Is a picnic at the Chateau de Versailles possible?
I will be visiting the Versailles Chateau on a Tuesday. I was wondering if it would be useful to take a picnic with me since I doubt the fare offered inside the palace walls (if there is any) is not for vegetarians. Plus, I would like to picnic there. What frightens me is the mention of long queues at the baggage check (where presumably, I would need to deposit my picnic as I visit the interiors).
Alternatively, Google maps shows a couple of Boulangeries around the palace. Can I exit the palace and then re-enter after purchasing my food? I have a "passport ticket" to the palace allowing me to view the fountain show as well.
What the best option to ensure that I sustain myself on a day long trip (~8 hours possibly) to Versailles?
Best Answer
Of course you can picnic at Versailles, it's de rigueur; in the gardens behind the palace that is (not inside). You can picnic all year around whenever the gardens are open to the public. In the summer the only problem is finding a suitable spot because the competition from other people having a picnic can be quite keen. Pick your spot early and lay a blanket down to 'reserve' it as soon as you arrive in the morning. Europeans will generally respect the 'reservation', especially the British and German tourists.
On Bastille Day, the 14th of July, a wonderful "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe" is organized in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. Thousands of people come together with their picnic baskets and have a festive meal on the banks of the Grand Canal. In English it is known as the Picnic of Versailles or the White Picnic ("pique-nique en blanc"), since white is the dress code.
You need about one day to see Versailles gardens, but you will only see the essentials. And we tell you that from experience. The gardens of Versailles are incredible big and beautiful, a blend between nature and culture. You can have long walks, rent a boat, admire the sculptures and flowers, have picnics with friends, listen to the musical fountains and
Source: http://allonfrance.com/versailles-gardens-a-blend-between-culture-and-nature/
For your last question: the best option is to eat a very large breakfast before you enter the grounds. Don't drink too much wine at mid-day because it will slow you down and dull your senses. The boulangeries in the surrounding neighbourhood are very upmarket; try to get your stuff in one of the arrondissments beforehand.
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Can you take food into the Palace of Versailles?
Travel tips for Versailles The key is bringing your own food and drinks. That said, you cannot bring them into the palace itself.Can you eat in the gardens of Versailles?
The Palace of Versailles has many services to make your visit a real pleasure. Restaurants, takeaway outlets, souvenir shops, etc. - take a break between two visits! Picnicking is not allowed in the gardens, only at certain dedicated locations in the Park.Can you go inside Chateau de Versailles?
GENERAL VISITOR INFORMATION. The Palace of Versailles, Trianon Estate, Gardens, the gallery of Coaches and Park are open, with their usual opening hours. We recommend that visitors pre-book their tickets online and select a specific time slot to enter the Palace. Timed entry tickets are mandatory to access the Palace.Can you go in and out of Versailles?
Essential information about opening times and accessThe Park and Gardens are open every day. Access to the Gardens is free except on days of fountains shows and musical gardens. There are three train stations in Versailles, the closest one of the Palace is Versailles Ch\xe2teau Rive Gauche.Top 5 things to see in Versailles
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Answer 2
Just to complete the answers:
Can I exit the palace and then re-enter after purchasing my food?
No, at least it was not possible when I last went there (September 2014).
The reason is most likely because it is not possible to verify that the same person who is leaving is the person coming back. Tickets are not registered to a given name (otherwise, checking all of them would take inordinate amounts of time). Therefore, you would be able to visit the château in the morning, leave it, and then re-sell/give your used ticket to another person. To avoid that, they disallow re-entering using the same ticket.
Conclusion: unless you are exempt (i.e. EU residents < 25 years old) and willing to re-queue, you cannot leave to buy food.
BTW, the food indoors is quite expensive: sandwiches were about 8€ IIRC. There's also a restaurant indoors, but I dared not check the prices.
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