Driving from Paris to Versailles on May 8 (holiday)?

Question

I am arriving in Paris on May 8, 2007 at 9:30 am and need to be in Versailles at the end of the day. I wanted to drive through Paris and stop for lunch and sightseeing on my way. I noticed May 8 is a holiday -- what is open on the way to Versailles on May 8? How will traffic be for driving on a holiday?

Answer 1

Just a further information. On May 8th in Paris, most of shops are closed but main restaurants will be opened.

Either you eat in Paris. Be carefull, maybe Champs Elysées will closed to cars on the morning because celebration of 8 may 1945.

Or you can eat in Versailles there are many restaurants around Versailles Palace.

I don't think there will be much traffic on May 8th morning from Paris to Versailles and probably almost no traffic inside Paris, maybe you need 1/2 hour from Paris (Porte Saint Cloud).

But I agree there will be traffic if you have to come back to Paris in the evening on the motorway.

Answer 2

There might be trafic on certain parts of the highway leading to Versailles, but if you go early enough, it will not be too much of a problem.

In the evening, the way back to Paris is often crowded and this is the real problem you may have. Many people probably plan to take a few days before this holiday and will get back home in the evening of the 8th.

The more direct highway going from Versailles to Paris (A13) is the one used to get back from Normandy, a popular destination for such long weekends. The other solution is to take the A86 South of Versailles, but it might also be crowded that day.

If you want to avoid this, have dinner in a restaurant in Versailles and only get back to Paris at night (10pm or later)

The other solution would be to use suburban train (RER C) from Paris to Versailles, but be prepared to walk a lot.

If you go to Versailles by car, do NOT park it in the large parking lot in front of the castle. You can enter the park with your car for a small fee (around €5) and move around more freely inside, between the Queen's hamlet and main gardens for instance.

Here is a map with the side entrances

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&h...