I had already seen most the main Paris attractions and wanted to see something "chateau-like"…read morewithout making journey to the Loire so I decided to visit Chateau Malmaison. Here are my tips and highlights: - It seemed very time consuming to get from Central Paris to Chateau Malmaison so I took an Uber for 36 euros around 10 am on a Monday from my hotel in the St. Germain area. Well worth it to ensure that I had enough time to see it before their lunchtime closure (check times). Uber took 40 mins in regular traffic. - The ticket was 6.50 euros. To get an audio guide, they want you to leave a form of ID with them. the Ticket Office Lady was content for me to leave my Navigo card as hostage at the Ticket Booth. - The house was very interesting if you enjoy neoclassicical décor and artwork. I easily saw it all in about 30 minutes. - The return to Paris was cumbersome without a car. Despite the Ticket Office Lady breezily telling me the RER A Station was just a "walk down the street" in one direction, it was not. Thank goodness for Google Maps! I truly didn't mind the 30 minute walk winding through residential areas to get to the station. It just wasn't what I was expecting. From the Rueil Malmaison RER Station, it was about 30 minutes back to Central Paris on the RER Line A. (FYI- This line was a lot more pleasant in terms of scenery and clientete than the RER B line from CDG airport.)

Our final day of our Viking river cruise along the Seine. This was a visit to the home of…read moreJosephine Bonaparte, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, along with the emperor. Napoleon used it as a summer retreat, and also spent time here during his exile after the defeat at Waterloo. Ground floor has Napoleon's office and meeting rooms. Upstairs are the bedrooms. Sort of a miniaturized version of Versailles, and more difficult to get to from Paris using public transportation.

I've been to Versailles twice in my life, and honestly, it's a place you only need to visit once…read more It's worth checking off, though, that first time, and I was happy to go back on our family trip this month, as my brothers and kids had never been before. I booked tickets online about a month in advance, and it was easy to do--not always a given, as I found when booking the Eiffel Tower and London Eye this same trip. Tickets were €35 each for eight adults and €15 for my six-year-old, with my younger son and niece getting in for free. We set aside a whole day for our excursion from Paris, and we definitely needed it. We were there for over five hours and covered what felt like very little ground. It was kind of a grueling day for everyone, most of all my older son, who got nauseous in the cab ride over and immediately threw up on the sidewalk leading up to the castle. We were lucky enough to miss the heat wave, but it was still brutally hot, and the grounds were so massive and sprawling that no one had the will to really explore them. We did spend a couple hours at the actual castle, though, the infamous, guillotine-worthy Château de Versailles. (My grumpy sick son had some questions about what happened to the people who lived there, and I entertained him with a little history lesson. My husband later reported that another mom was listening in and judging me for my frank description of the French Revolution.) I remembered it from my first visit almost twenty years ago and had the same general reaction, which is that the opulence was impressive and repetitive. You get the idea pretty quickly, and understand immediately why heads had to roll. The private chapel kind of said it all on its own. We didn't go to every room, but we saw plenty and made sure to hit the Hall of Mirrors with its gaudy profusion of chandeliers and gold sculpture. There were a few spaces that incorporated modern artwork, which was pretty cool. When everyone was tired and hungry, we found our way to an Angelina cart and a back room with tables and fans where we were able to sit and eat. There are a number of restaurants on the grounds where you can make reservations, but this worked better for us (and also nothing was available for our huge party by the time I got around to looking). We spent a couple more hours wandering around the garden, but we didn't get particularly far. The garden was beautiful but enormous and short on shade, and it seemed impossible to cross the distance to get to whatever points of interest might be waiting a quarter mile in the sun-scorched distance. The fountains were cool and we did get to see them turn on briefly, though we missed whatever musical fountain show we were supposed to catch. We could not figure out where or when it was happening. We wasted half an hour waiting in line for golf carts before giving up and buying tickets for the train instead, to take us to the Trianon side. It was so hot, all we did was take the train and then start leaving. The train was surprisingly shitty, just a rickety train-shaped conveyance that went around the grounds, making stops at a few noteworthy places. We hopped off at Petit Trianon and walked out, taking a long, pleasant path lined with trees. It was cooler and less crowded on this side of Versailles, and if I were ever to come back, I would spend my time checking out the areas away from the palace. I remember enjoying the Queen's Hamlet on my first visit, and I noticed a lot of family's on bicycles enjoying all the charmingly landscaped open spaces. Versailles is well worth a visit at some point in your life, though I'd recommend against going in summer with small, irritable children. I don't need to see the palace again, but I wouldn't mind another go at the grounds.

