do are the same things that everyone else wants to do. Call Tauck and get the day-to-day itinerary, so you can purchase tickets for the sights you don’t want to miss. AlanS can speak to how hard it is to get tickets to The Eiffel Tower. The lines for tickets are long and when I was at Versailles, visitors showed up without tickets and were turned away. Also, museums are closed one day a week. Versailles is closed on Monday and the Louvre on Tuesday. Check your itinerary.

I would say, this is a casual-to-casual dressy trip. Dress for the weather. Bring a raincoat and umbrella. Comfortable walking shoes are a must. Ladies, bring a pair or flats to change into for dinner. The French dress everything up with a scarf. Jeans are okay.

I flew into Paris 3 days ahead of the start of the trip. Using my gift of time and paying for 1 other night before the Welcome dinner gave me almost 3 days to explore Versailles. There is so much to see at Versailles, I was never bored or felt like I allowed too much time for this historic sight. I arrived Paris at 8:00 am along with lots of other international flights. Immigration was very crowded and not all entry lanes were open. Consequently, it took over two hours to clear immigration, collect luggage and find the Tauck transfer company. It is approximately an hour to 1.5-hour drive to Versailles. I arrived about 11:30 and was able to check into my room at The Waldorf. Since I already had breakfast on the plane, I was ready to find my way and take the Palace tour. My first picture is time stamped 1:00. Tips for this visit – download the Chateau De Versailles app before you travel. Its very comprehensive with maps and commentary of all the main tours. Bring your ear buds and you are ready to tour. I purchased a 1-year solo pass which gave me total skip the line access and discounts to other small group tours. I was uncertain if the concierge would have a pass for me (which he did) but as I was there for 2.5 days, I didn’t want to waste time in line purchasing tickets. As I was there on a Sunday, I was able to see the Carriage Museum which is housed in the old stables. Only open on the weekend, go if you’re lucky enough to be there. Also, all the fountains are on over the week-ends only.

I cannot stress enough how large this estate is and the amount of walking you will do to cover the entire estate. At over 30,000 acres there is a lot to see. There are cobble stones, gravel, and steps…and more steps! Bring water and wear comfortable shoes.

The Palace tour is a great orientation and history of the Chateau, takes about 1.5 hours and ends after the HALL OF MIRRORS. It’s hard to back track if you want to spend more time in a certain room and the flow of people is constant and one way. I managed to take a few good pictures waiting for people to move out of my frame. Don’t forget to look up as the beauty of the ceilings is amazing!

After the tour I was getting tired and decided to head into town for lunch. It was close to 3:00 and I discovered all the restaurants were closed and not reopening until 7:00. There were places to eat takeaway in Versailles, but I wanted a meal and then to crash for the day. I ended up at the bar in the hotel and had a 38 Euro cheeseburger and fries, which was delicious but costly. Oh well. Live and learn!

Versailles offers all kinds of small group tours, but I found only one in English. So, from home I purchased a tour to The King’s Apartments. At the end of the tour, we were able to go into the Opera House! What a hidden gem that was! This is a great tour with only about 20 people. You’ll never get entry if you wait to purchase a ticket when you arrive. I do recommend this tour which begins at 9:30 in the morning. From there I spend the entire day visiting the gardens, fountains and walking to the Grand Trianon, Petite Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet. It was rainy that day, so stopping for a sit-down lunch La Flottile was a treat and delicious. There is a lot of walking! Don’t underestimate the amount of time it takes to cover the Estate. At the end of the day, I did purchase a one-way train ticket from the Grand Trianon back to the Palace. I was pooped but satisfied. At 7:00 I walked into town and enjoyed a lovely dinner at Lucette. Local restaurant serving seafood. The Concierge can make other recommendations.

On the road. Point to point, no layovers, no weather, gotta happen, right.

Before we get into the photos and fun stuff here is some potentially useful information:

Booking and planning consideration.

