RER (Regional Trains), Paris

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If you are staying out in the Disney area, you are in Paris transportation zone 5, the farthest and most expensive. There are various passes that include these zones but they are expensive and each person in your party needs their own pass.

Much cheaper is the carnet of 10 tickets. Nearly everyone knows they can get a carnet of regular T-Tickets for use in the inner zones of Paris, but few know you can buy carnets for the outer zones. Here are some prices for comparison for zone 1 to 5:

A carnet of ten zone 1-5 tickets costs 56.80 euros for an adult and 28.40 euros for a child (you can share with others) A single ticket costs 7.10 euros per adult and 3.55 euros per child.

Navigo Découverte Pass zone 1-5 costs 33.90 euros plus 5 euros for the card plus a passport-sized photo for each person (good only Monday through Sunday; then you must buy another pass) Each person needs their own pass. If you are there Monday through Sunday, it's a good choice.

Paris Viste Pass zone 1-5 costs 53.40 euros for five days (consecutive days only and each person needs their own pass. It is 26.70 euros for children 4 to 12 years.

Mobilis Pass zone 1-5 costs 14.20 euros but is only good for one day and each person needs their own pass.

If you combine the zone 1-5 carnet for travel to and from Paris with a regular zone 1-2 carnet (12.70 euros) for travel inside central Paris, you will have all the transportation you need for a very reasonable price; you can share the tickets and they are good on any day . . . including on your next trip to Paris if you have any left over.

The former Billet Ile-de-France has been replaced at the end 2010 by a BILLET ORIGINE - DESTINATION.
See my new tip.

This is now the ticket most visitors of Versailles use as they have to travel outside Paris with the RER line C Versailles Rive Gauche.

- The "billet Origine-Destination" enables you to travel between 2 given stations on the Ile-de-France network, either Transilien or RER. In Paris itself, a "Ticket t+" is enough.
The "billet Origine-Destination" is also valid on the Noctilien buses. However, in this case, it needs to be bought in advance (not on sale in the bus).

If the departure or arrival stop is in Paris, the "billet Origine-Destination" enables you to begin or end your journey at any RER or metro station in Paris.
The "billet Origine-Destination" is valid in both directions, for example: Paris-Melun or Melun-Paris.

The "billet ORIGINE-DESTINATION" is a ticket for occasional trips between Paris and the banlieue (like Versailles) combining Metro and RER or train. Price is calculated (by the selling desk or the machine) depending on place of departure and destination. One can use the ticket in one sense or in the other, of course for a return trip you need to buy two tickets.
For Versailles the single fare is 3,20 € (since 1/07/2011) from the centre of Paris what includes the Metro to the RER C station and the 30 minutes trip to Versailles Rive Gauche.
The ticket has no date for use.

The former Billet Ile-de-France has been replaced at the end 2010 by a BILLET ORIGINE-DESTINATION.

Please find here the explanation on its use which is the same as the former Billet Ile-de-France. The RATP website is not providing (2010) a translation in English of the above, they write:
"There is no English translation for the content you're about to read.
The content displayed below is the original document version."
ON THEIR RENOVATED WEBSITE 2011 THEY PROVIDE A TRANSLATION.

" Le billet Origine-Destination permet de réaliser un voyage entre 2 gares du réseau ferré d'Île-de-France : RER et trains de banlieue*. Il est utilisable dans un sens ou dans l'autre, par exemple : Paris - Antony ou Antony - Paris.
Les billets à destination ou au départ de Paris permettent d'utiliser la correspondance métro et RER dans Paris.
Où l’acheter ?
Le billet Origine-Destination peut être acheté aux guichets et sur les automates, dans la gare ou la station de métro de départ ou d'arrivée.
Les Tarifs
Le coût de ce billet est variable selon son origine (gare de départ) et sa destination (gare d'arrivée).
Son prix n'est pas lié aux zones, celles-ci étant réservées aux forfaits de transport."

