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Question about round trip RER C tickets from Paris to Versailles

Posted by (Minnesota) on

We will be taking a day trip to Versailles from Paris in July. We will be staying at Hotel Napoleon on Avenue de Friedland near the CDG Etoile Metro station.

Where would we buy round trip RER C tickets, and are they for a specific date and time or for any date and time?
Can they be purchased a few days before or do we buy them the morning of our trip?

It looks like we could take the Line 6 Metro from CDG Etoile to Bir Hakeim and then walk underground to RER C Champs du Mars. Is that a good way to go or would you recommend another way?

Do you put the ticket through a turn stile at the entrance and exit and use the same ticket for when you return or show it to someone on the train?

Is Chateau Versailles Rive Gauche the stop we want?
Then how would we walk to the Chateau at Versailles from the train station?

I appreciate any help you have to offer.

Posted by
143 posts

We will be traveling to Versailles on July 9, 2025, so thankfully the RER C trains will still be running. I read that RER C will be shut down beginning July 12. Whew!

Any other answers to my questions?

Posted by
10869 posts

Hi Kay - ticketing in Paris changed substantially on January 1 of this year, so old information no longer pertains. So good for you for asking ahead of time !

Now all metro/train/RER tickets cost €2.50 - there are no separate RER tickets needed for travel within the Île-de-France - as Versailles is.

So in other words - if you will be buying a Navigo Easy card (for 2€) and loading regular €2.50 tickets onto it, those tickets will work for you to get to Versailles.

You will tap in when joining the metro at CDG Étoilé and again when changing to the RER C, and again when tapping out at Versailles. Same process in reverse for your return ticket.

Normally nobody will check your ticket when you are on the metro or on the RER. However, it's possible that you might encounter ticket checkers in the hallways of one of the metro or RER stations. Just hand them your Navigo Easy card, and they will tap it against their reader, it should show that you have tapped in, and you will be on your way.

If you download the CityMapper app, and tell it right now that you are in Paris, you can input your hotel address as your starting point and Chateau de Versailles as your destination, and it will tell you the options for getting there and how long each will take, and how much each will cost.

Lucky you going just before the summer RER C closure !

Posted by
9142 posts

There are no 'round trips' on metros or trains; always two one way tickets. And mostly there are no longer tickets. Old ones still work and there are occasional machines that still have them apparently but when we were there this spring we were not able to even get tickets to the airport for our daughter -- we had to use the Navigo Easy (or phone but we don't do that). If you have a ticket, it would go through the turnstile and return on top and you would take it. A trip to Versailles would entail putting it through the metro turnstile near you and then the RER entry stile where you transferred. The machine knows you are on a continuous trip. If you are using the Easy which you probably will be, the machine knows you are on a continuous trip and does not deduct another ticket -- it will show that on the little window on top of the stile.

Is the C going to be closed completely or only in Paris? IN the past when the C was down in central Paris we have metroed to Javel to pick it up there for Versailles. For years now, the C has usually been down in central Paris on most of our trips. If it is going to be closed in the suburbs as well as Paris, are they offering an alternative to get to Versailles Rive Gauche?

Posted by
2424 posts

Yes, your stop is Chateau Versailles Rive Gauche. Once you exit the train there are clear signs to the chateau, but it’s pretty simple to follow the crowd. There are two paths, but we turned right out of the station, walked up to the stop light, crossed the street to the left and then it’s a straight shot. There were 2 very long security lines when we were then on May 28th. There 9:00 a.m. line was on the right and the 9:30 line was on the left. We got there right at our 9:00 entry time and the line took about 10-15 min.to get in.

Posted by
341 posts

Another (expensive) option. We took a G7 taxi from Rive Gauche to Rue Cler with four people and baggage for 67 Euro. We had turned our rental vehicle in at Rive Gauche and did not care (we are in our 70's) to drag all our bags on the RER and make changes. Time ws approx 45 minutes in rush hour traffic.

Posted by
10869 posts

The RER C is completely open, all along the line, on the date Kay needs it. No need for a workaround.

Posted by
143 posts

Thank you all for taking the time to answer my questions! Your responses have been very helpful, and I am feeling better about the trip!

This forum is great! Thank you Kim, Janet, Patty, John, and Nigel. You are the best!

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