RER (Regional Trains), Paris

There are 2 RER B lines from the city to CDG (DeGaulle Airport); make sure you get on the right line that goes out to CDG. Sometimes it can be confusing: the boards list all the routes and designate whether they're 'long' or 'short' trains. Then when the RER's come in, they are identified by their names, not necessarily the destination.

One goes to Mitry, the other to CDG. They split after the Aulnay-sous-Bois stop. It may not always be clear which one you're on...but here's a fail-safe clue:

after the Aulnay-sous-Bois stop, if the train goes into a tunnel, you're on the right track; if you can still look out and still see the sights, get off at the next stop (Sevran-Livry), turn around, and get off at Aulnay for the right one.

1 more image

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.

If you're going to Versailles you can save yourself some time (and a few Euros) by buing a combined transportation and entrance ticket.

The ticket can be bought at all major RER stations. The current price is EUR 20,80 (summer 2003). If you only want to see the main part of the chateau, this ticket is too expensive, but if you also want to see the garden and the two Trianons you'll save a few Euros.

But saving money is not the main advantage you get from buying this ticket. There is a special entrance for people with ticket, so you'll not have to stand in line to buy tickets at the chateau (and if you're unlucky you can spend a couple or hours doing that).

To get to Versailles is quite easy. Take RER line C direction Versailles Rive Gauche. Get of at the end station and follow the signs / crowd to the chateau (5 to 10 minutes walk).

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.....

If you have a return ticket on the RER, be careful to keep your tickets separate from each other. On the face of it, the tickets are identical and you must feed a ticket through the barrier to enter the station, and feed it through again to leave the station. When leaving, it's important that you leave with the same ticket you entered with. I got stung when I'd exited with a different ticket than I'd entered with, rendering all my tickets useless for the return journey. I had to explain the situation in my broken French to the non-English speaking ticket clerk. After I'd explained myself she suddenly developed the immediate ability to tell me off at length in English, before sternly issuing me with a replacement ticket. You have been warned!

By far the easiest way to get out to the Palace of Versailles (and no trip to Paris is complete without it) is to take the express regional train network - the RER.

Line C5 takes you to Versailles Rive Gauche station which is only five minutes walk to the Palace. The service is also very regular, with trains leaving about every 15 minutes.

Be aware that you will need an RER ticket (still very cheap) as Versailles is abiut 20kms from the city centre, and to ask specifically for the 'Rives Gauche' station. A ticket to 'Versailles' will not go through the ticket machine, although the attendants will normally let you through...it is after all a simple mistake to make.

RER is a regional train that stops by in many stations within Paris : it also rides to farther suburban cities, even some that are at a 1 hour range from Paris... There are 5 lines of RER, called A, B, C, D.... and E !!!

The RER stands for Réseau Express Régional, meaning Regional Express Network. It is a second network of metro-trains that works exactly the same. The RER-network, that was opened in 1969, only covers bigger distances, connecting all the suburbs around the city centre. Inside the périferique the RER-trains go underground, just like the metro, but as soon as they get outside of this ringroad, they go on above the ground. The lines are also visible on the normal metro-map, but there are separate RER-map too.

Within the citycentre you are also allowed to use the Metro with a 1-3 zones metro-ticket. But the connections are slower and more complicated, so it is wise just to take the metro here. But if you are planning to visit Disneyland Paris or Versailles, or if you are coming from the Airports or heading there, than you need a RER-train.

For these further trips you most of the times need a ticket that is valid for 1-5 zones. One last important thing about the RER is that it always has more possible routes. For example the RER towards Versailles is RER C. But towards the end of the line the trains choose different routes. The one going to the Chateau de Versailles is RER C5. So before you get on the train you should first look which of the connections you need. Don't only look at the letters, but also pay attention to the number behind them!