Here my own translation in the VT lingua franca:

The origin-destination ticket allows for travel between two stations on the rail network in the Île-de-France RER commuter train. It is used in one way or another, for example: Paris - Antony and Antony - Paris.
Tickets to and from Paris can be used for the Metro and RER in Paris.
Where to buy it?
The origin-destination tickets can be purchased at the counters and ticket machines in the railway station or subway station of departure or arrival.
Tariffs
The cost of the ticket varies according to its origin (departure station) and destination (destination station).
Its price is not related to areas, these being reserved for transportation packages.

For Paris to Versailles Rive Gauche the price increased on 1/07/2011 is 3,20 €.

To travel by the RER C5 to Versailles Rive Gauche (Château de Versailles) you need a "BILLET ORIGINE-DESTINATION" since the end 2010 (before it was called "Billet Ile-de-France") which combines Metro inside Paris and the RER trip from Paris to Versailles RIVE GAUCHE.
You can buy this Billet Origine-Destination (3,20 € since 1/07/2011) as well as the return ticket at the metro stations desks or the machines. For details see my tip.
You have to validate your ticket when you enter your Metro station but also when entering the RER platforms and leaving the station of Versailles. So keep your ticket for the entire trip.

When arriving on the platform of the RER station (for example St-Michel Notre-Dame or Invalides) look well out to take the right RER C5 to Versailles RIVE GAUCHE (do not take the other RER C7 or C8 trains).

There are trains about every 25 minutes and the trip takes 30 minutes. The RER of 08.26 h at Invalides station will bring you at the opening of the Château gates at 9.00 h.

RER B from Paris Charles De Gaulle is probably your best bet. In the terminal of the CDG airport follow signs for RER B which will lead you to the recently refurbished trainstation.

You can get your tickets from the kiosks ~ i think they're 8euros one way. The train will stop at a few stops (not really of worth), past Stade de Paris on the way to Gare du Nord, from where you can get the metro on to your end destination

The easiest way to go to Disneyland from Paris is by RER. Line A takes you straight to the enterance of the parc (station Chessy - Marne-la-Vallée).

Further you can at all main metro and RER stations buy a combined ticket for transport and entrance. The ticket is called "Passeport Disneyland Resort Paris" and the price is EUR 39. You more or less get the transportation for free this way compared to the normal admission fee at the parc.

If you go there by RER without bying the combined ticket then remember to by the ticket for the return trip in advance. The queue at the station for bying tickets is normally quite long in the evening since many people are leaving the parc at the same time.

One of the ways to get to the Chateau of Versailles is to take the RER from Paris. I would highly recommed you get a Versailles pass here at the train station. For 25 Euro you get a return ticket for the train, entrance to the main Chateau, entrance to the private apartments, entrance to the Royal Gardens and a discounted fare for the tram ride for the gardens........the best part is that you skip all the lines to get in (since you already have your tickets). It was well worth the 25 euro's. Once you get to the chateau all you do is walk right in, no standing around, no wasting your time.....

Paris has one of the best train and metro networks. as far as I know the best and least expensive mode of transport out of CDG is by Train and the simplest route to Franklin D Roosevelt Hotel is the RER (A) it cost about 10 euro for the one way ticket to your destination I bought mine it July 2010 and went to a hotel in that area.. So from CDG take the RER (A) it's about 45 minutes ride get off on Station Charles de Gaule Etoile, your less than 2 miles from hotel. look for signs to metro # 1 direction Chateau de Vincennes the very next stop is Franklin D Roosevelt Station.
check out:
http://parisbytrain.com/paris-rer-map/
you can print your own map of the all the trains and metro in Paris below
http://parisbytrain.com/files/2008/05/metro120x84.pdf

I also heared but did not try it nor do I know how much it cost or where do you board them from there are buses every 20 minutes search The air Frnace buses direction Arc Du Triomph I can't imagine your hotel being more than 10 minute walk from there.
good luck
Nabil.