"VERSAILLES, A WOW EXPERIENCE " a Versailles Travel Page by ForestqueenNYC

It took me three trips to Paris to finally go to Versailles. I don't know why because I had read Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser during my first stay in Paris and I really wanted to see where she lived, to get more of a feel for her and the King.

So finally two weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon at the beginning of February, 2008, I took the RER C from Musee d'Orsay, and went out to the town just to walk around, not to actually go to the chateau. The town was beautiful, but cold and not like a little French village, but more like a military academy in the U.S. The next Sunday was magnificent so I took the train out again just to walk around the town and the gardens which required no ticket. I entered through the gate where the bassin du dragon is and walked and walked until I finally came upon le jardin where I saw the chateau from a distance and WOW. I couldn't believe it. People actually lived there??
http://www.chateauversailles.fr/fr/le-chateau/0157-plan-du-domaine.html

I will go out again several more times in the Spring with ticket in hand, because there is no way that I am going to stand in line to buy a ticket. I think the ville de Versailles must be absolutely beautiful in the spring and look forward to my next visit.

I will update this page with more tips each time I go there.

This is the bassin du dragon near where I entered the park. It is free to walk in the gardens and you can spend a whole day there or more.

One of the nearby streets in Versailles. It had a very cold, lonely, feeling.