Paris Field Guide

2026-07-12

Sunday, July 12

Versailles

Today's Anchor Versailles — 12:30 PM

Before You Leave

  • Passport / ID
  • Tickets — offline
  • Phone + battery
  • Water bottle
  • Comfortable shoes
  • Hotel key & address
  • Versailles ticket (offline)

Today's Goal

Spend a full but unhurried day at Versailles, centered on the 12:30 PM palace entry.

Versailles is the day. Build in transit buffer, eat on the estate, and let the gardens or Trianon depend on energy rather than obligation.

Before Leaving the Hotel

  • Passport ticket downloaded and accessible offline.
  • Phone fully charged.
  • Power bank.
  • Comfortable walking shoes.
  • Water.
  • Light bag only.
  • Route: Line 4 from Barbès–Rochechouart to Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame, then RER C to Versailles Château–Rive Gauche.
  • Confirm the transit ticket covers Versailles (zone 4), not just central Paris.

Morning

Coffee

Near Hôtel Rochechouart • before transit

Keep coffee close to the hotel or Barbès–Rochechouart station. Do not add a detour before a suburban train day.

Plan
Coffee, pastry, water, and bathroom before the train.
Why
The important move is arriving at Versailles calmly before the 12:30 PM palace entry.

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Travel to Versailles

Line 4 + RER C • about 50–60 minutes

Take Line 4 from Barbès–Rochechouart to Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame, then transfer to RER C toward Versailles Château–Rive Gauche. Walk to the palace from there.

Google Maps • Apple Maps

Destination
Versailles Château–Rive Gauche.
Interchange
Line 4 to Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame, then RER C.
Buffer
Leave with enough time to walk, orient, and clear entry calmly before 12:30 PM.

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Walk to the Palace

10–15 min walk • from Versailles Château–Rive Gauche

Exit the station and follow the main pedestrian flow toward the palace. This is not the moment to improvise; get through the gate area and find the correct entrance calmly.

Google Maps • Apple Maps • Official Site • Tickets

Entry
12:30 PM
Ticket
Passport purchased.
Important
The Palace requires the timed entry. Other estate areas are more flexible.

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Midday

Palace of Versailles

12:30 PM entry • State Apartments and Hall of Mirrors

Take the palace slowly. It will be crowded; the goal is not to read every label, but to experience the rooms, scale, and sequence without rushing.

Visit
About 90 minutes for a focused palace visit.
Includes
Palace timed entry with the Passport ticket.
Keep
Ticket, phones, and family together through the busiest rooms.

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Lunch

Lunch on the Estate

After the palace • choose the easiest option

Eat on the estate rather than leaving and re-entering mentally. If lines are bad, pick the simplest available option and keep moving.

Plan A
Use an estate café, takeaway counter, or restaurant when hunger hits.
Plan B
Snacks and drinks, then a better dinner back in Paris.

Backup

La Petite Venise in the gardens area if it fits the route and wait.

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Afternoon

Gardens

Flexible • slow down outside

After the palace, let the gardens reset the day. Walk, sit, and choose a manageable loop instead of trying to cover the entire estate.

Google Maps • Apple Maps • Official Map

Ticket
Passport includes the gardens during the high-season paid garden program.
Plan
Choose one relaxed garden loop, not the whole estate.
Energy
If everyone is tired, make the gardens the final stop.

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Trianon Estate

Optional • only if energy is good

Continue to Trianon only if everyone still has legs. It is included with the Passport, but it is not required for the day to be successful.

Google Maps • Apple Maps • Official Site

Includes
Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, and Queen's Hamlet with the Passport.
Opening
Trianon estate opens from 12:00 PM.
Skip If
The palace and gardens were enough. That is a complete Versailles day.

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Evening

Return to Paris

RER C return • same station

Walk back to Versailles Château–Rive Gauche and return to Paris. Do not wait until everyone is exhausted to start the trip back.

Google Maps • Apple Maps

Return
Versailles Château–Rive Gauche to Paris by RER C.
Dinner
Choose something easy near Hôtel Rochechouart after returning.

Transportation

Primary: RER C + Metro Line 4 + walking

Return the same way: RER C to Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame, then Line 4 back to Barbès–Rochechouart. Use a route app if it suggests a clearly better option on the day.

Transit Ledger

Required Transit
2 RER C rides, plus Line 4 to and from Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame.
Optional Transit
0
Primary Mode
RER C + Metro Line 4 + walking

Notes

From Hôtel Rochechouart, Line 4 to Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame connects to RER C for Versailles Château–Rive Gauche. Confirm the exact transit ticket or pass covers Versailles (zone 4), since a standard central-Paris ticket does not.