In brief
Self-guided costs €35 in high season (€25 low), covering the Palace, Gardens and Trianon without a guide. The palace’s own guided-tour add-on costs €10 to €16 more per person and reaches rooms “otherwise closed to the visitors”. Under-18s and EEA residents under 26 enter free either way, so guided is their only real cost.
- Self-guided Passport: €35 high season, €25 low season; EEA nationals and residents get €3 off either price1.
- Official guided-tour add-on: €10–€16 full price (one of the palace’s own pages simplifies this to a flat €10), €7–€10 reduced, free under 10, always in addition to a Palace or Passport ticket12.
- A guided tour reaches areas the palace describes as “otherwise closed to the visitors”1.
- Guided-tour meeting point: North Ministers’ Wing, except for Trianon tours, which meet at the Petit Trianon12.
- After a guided tour ends, you can continue self-guided through the rest of the Palace on the same ticket2.
- Group guided tours run €25 per person, plus a €10 supplement for garden access during high-season events4.
- Under-18s and EEA residents under 26 enter free either way, so the guided add-on is the only real cost at stake for them1.
- Third-party tours typically bundle transportation from Paris or a smaller group size, but this page cannot confirm their prices, durations, or ratings3.
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This page compares what you get for free with a self-guided visit against what the palace’s own guided tour adds, using only the palace’s own pricing pages. For everything else about planning a Versailles visit, including hours and a day plan, see Palace of Versailles: Tickets, Timed Entry and a Realistic Day Plan.
The short answer
| If you are… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Visiting for the first time with a full day free | Self-guided on a Passport ticket; the free app and marked routes cover the main rooms |
| Short on time and want the main rooms explained quickly | The palace’s own guided-tour add-on (€10–€16) |
| Curious about rooms most visitors don’t see | The palace’s own guided-tour add-on, which reaches areas otherwise closed to visitors1 |
| Traveling in a group of 8 or more | The palace’s own group guided rate, €25 per person4 |
| Not confident navigating the RER or SNCF alone | A private or small-group tour that includes transportation from Paris |
| Under 18, or an EEA resident under 26 | Self-guided; your entry is free either way1 |
What self-guided costs and gets you
A Passport ticket is €35 in high season and €25 in low season, with a €3 discount for EEA nationals and residents on either price1. It covers the Palace with a timed entry slot, the Gardens, and the Estate of Trianon, all on a self-guided basis, plus temporary exhibitions5. The palace’s own free mobile app supplies an audioguide and an interactive map of the estate, and a separate paid audioguide (€5, eight languages) is available on site56. The site also publishes several marked routes with estimated durations, such as a 1.5-hour “Marvels of the Palace” route, so a self-guided visit can still follow a structured plan rather than wandering6.
What the palace's own guided tour costs and covers
The palace’s own guided tours are the cheapest guided option, since they’re run directly by Versailles rather than by a third-party operator. Full price runs €10 to €16 per person depending on which tour, purchased in addition to a Palace or Passport ticket; reduced rates of €7 to €10 apply to “A Year in Versailles” cardholders, Friends of Versailles Society members, visitors aged 10 to 17 accompanying an adult, and disabled visitors and their companion; children under 10 go free1. The point of paying is access: a palace guide “invites you into lesser known locations otherwise closed to the visitors”1.
Tickets for a guided tour are sold online or on site at the guided-tour ticket office in the North Ministers’ Wing, which is also the meeting point for most tours; tours of the Trianon estate instead meet in front of the Petit Trianon12. Once your guided tour ends, you’re free to continue through the rest of the Palace on your own, on the same ticket2.
Groups get a separate rate: €25 per person for a guided group visit, plus a €10 per-person supplement for garden access on high-season event days4.
Where two Versailles pages disagree
The palace’s detailed tickets-and-prices page states a range for guided tours: “Full price: from €10 to €16 depending on the visit… Reduced rates: from €7 to €10”1. Its separate FAQ page states a single figure instead: “Tickets for guided tours cost €10 and must be purchased in addition to a Palace ticket or a Passport ticket”2. The two aren’t necessarily contradictory: the FAQ answer may just be describing one common tour rather than the full range. Still, a visitor budgeting for a specific tour should check the exact price at booking rather than assume €10 covers every option.
Neither page states how long a guided tour lasts, so this page does not add a duration.
Should you pay for a private or small-group tour instead?
A third-party guided tour, sold by a tour operator rather than the palace itself, tends to combine one or more of: an English-speaking guide for the whole visit rather than only the palace’s own paid segment, transportation from central Paris, and a smaller group. This site cannot state those tours’ prices, durations, or ratings, since they don’t come from an official source. What can be said from the palace’s own pages: any third-party product still needs you, or the operator, to secure a timed Palace entry slot, because that requirement applies to the Palace regardless of who books it13.
Tours worth considering
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You don’t strictly need a third-party tour. The palace’s own guided-tour add-on is cheaper than most outside products and gets you into areas a self-guided ticket doesn’t reach1. A third-party tour is worth considering in two cases:
- You want an English-speaking guide for the Palace and one booking that also covers the Gardens and the Estate of Trianon. See the Versailles Palace guided tour with garden access. By the operator’s description the guide covers the Palace in a group of up to 20, and the Gardens and Trianon are self-guided afterwards.
- You’d rather not handle the RER or SNCF connection from Paris yourself, especially alongside timed-entry booking. See the small-group tour with transportation from Paris.
Skip a paid product, official or third-party, if you’re under 18 or an EEA resident under 26: your entry is already free, and neither option changes that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth paying extra for a guided tour at Versailles?
It depends on what you want. The palace’s own guided-tour add-on, at €10 to €16 on top of admission, reaches rooms closed to self-guided visitors, which is worth it if that access matters to you; a self-guided Passport ticket alone still covers the Palace’s main rooms, the Gardens, and Trianon1.
How much does the Versailles guided tour cost?
Do I still need a Passport ticket if I book a guided tour?
Yes. The guided-tour add-on is purchased on top of a Palace or Passport ticket, not instead of one1.
Can children go on a Versailles guided tour for free?
Children under 10 go free on the palace’s own guided tours; ages 10 to 17 accompanying an adult qualify for the reduced rate of €7 to €101.
Where do Versailles guided tours start?
Is a private tour better than the palace's own guided tour?
This page can’t compare prices, since third-party tour prices aren’t published on an official source. A private tour’s advantage is usually convenience, such as transportation from Paris or an English-speaking guide for the whole visit, not access, since a timed Palace slot is required either way13.
Related Articles
Sources
- Tickets and Prices — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-19.
- FAQ — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-19.
- Practical Information — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-19.
- 2026 Tariffs — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-18 (via research).
- 2026 Ticketing — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-19.
- Visit Routes and Advice — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-19.