How do I get from Cluny-La Sorbonne to Versailles

Just use the IDF Mobilite app, and let it figure it out for you on the day you want to travel. You do not need to nail every step down in advance. If there is one thing that you do not need to book in advance it is local mass transit...

You're probably getting conflicting info because there is major work this summer on RER C (which is the most convenient train to Versailles Rive Gauche). Check back at the end of August/beginning September using the RATP.fr website, the Bonjour Paris app, or the IDF Mobilities app.

Even Google maps will do a decent job of putting this together for you using the Public Transportation tab.

Essentially you need to get to Gare Montparnasse to take the train to Versailles-Chantiers (about 15 minutes) and follow the crowds to the Versailles site. You can take the metro 4 from Cluny-La Sorbonne 4 stops and then walk a bit to get to get to Gare Montparnasse or there are several buses that also cover that route.

The Paris metro/bus system is really good and really easy once you get used to it. Just use your Navigo pass to validate into the system ride wherever you want. If you want to take a bus and have a Navigo Easy just use your phone to add a bus ticket and beep it as you get on the bus. (Bus is 2e the metro is 2.5e) Use the Bonjour RATP app to check and charge your pass.

I found the City Mapper app to be one step above Google Maps in terms of additional information. I addition to plotting routes it will tell you which metro entrance or exit is best. I never would have found the RER station hidden under Pont Alexandre III without the walking instructions on the app.

Don't over think it too much. The Paris metro/bus system is great - it has a lot of small staircases and some transfers involve way more walking that you expect - but it is well laid out and many apps will plot routes for you. You will make mistakes and up searching for something obvious or heading the wrong direction at some point and that's okay - it's all fixable. People who live in Paris use the metro and bus system to get around the city everyday so just join in.

Also know that walking through Paris is one of the great experiences of the city and walking and the core of the city is small so you don't have to always head underground.

Enjoy Paris,
=Tod

Amanda, as others have said, you don't need to plan far in advance. I know it seems overwhelming, but it will all make sense when you're there. Nothing needs to be purchased in advance.

If you tell us how long you will be in Paris and how you are arriving and departing the city (airport or train) we can help you decide if a pass or separate tickets would be best and how to purchase them. What day of the week do you arrive in Paris and what day do you leave the city? Are you traveling with children?

In September, you'll be able to get there on the much more convenient RER C. No need to go to Montparnasse. It's not showing up on any of the route planners at the moment because of the line work.

Thank you all for your responses! In reply to Jeanm, we arrive on Thursday around 11 a.m. at CDG, will travel to our hotel in the 5e arrondissement and stay until Monday morning when we travel to Avignon. Stay in Avignon Monday and Tuesday, then return to Paris to our hotel near CDG so that we can board our flight out Thursday. I am thinking about the Navigo/Metro 5 day pass with additional tickets for the trips to Versailles (Friday), as well as t/f Avignon.

Any additional suggestions (restaurants and/or pâtisseries in 5e, non-tourist traps that are must see, etc.) are welcome. Thanks again for your assistance!

We really enjoyed Le 26 restaurant in Avignon when we were there in May. The caramelized onion and goat cheese starter is really good. But there are tons of restaurants all over the city.
https://www.restaurantle26avignon.fr/menu5d628555

=Tod

How do you plan to get from the airport to your hotel? The fixed taxi fare from CDG to your Left Bank hotel is 65€ for up to 4 people.

There is also a train, RER B, that runs from CDG to Paris. If your hotel is near the Cluny-La Sorbonne metro station, you would take the RER B train to Saint Michel-Notre Dame station. From there it is about a 5 minute walk to the intersection of Blvd. Saint-Germain and Rue Saint-Jacques. The cost is 13€ per adult.

Since you are arriving on a Thursday, you could purchase a Navigo Week Pass for 31.60€ per person upon arrival at the airport:

• valid Monday through Sunday
• unlimited travel on RER, metro, buses
• includes RER from airport to city
• includes your round trip to Versailles
• must be purchased no later than Thursday of current week

You would then need to purchase a single ticket on Monday for the bus (2€) or Metro (2.50€) to Gare de Lyon unless you plan to take a taxi.

There are several options for obtaining the Navigo Week Pass. Before I overwhelm you with more information, please advise how you plan to get from the airport to your hotel. I don't want to add to the confusion.

I do not know what you mean by the Navigo/Metro 5 day pass. Are you referring to the Paris Visite Travel Pass? That is usually not a good value.

Jeanm, thank you for all of that information! I find bullet points extremely helpful so you are speaking my language.

From the airport, as there are only two of us the plan is to take the RER B to the closest Metro station, which most likely is St. Michel-Notre Dame. As for the Navigo pass, I have seen so many options with multiple names that I may be mixing them up (ex. calling a Decouverte pass a Navigo pass, although I don't think the Decouverte pass is right for us, necessarily). Regardless, we want to find the most cost-efficient option for travel while we are in Paris.

We will then leave on the TGV to Avignon, where I have received very helpful information from this forum, on taking the train directly to the city center vs. to the station just outside of the city and taking separate transportation to the city center. Wednesday take the TGV back to Paris, where we somehow get to CDG (again, more trains), and spend the remainder of Wednesday up around CDG.

It sounds like the Navigo Week Pass is the best option for us and then purchasing separate tickets for the one day we spend in Paris prior to returning home. I think my biggest question regarding our trip to Versailles is with the Week Pass, do I/can I reserve or purchase RER seats ahead of time or should we simply arrive at the various RER stations and get on?

First some definitions. I'm assuming you are American, so I'll use my American view of Paris transportation.

The Metro is similar to the rapid transit systems in New York and Chicago. Sometimes it travels underground and sometimes it travels overground. You must validate your pass or ticket at the entry gate/turnstile. If you are using a physical ticket, do not discard it until you leave the station.

The RER is similar to our commuter trains from the suburbs to the city. In Paris, you can also take the RER between RER stations. You must validate your pass or ticket at the entry gate/turnstile and, also, at the exit gate/turnstile.

The RER trains are all unreserved.

You can be asked to present your validated pass/ticket to an Inspector anytime during your journey on the Metro or RER. Failure to present a validated pass/ticket will result in a hefty fine.

I hope I haven't frightened you from using the Metro or RER. It really is easy. Larger stations will have Transit agents to assist.

• Always validate and keep your ticket until exiting
• If using paper tickets, keep your current validated ticket separate from any unused tickets
• Open gates at Metro stations are either for exiting passengers or the gate is broken
• Don't walk through an open gate without validating your pass/ticket unless instructed by a Transit agent
• Watch what others do when validating to get a better understanding

Saint Michel-Notre Dame is an RER station. There is also a Metro station called Saint Michel. The 2 different stations are connected underground through hallways.

Because you mention Cluny-La Sorbonne, I assume you're hotel is nearby. So you would take the RER B from CDG to the Saint Michel-Notre Dame RER station.

There are various apps you can use to get transit information for Paris including Google Maps. I like to use the Citymapper app. When I'm in Paris I tell the app where I want to go and when. It will give be different options and timing for walking, buses, Metro, RER. Select your route and it will give details including what entrance and exit to use, which section of train to board to facilitate your trip. It even alerts you that your stop is coming up. There are several other options, also.

Your trip to Versailles is included in the Navigo Week Pass valid Monday to Sunday.

Assuming you are both traveling with Smart phones you don't need to be concerned about the Découverte Pass. It is a physical card that you add daily, weekly, monthly passes to. You can load your pass directly to your phone.

Will you be traveling with fairly recent iPhone or Android? It works a bit differently for each.