I realize this tour can change, so I will attempt to keep this relatively short. (figure the odds )

Considerable research and thought is needed before even booking this tour, unless your availability is limited, you are a traveler who doesn’t book pre- and post-stays, you are only interested in the published itinerary, and you don’t add your own additional on-tour activities. If you want to maximize your time and what you see, you’ll need to plan, and do it early

When to go considerations:

Weather: As with any tour, weather is always a consideration. Due to the effects of the nearby Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel, northwestern France can be cool and wet in the Spring and on into Summer. Annually, there are 161 sunny days in Paris and 155 or more precipitation days, the rest are overcast. Paris has an average annual precipitation of 25” and experiences light rainfall distributed evenly throughout the year, however, the city is known for intermittent, abrupt, heavy showers. WeatherSpark.com is a good source for historical weather trends.

Crowds: Crowds, like weather, are always a consideration and both are typically in conflict. The busiest months are May to September, with July being the busiest followed closely by June and August.

Schools/students: Unless you have researched French holidays, you may not know that in addition to an eight week summer holiday, schools in France have a two week spring holiday in April/May. The Ministry of National Education sets the dates for each of the three zones. The zone holidays overlap. French students and those from the EU get free admission to most museums and cultural sites. In many cases however, they are still required to have (timed-entry) tickets, but they still take up spots.

What departure and what will be open, when I’m there?: A new, classic or small group tour, typically starts every 2 - 4 days, so the days of the week tours start and venues are visited can differ from departure to departure. Why does this matter? Most museums and cultural sites, especially in Versailles and Paris, are not open 7 days a week and closures are not consistent among them:

e.g. at Versailles. The Palace and the estate of Trianon are closed on Mondays, the Gallery of Coaches is only open on Saturday and Sunday during the summer period, the Musical Fountains show is only on weekends, the Musical Gardens only run from Tuesday to Friday, and the Fountains Night Show is every Saturday night, plus Friday July 14th and Tuesday August 15th. Got all that?!?! So, when is the best time to visit Versailles??? If the venues are important to you, do your research, decide if a pre-stay is needed, then decide which departure will allow you to visit your preferred venues.

e.g. Paris. An after-hours visit to the Louvre is only scheduled for select departures. Tauck typically doesn’t know for certain which ones they will be until early in the year which I assume is why it is not mentioned nor listed in the website itinerary! Each time I called Tauck I was given a different answer- eventually we learned our departure does not visit the Louvre.

A few notable Paris closings: Musée Rodin, Musée d'Orsay, Musée Carnavalet, Petit Palais, etc. are closed on Mondays. The Louvre, Musée de l'Orangerie, and Pompidou Centre, etc. are closed on Tuesdays. The Arc de Triomphe, Conciergerie, Panthéon, Halle Saint-Pierre, Sainte Chapelle are closed on weekends:

For a complete list of weekly closings for cultural sites in Paris follow this link to the Paris Tourist Office Official Website: https://en.parisinfo.com/what-to-see-in-paris/info/guides/weekly-closing-days-of-cultural-sites-in-Paris#1

Also, a number of venues have free admission on the first Sunday of the month and on some French holidays- rather than an opportunity to save money, it should be viewed as an opportunity to navigate larger crowds!

Buying Tickets. You can purchase tickets to museums and other venues via their online websites or, in many cases, the Centre Des Monuments Nationaux. Timing varies as to when tickets go on sale- some can be purchased as early as 60 days prior, some only 30 days prior. Some venues release a full month’s worth of dates at one time. The Eiffel Tower, which is open seven days a week, deserves special mention. As I discovered, tickets are released day-by- day, EXACTLY 30 days in advance, starting at 10:45 pm EST. Despite tracking it closely and “sniping” (old E-bay term) to get on the site at the exact moment tickets went on sale for our desired date, I was unable to get tickets for 3:00 pm and felt lucky to get them for 3:30 pm. All half hour time slots for “Lift to the Top” tickets for our desired day sold out in less than an hour. You can also purchase many tickets through third party vendors like Viator, but they may cost significantly more and/or you might be required to pay for a package that could include activities or places that don’t interest you.

So, again, the bottom line, do your research early before selecting a tour date and purchase tickets as early as possible for places you want to visit that are not included in the Tauck itinerary.

I will update this thread with photos and a review over the next 13 days.

Oh, and, most - bags were loaded and are with us now at CDG waiting with driver for another couple.