Should you choose Versailles or the Louvre with one day?
With one free day in Paris, I'd choose the Louvre, unless the palace and its gardens are the reason you came. The Louvre is a three-hour visit in the middle of the city that leaves the rest of the day for Paris. Versailles is the whole day: the train out, a timed Palace entry, the gardens, Trianon and the train back.
Your day of the week can settle it before taste does. The Palace and Trianon close on Mondays, so a Monday is a Louvre day. The Louvre closes on Tuesdays, so a Tuesday is a Versailles day, and Versailles' own FAQ names Tuesdays among its most crowded days for exactly that reason.
I'd pick Versailles over the Louvre for anyone who cares more about the court of Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette and how a palace was lived in than about painting and sculpture, and for a second visit to Paris when the Louvre is already done.
What actually differs between Versailles and the Louvre?
| Louvre | Versailles | |
|---|---|---|
| Time it takes | Three hours for a first visit; the museum suggests the Denon wing for one or two | A full day; the Palace alone is about an hour and a half |
| From central Paris | Metro lines 1 and 7 to Palais-Royal Musée du Louvre | RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, then a 10-minute walk; allow at least half an hour each way |
| Closed | Tuesday | Palace and Trianon on Monday; gardens open daily |
| Hours | 9am to 6pm; to 9pm on Wednesday and Friday | Palace 9am to 6:30pm until November 1, then 9am to 5:30pm until March 31 |
| Adult ticket | €32, or €22 for EEA residents and citizens | Passport €35 from April to October, €25 from November to March; €3 less for EEA nationals |
| Timed entry | Required for everyone until November 1, 2026, then recommended | Required for the Palace |
| Busiest | Late morning to mid-afternoon | Tuesdays and weekends, from late morning |
Sources, checked October 23, 2026: Louvre hours and admission, Louvre entrances and directions, the Louvre on visit length, Versailles practical information, Versailles 2026 ticketing, the Versailles FAQ and the Versailles Rive Gauche station page.
The cost of the day is closer than the tickets suggest. Versailles adds two train fares and usually lunch on the estate. The Louvre leaves an afternoon and evening that cost whatever Paris costs.
Which one would I pick for you?
| If this is you | My pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First trip to Paris, three days or fewer | Louvre | A morning there leaves the Seine, the Marais and dinner for the same day. |
| You came for painting and sculpture | Louvre | Versailles is rooms and gardens. The collection you came for is in Paris. |
| You came for the court, Marie Antoinette and the Hall of Mirrors | Versailles | No museum in Paris replaces walking the state apartments and the Queen's Hamlet. |
| Spring or summer, and the gardens matter | Versailles, on a fountain day | The Musical Fountains run on weekends from April to November 1. On other days the fountains are still. |
| Your free day is a Monday | Louvre | The Palace is closed. |
| Your free day is a Tuesday | Versailles, at 9am | The Louvre is closed, which is why Versailles fills up by late morning. |
| Only an evening is free | Louvre, Wednesday or Friday | It stays open until 9pm, with last entry at 8pm. |
| Second visit, Louvre already done | Versailles | Give it the full day it asks for. |
| Children under ten | Louvre, kept to two hours | A short Denon wing route works. Versailles is a long day of walking, and in winter there are no fountains to break it up. |
Is Versailles worth it in winter?
Yes, for the Palace on a weekday morning. No, if the gardens and fountains are what you want to see. From November to March the inside is the same, the Passport costs €25 instead of €35, and the gardens are free. What you lose is daylight, the fountains and part of the gardens.
- Shorter hours. From November 2 to March 31 the Palace opens 9am to 5:30pm, with last admission at 4:45pm, and Trianon opens at noon. The gardens open 8am to 6pm, and some groves close for the season. Versailles practical information
- No fountain shows. The Musical Fountains and Musical Gardens season ran from April 1 to November 1, 2026. After that the basins are still. Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens
- Cheaper and free days. Low-season prices apply from November 1 to March 31, and garden entry is free all season. Versailles 2026 ticketing The whole estate is free on the first Sunday of each month from December to March, but you still book a Palace time slot, and it is the most crowded winter day. Versailles free admission
- The little train runs. In November and December it runs from 11:10am to 5:10pm, which saves the long walk to Trianon on a cold afternoon. The little train
- Christmas evenings. The King's Tour, an evening visit through the Hall of Mirrors and the state rooms, runs from December 12, 2026 to January 2, 2027 on Versailles' events site. The King's Tour 2026
- Do not drive. The A13 motorway is closed toward Versailles from November 16, 2026, and the Palace recommends public transport. Versailles practical information
In winter I'd book the 9am Palace slot on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, walk the main garden axis to Latona and Apollo before lunch, take the little train to Trianon after noon and be on the train back to Paris before dark. If the forecast is rain or wind, choose the Louvre that day instead. Versailles closes the gardens and park in severe weather.
When are the crowds lighter?
At both, the first hour is the one to book. Versailles advises taking the Palace as soon as it opens at 9am, especially on Tuesdays and weekends, and moving to Trianon from midday. At the Louvre a 9am slot gets you to the Denon wing before the groups arrive, and a Wednesday or Friday evening is the other quiet window.
Until November 1, 2026 the Louvre requires a time-slot reservation from every visitor, free admissions included. After that, booking is recommended rather than required, and I'd still book. Louvre hours and admission The Louvre is free on the first Friday evening of each month after 6pm, except in July and August, and that evening is crowded.
The Louvre sends visitors to the Carrousel entrance when the Pyramid is busy. At Versailles, a ticket bought in advance means you skip the ticket office, not the security line at the Palace door.
What should you book, and how far ahead?
For the Louvre, book a timed ticket on the official ticket site as soon as your dates are fixed. The Louvre tickets guide covers how far ahead dates sell out and which entrance to use.
For Versailles, buy the Passport. Since January 14, 2026, the Palace's ticketing page lists it as the only ticket with a timed Palace visit; there is no Palace-only ticket, and the Trianon ticket does not include the Palace. Book the 9am slot. Book it the day your date is fixed; from April to October, the fountain weekends go first.
The Versailles day trip plan has the full route, trains and lunch. If you are choosing how long to stay, the half-day or full-day guide lays out both.
Can you do both in one day?
Only on a Wednesday or Friday, and only if you accept a short version of each. Take the 9am Palace slot, walk the main garden axis, skip Trianon, and be on the RER C back by 2pm. After a late lunch and a rest, enter the Louvre at 6pm and stay until it closes at 9pm.
I would not do it on a first trip with three days or fewer. Give one of them the day and fit the other into the next trip. If you are also weighing the Orsay, the Louvre or Orsay guide makes that call, and Paris museums on Monday and Tuesday plans around both closing days. The three-day Paris itinerary places either one in a full trip.