Visiting the Château de Versailles was truly a dream come true. The architecture is absolutely…read morestunning--every detail, from the grand halls to the intricate ceilings, is a testament to the opulence of the French monarchy. The grounds are just as impressive: beautifully kept gardens, sparkling fountains, and perfectly restored landscapes that make you feel like you've stepped back in time. As someone who loves history, I was in heaven. The palace is filled with artifacts from the Sun King himself, Louis XIV, and the stories about his many mistresses add an extra layer of intrigue. I could have spent hours just wandering the Hall of Mirrors and imagining the lavish parties that once took place there. Marie Antoinette's area, with its charming hamlet and gorgeous gardens, was a highlight for me--so peaceful and picturesque. We spent an entire day exploring and still barely scratched the surface. There's just so much to see and experience! I also have to mention the restaurants on the grounds. The food was surprisingly good--fresh, flavorful, and honestly better than most of what I get back home in America. If you love history, art, or just want to be wowed by breathtaking beauty, Versailles is an absolute must-see. I loved every minute and can't wait to go back!

I'm not a history buff I rather enjoyed my visit here. As is the case with most French museums, go…read moreEARLY - go too late in the day you'll be elbowing your way just to get a view of anything. For me, the gardens were the real standout. Unfortunately, we were there just before the spring bloom so it had a wintry feel to it but they were still amazingly impressive. At my urging, we toured the gardens via golf cart and I'm so glad we did. (You're likely to be doing a lot of walking on a France trip so save your feet when you can.) We were able to see more in less time this way and it's a bit easier to get away from the crowd.

Wonderful place to visit. The art and scenery was very nice here…read more Would return if back in France. Recommendation

Neptune's Fountains are located to the right of the palace and are free to visit. There are two…read morelarge fountains. Both fountains could use some maintenance work to shine up the sculptures and removed fallen leaves and debris from the water. Very large space enter from Blvd de la trine and make first left once you pass gate.

From the owner: Bassin royal En retrait à l'Est du château, sur le chemin qui mène au hameau de la reine et au…read moreGrand Trianon, le bassin en demi cercle jaillit avec une statue de Neptune, dressé, avec son trident pour tout étendard.

Certainly one of the more amazing sites in Paris. A great example of the new modern Paris. I love…read morethe idea behind this arch, unfortunately it's not being applied at all around the world today.

Grande Arche de la Défense is a beautiful, modern monument in La Défense, Paris…read more Although it isn't the most well-known or widely recognised monument in Paris, it is kind of an unsung hero of the city which is truly one of my favourite cities in the world, it's a modern arch which consists of government offices, in a really nice square which separates Westfield and CNIT, right by the metro station which is underneath. At 360 ft tall, it is a little taller than the Tour Eiffel and also forms part of the Axe Historique. It's magnificent structure really adds grace and elegance into the La Defense area and makes the view from the Starbucks nearby a little better, especially in the outdoor patio area. It does have multiple steps which lead up the monument which is popular for people to sit and relax, while it might not have the international fame or wow-factor as the Arc de Triomph (of which it is 4km away from) or the Tour Eiffel, it's a pretty nice and underrated monument in a great city.

A poor nineteen year old student in Paris, I found a bedroom to rent in the grand salon of a…read morewidowed French government official's wife, who took in students to offset her own need for income. Once wealthy and the daughter of Polish nobility, but now living on a pension and what little she had inherited from the former minister and governor of a colony in French Equitorial Africa, the most gracious Madame V took me under her wing and mentored me in the Parisian life that no longer existed except within her old world apartment and the vibrant galleries of her romanticist mind. She at 60 had more worldly experience than I would ever have, or at least so I believed then. Her fourth floor abode lie on Avenue Theophile Gautier, named for the 19th Century poet, novelist, critic and journalist, who was a strong influence on the Romantic and Aesthetic periods in French arts and literature. He was a contemporary of Balzac, Hugo, Flaubert, and Baudelaire, the giants of the period. He was a friend of Princess Mathilde, who found him a job as a librarian when his other work sank in popularity. I often wondered about this man as I walked the street to and from school and while shopping in the corner boulangerie. In those days I didn't believe in coincidence, and was certain he held a message for me about life. Of course, his extreme romantic reviews about art ("Art for art's sake."), two mistresses and close ties with ballerina Carlotta Grisi with whom he composed the ballet libretti Giselle, all led me to understand that only by complete emersion is creativity and writing about it as descriptively as possible, would ultimate truth be found. Of course, Gautier was far more excessive than I could be, but his influence on my psyche that year was all consuming. I returned to his street a few times after departing Paris, once to visit Madame V and another to impress someone with my knowledge of the city and this bit of arcane literati history. Although refined over the years to allow me to live in balance with my world, both Madame and Theo have had an outsized influence over me. I thank them both profoundly for that.