Budget — Versailles

The entry ticket is mandatory and books online on the official chateauversailles.fr with a time slot (9 am, 9:30, 10 am…). Rates: Palace only €19.50, Complete Passport (Palace + Trianons + Gardens during Fountain Shows) €27, 2-day Passport €35. Audioguide included. Free for EU under-26s — bring ID.

Musical Fountain Shows (Saturdays and Tuesdays April-October): €10.50 supplement (or included in the Passport on these days). Night Fountain Shows (Saturday evenings June-September): €32 — book 2-3 weeks ahead, it's the most spectacular experience but limited in places.

The Paris Museum Pass does NOT include Versailles — it's an independent site. But pass holders have facilitated access (no skip-the-line, just a separate desk).

For on-site catering: food trucks and brasseries (€15-25 per dish, variable quality), Angelina café-restaurant (slightly more upmarket, €25-35/meal), Ore-Ducasse starred restaurant (€60-120, mandatory booking, view of the King's Tuileries). Cheaper: picnic taken in town (Notre-Dame market in the morning, Carrefour Market supermarket on Avenue de Paris) to enjoy in the gardens.

Accessibility: the palace is accessible to people with reduced mobility (elevator in royal apartments, free access + free companion on presentation). Electric buggies available for rent to cover the gardens (€35/hour). Panoramic electric train palace-Trianons (€8.50 round trip).

Accommodation in Versailles: €80-180/night in 3-star hotel, €200-400/night in boutique hotel (notably Hôtel de France, Trianon Palace). Visiting Versailles from Paris is largely feasible in a day (RER C, 35 min, €4.15).