Most of my second day in Paris was spent outside the city at Versailles. In case you missed it, here’s My Take on Flying Internationally, and Paris Day One.
I loved taking the metro out there because I left when most people were leaving for work, which made me feel like a Parisian leaving for work! Haha.
After waiting in several lines (and quite a debacle of entrances, language issues, getting lost, and one very helpful woman) I took a tour of the Chateau, which allowed me into areas that most visitors don’t see.
I highly recommend getting a tour, which you can purchase through the Chateau’s website. Just FYI, there is a completely separate entrance for people taking tours… I got to learn a lot about the history of Versailles and all the people who lived there. It was also nice to walk around areas without the tons of tourists.
After the tour, I walked through the areas open to the public, which included some amazing paintings. I was very impressed with how beautiful much of the castle was, but also a little sad after learning a lot of it had been destroyed by later occupants.
And of course, the famous Hall of Mirrors!
I was almost as excited to see the gardens as I was to see the Chateau. I wasn’t pleased to find out it was an extra 8 euro to just get into the gardens so you could see them. But, I paid up. Not sure if it was completely worth the money, but I got some pretty pictures!
After walking all over the grounds I was hungry, thirsty and tired and ready to head back to Paris. Unfortunately I went to the wrong train station (another FYI: there are two in the town of Versailles…) and then got on the wrong train. It took me about 2.5 hours to get back, which was not pleasant. But once I did get back I headed to the Eiffel tower and after snapping some photos and warding off little children trying to trick me into giving them money, I was off to lunch.
Once I’d gotten some lunch, I decided to spend the rest of my afternoon wandering around the left bank with the goal of reaching Jardin du Luxembourg, which I remembered learning about in French class.
After walking around the left bank I headed back across the river and grabbed some dinner on my way back to my hostel.
It was a long, exhausting day, but I got to see a lot of beautiful sights in Versailles, while also walking quite a bit through Paris. I covered a lot of ground!
One and a half more days in Paris and then off to Spain!
What language did you study when you were growing up? I took French from 4th – 10th grade, and also studied Latin for two years in high school!
What’s the prettiest house/castle that you’ve ever been inside?