Paris Journals

A Crashing Bore

A May 1990 trip to Paris by Wasatch

Versailles Photo - Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles), Versailles, France

Quote: The Arc de Triumph is a dull pile of stones with a road through it--who cares? Time is better spent on just about anything. Paris is no London or Vienna either, don't spend too much time here.

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A Crashing Bore

Overview

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We spent a weeks in Paris 30-35 years ago, and counting two subsequent visits to Versailles and this trip, we have spent 13 days in Paris. Our original impression from 35 years ago remains unchanged-- skip it. There are so many better places to spend time in Europe that is a shame to waste time and money going to Paris. But you won't listen, will you? So here are some highlights of Paris, things you should not miss, if there are more famous sights not on my list.First, there is one very good reason to go to Paris-- it is the closest airport to Versailles. Plan 1-3 days. You can rearch Versailles from the city via the RER. There are some grand cityscapes from the quais ...Read More

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L'Europeen

Restaurant | "Great Food, Great Setting, not too Bad a Price"

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L'Europeen is a rather large place for a brasserie. We saw four dinning rooms. It was obvious from the seafood stand L'Europeen operated out front that seafood was the speciality, but we had chicken and Choucroute Garni. The dinning room we were in was richly decorated with dark red wallpaper, dark wood, red leather chairs, and bright chandeliers. The Maitre de wore the traditional black tuxedo. In keeping with tradition, there was a separate Maitre de for each dinning room. A proper French Maitre de has a different job than one in America. In addition to taking us to our table and handing us a menu in English after asking, in English, "Would you like the English menu?", he dished up our foo...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 10, 2008

L'Europeen
21 Boulevard Diderot
Paris, France 75012
+33 1 4343 9970

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Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles)

Attraction | "The Best Reason to Visit Paris"

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The Palace at Versailles is one of the world’s greatest buildings. Begun in 1624 as a modest hunting lodge by King Louis XII, the present grand palace took shape under Louis XIV between 1661-1689. Versailles has five parts: the Palace, the Trinanons, Le Hameau, the gardens, and the fountains. Allow 2-3 days to see it all.

1] There are several tours through the Palace, one home to 10,000 people, to see the grandly furnished public rooms glorifying the Sun King and the art galleries. If you can’t take them all, don’t miss the King’s Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors.

2] Queen Marie Antoinette got it into her head that peasant farming was a noble pastime, and had a little farm community built for her the gardens, Le Hameau, a 2/3 scale romanticized farm village where she could tend her sheep like any typical royal peasant.

3] The most interesting gardens are the flower beds between the Palace and the Apollo Basin. Beyond the Apollo Basin, the gardens are largely a classical representation of a forest– this is not a real forest, it is a garden planted as the gardeners thought a forest ought to look. The gardens suffered major damage in a wind storm a few years ago that destroyed many of the old trees. It is 3 km (almost two miles) from the Palace to the end of the gardens.

4] The fountains are the highlight of any visit to Paris, and should not be missed. A river was diverted to provide water for them, seriously affecting the water supply of Paris. Because of the strain the fountains put on Paris’ water supply, they are displayed only on six summer afternoons a year, roughly every other Sunday, May-September. It takes some planning. Try the Internet or the French National Tourist Office to get the days (and times) of the fountain displays and be sure to get the times for the Neptune Basin. To preserve water pressure in Paris, Neptune Basin, the largest of the fountains, does not run at the same time as the other fountains. For twenty minutes at the end of the displays, the Neptune Basin is the grand finale of the show. Sit on the hillside across from the fountain. Don’t miss it. It is a long walk to see all the fountains, and be there early for the display hours are just long enough to allow visitors to make the complete circuit.

5] The two Trianon chateaux have more grand rooms, but not as grand as the Palace. See all the Palace rooms first.

6] The justly famous Palace at Versailles so dominates the tourist scene that most visitors miss the charming old town itself. It goes without saying, see the Palace first, but while you are here, it would be a shame not to also take in the small town as well. The tourist’s town extends 3-4 blocks on either side of the Place des Armes and Ave. de Paris which runs from the entrance of the Palace to Paris, and much of it can be seen walking from the metro (RER) station to the Palace.

Lunch is easiest to get at one of the in town restaurants around the Place des Armes. These all seem to be nice places, but overpriced tourist traps-- you’re the tourist, and you are pretty much trapped, so enjoy.

Versailles is easy to get to from Paris by the Metro (RER line C). Use the walk from the Versailles RER station to the Palace to see some of the fine old city of Versailles, and some more of the Sun King’s extravagances (see journal Versailles- the town).

We’ve been to Paris twice, but to Versailles 3-4 times. That’s a clue about where to spend your time. Every time we have flown into one of the Paris airports and rented a car to see France, we have begun or ended our trip at Versailles. Forget Paris, but don't forget Versailles. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 10, 2008

Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles)
20 Km Sw Of Paris
Versailles, France
01 30 83 78 00