Before You Book the Palace of Versailles: Every Cost, and What's Worth It
By the BeatTheCrowd team · Prices last checked 2 November · 3 min read
The Palace of Versailles is no longer sold as a palace-only ticket: the Passport covers the whole estate, with a timed entry to the Palace. Prices change with the season, there's a discount for European residents, a cheaper late-entry ticket, the Trianon on its own, paid Musical Fountains days in summer, guided tours and a VR experience. Most of them sound worth paying for. You don't need the most expensive one to have a great visit. In this guide we walk through what each option costs, what you really get, and how to choose the right one, whether that's a quiet winter weekday or a packed summer Saturday.
At a glance
Passport, November to March
€25 (EEA €22)
Passport, April to October
€35 (EEA €32)
Late-entry Passport
€18 from 3 pm in winter, €28 from 4 pm in summer
Estate of Trianon only
€15 (EEA €12)
Musical Fountains, high season
€15; gardens free in low season
Free
Under 18; EEA residents under 26
Closed
Mondays
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The real total: basic entry vs what most visitors pay
The Passport is the main ticket: the Palace with a timed entry, the Estate of Trianon, the gardens and temporary exhibitions. It costs €25 from November to March and €35 from April to October. Residents of the European Economic Area get €3 off. Under-18s and EEA residents under 26 are free, but still need a time slot.
Visitor
What they buy
Price
Winter visitor
Passport, Nov to Mar
€25
Summer visitor
Passport, Apr to Oct
€35
Late afternoon, winter
Late-entry Passport from 3 pm
€18
Trianon only
Estate of Trianon
€15
Under 18
Free with a time slot
€0
Tickets: what each option gets you
Cost
Price (€)
Type
How to cut it
Passport, low season
€25
≈ US$29
Unavoidable
€22 for EEA residents.
Passport, high season
€35
≈ US$40
Unavoidable
€32 for EEA residents.
Late-entry Passport
€18 winter, €28 summer
≈ US$21-32
Optional
From 3 pm (winter) or 4 pm (summer).
Estate of Trianon
€15
≈ US$17
Optional
The crowd tax: what busy hours cost you
Our crowd data shows Versailles moderate at opening, then busy from about 11 am until about 4-6 pm, Tuesday to Sunday (latest on Saturdays). The Palace is closed on Mondays, which makes Tuesdays and weekends especially popular. The crowd tax is a packed Hall of Mirrors; the cheaper late-entry ticket is also the calmer one.
When
Crowds (our data)
What to do
9 to 11 am
Moderate
Best time for the Palace
About 11 am to 4-5 pm
Busy
Do the gardens and Trianon
Late afternoon
Moderate
Late-entry Passport, cheaper
Monday
Palace closed
Plan around it
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for Palace of Versailles, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Guides and tours: official, licensed or touts?
Official guided tours cost €10-16 on top of admission, and are free for children under 10. Reseller tours from Paris add transport and a guide at a higher price. Our verdict: the official tour is good value for context; buy tickets on the official site to avoid markups.
Short on time? What you'd regret missing
The Hall of Mirrors.
The King's and Queen's State Apartments.
The gardens, with the Grand Canal.
The Trianon and the Queen's Hamlet.
Getting there
Take the RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, a walk from the Palace. If you drive, the Queen's Gate car park costs €12 per vehicle.
Rules and closures
All visitors must book a time slot for the Palace.
Closed on Mondays, 25 December, 1 January and 1 May.
EEA discount needs proof, such as an ID card or residence permit.
What can go wrong
You go on a Monday: the Palace is closed.
Midday in the Hall of Mirrors: busy in our data.
A summer Musical Fountains day: the gardens cost €15, even for free-ticket holders.
The Passport costs €25 from November to March and €35 from April to October, with €3 off for EEA residents. Under-18s and EEA residents under 26 are free.
Can I buy a Palace-only ticket at Versailles?
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No. Palace entry is part of the Passport, which covers the whole estate.
Is there a cheaper late ticket at Versailles?
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Yes: €18 from 3 pm in winter and €28 from 4 pm in summer.
Is Versailles open on Mondays?
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No. The Palace is closed on Mondays.
When is Versailles least crowded?
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In our data, at opening and in the late afternoon. It's busy from about 11 am to 4-5 pm. See our crowd forecast.
Heading to Palace of Versailles?
See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.
How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other. Crowd figures come from our own crowd data. Prices last checked 2 November. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
Without the Palace.
Musical Fountains/Gardens, high season
€15
≈ US$17
Optional
Free in low season. Not covered by free admission.
Guided tours
€10-16
≈ US$12-18
Optional
On top of admission.
Official prices.
Is the late-entry Passport worth it?
It saves €7 in both seasons. In winter, the Palace closes earlier, so a 3 pm entry gives you a couple of hours at most, enough for the State Apartments and Hall of Mirrors but not the Trianon. Our verdict: good for a Palace-focused visit; for the whole estate, go in the morning.
Musical Fountains days
In high season, the gardens become paid on Musical Fountains and Musical Gardens days: €15, and not covered by free admission for under-18s. Our verdict: worth it for the fountains running to music; if you want free gardens, choose a non-show day.
Which ticket should you buy? Our verdict
First visit: the Passport, with an early time slot.
Palace only, short on time: the late-entry Passport.
EEA resident under 26, or under 18: free, with a time slot.
Summer: check whether your date is a Musical Fountains day.
What visitors say
Visitors are awed by the Hall of Mirrors, the gardens and Marie Antoinette's Hamlet at the Trianon. The most common complaints are crowds in the State Apartments, especially the Hall of Mirrors, and long security queues, so the advice is to book the first time slot and see the Trianon in the afternoon.
Prices last checked: 2 November. Prices vary with the season, peak and off-peak dates and promotions, and we recheck them every month. Visitor-reported costs are marked as estimates, and US$ figures are rough conversions.
Least busy time
Wednesday, 9-11 am
Busiest time
Saturday, 11 am-6 pm
When
What to expect
Verdict
Weekdays, 9-11 am
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. Before the main crowds arrive.
Best
Weekdays, 11 am-3 pm
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. Peak sightseeing hours, when most visitors are on site.
Worst
Weekdays, 3-6 pm
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. Stays busy into the afternoon.
Worst
Saturday and Sunday
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. Similar to weekdays.
Worst
📍 Live crowd check
See how busy Palace of Versailles is right now, plus today’s hourly forecast.
