We took the Metro to the Gare Austerlitz station and caught an RER train to Versailles, a smooth 40 minute ride from Paris. As expected, the Versailles Palace complex was vast, ornate, impressive and packed with tourists. Inside the main palace we made our way from room to room with a helpful audio guide that was included in the price of admission. After escaping the throngs inside the palace, we walked the very extensive and meticulously maintained gardens, stopping for lunch at the Venice Gardens, on the palace grounds. Our last stop was at a group of buildings called "The Hamlet", a collection of Norman country style buildings that Marie Antoinette loved, as they were an escape from the intrigues of the main palace.