TRAVEL ... with David Bray
The Palace of Versailles is one of the world’s busiest tourist attractions. Thousands of people from around the world infest the place every day and we were separated early in our visit from a son and his wife and next saw them back in Paris.
Another year and another son and his lady took a sensible approach and hired bicycles for a pleasant picnic ride around the area. Now, and for a couple of years at least, those who go there by train can do it in superb style. Take the RER (rapid transport) C line and you will find its carriages have been spectacularly refurbished to look like small versions of rooms of the royal chateau, lavishly done out in colours of the palace that was once the centre of political power in France .
Ornate paintings and golden sculptures line the aisles and even the ceilings are intricately designed. There’s a mock library in one of the carriages. The refurbishments are designed to evoke memories of seven different areas of the royal chateau and its grounds, including the Hall of Mirrors, the Gallery of Battles and Marie-Antoinette's estate.
The changes, the result of a deal between officials at the palace and rail operator SNCF, involved layering the interior walls of the train with a high-tech plastic film. SNCF is reported to have plans for five more trains to be decorated in the same film decoration technique by the end of this year.
The decoration is said to last about two years. Versailles was the centre of political power in France from 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 during the French Revolution.
GETTING THERE
The RER Line C5 train runs from central Paris directly to the Versailles-Rive Gauche station, from which it's a 10-minute walk, or a shorter shuttle bus ride, to the Château de Versailles. Catch the RER Line C5 train in Paris at the Javel, Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel, Pont de l’Alma, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay, St-Michel-Notre Dame, or Gare d’Austerlitz RER stations, and make sure you’re on a train going to “Versailles R.G.” The RER makes it easy for you: all RER trains have a four-letter code, and all trains going to Versailles start with the letter “V”. Trains run about every 15 minutes, and the trip takes just over 30 minutes. Remember to keep your RER ticket until you are outside your arrival station – you will need your ticket to exit the station.
