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Travel to Versailles

A while back I read about how to get to Versailles from Paris but now cannot find it so I apologize in advance for asking duplicate question.
We want to use public transport from St Paul Metro to Versailles. I know we can pick up the RER from the Gare d'cxxx stop.
1) Can we purchase tickets from St. Paul Metro out to Versailles? or get over to the Gare d'Austerlitz and then purchase tickets there?
2) Should we walk to the GdA station (about 24 minutes) and just pick up the tickets and train there? (Since we would have to switch trains and it would be the same amount of walking?)

Also are the trains every 15 minutes starting at the top of the hour?

THANKS!!

Posted by
8889 posts

You can get through tickets from any métro station to any RER station and vice versa. Fixed fare to/from any métro station in Paris city.
Don't know the timetable, but trains are frequent and if you aren't too lazy you can look it up for yourself on www.ratp.fr

Posted by
3695 posts

When are you traveling? If you are staying in a hotel, I would ask the concierge or front desk staff for directions because the RER C trains may not be running through the closest station. I seem to recall that there is work on the RER C line in Paris this summer and you may not be able to get the train from Gare d'Austerlitz. I could be wrong (I could have read about this for last year) and I hope that a local person sees this thread and can comment on that. The good news is that the RATP.fr/en website will not route you to a station if the RER C is not running through it on your travel date.

Posted by
8054 posts

A Paris to Versailles ticket will take you from anyplace in Paris (RER or metro) to Versailles for about 3.50 each way (get both tickets before heading out) The RER C which goes to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche has been disrupted a lot so you will have to work around that if it is not clear through.

You can get the route here:
http://www.ratp.fr/itineraires/en/ratp/recherche-avancee
If you are figuring out the route from the US or Australia be sure you adjust the time for daytime in Paris.

Posted by
9567 posts

JHK is correct. Between today ! (July 16 ) and August 27, the RER C is closed between Gare d'Austerlitz and Avenue Henri Martin and Gare d'Austerlitz and Javel (those are two different "arms" of the RER C). The one that is important for you is the latter, because it means you can NOT take the RER C from Gare d'Austerlitz to Versailles Rive Gauche during this period. You have to start from Javel station in the 15th arrondissement. You can get there by taking Line 10 to the Javel-André Citroen station and transferring to the RER C there. Or take the Tramway T3a to Pont du Garigliano and transfer to the RER c station Boulevard Victor.

Travaux été RER C
Du samedi 16 juillet jusqu'au 27 Août inclus.
En raison de travaux de rénovation, le trafic est interrompu entre Gare d'Austerlitz/Avenue Henri martin et Gare d'Austerlitz/Javel.

Posted by
18 posts

THANK YOU so much for this information. I have been checking a website that shows me what areas will be on strike but clearly I missed this. I also checked out the train website but the few times I checked it told me it would take about 2 hours to get there which didn't sound right but my French is still too rusty and the girls weren't around to translate for me.

Posted by
4535 posts

Know too that there are two other train lines that go to Versailles. There is a line from Gare St. Lazare to Versailles Rive Droite Station and one from Gare Montparnasse to Versailles Chantiers Station. As I recall, those aren't seemless lines from the Metro like the RER C line is, but might be more convenient with the construction and closures.

Posted by
18 posts

I'm so sorry that my post has caused much discourse amongst the group. It was never my intent. In my original post I had not typed out the full name of the metro station in large part bc my typing isn't that great (I wear the backspace key out a lot) and to me it was just easier to type the abbreviated "GdA" than spell it out. I corrected it since it was not obvious to others what I was referring to and that others would take my humor (too lazy to type) in a manner that I don't mean.

I'm appreciative of all of the answers that I've received. While I have read this forum pretty much weekly since October and have read RS book's (and listened to his podcasts) I just wanted clarification/double check on a seemingly simple/obvious answer. Perhaps I should have explained that more fully in my original post. This is the first time for my dear husband to Paris and he's not a fan of travel so I am trying to research/do the leg work on most things ahead of time to make it smooth process for him (i.e. knowing how to get places and which line to use). This post already alerted me to the fact that the RER-C line will be closed so now I'm looking up other options. And yes this information is posted on the Versailles website under "how to get here" but I didn't think to check there originally (and why since the books and forums are really quite helpful).

Lesson learned. Again, thanks to all.

Posted by
5211 posts

Myjunkmail,

This is the first time for my dear husband to Paris and he's not a fan of travel so I am trying to research/do the leg work on most things ahead of time to make it smooth process for him (i.e. knowing how to get places and which line to use). This post already alerted me to the fact that the RER-C line will be closed so now I'm looking up other options.

Planning a trip takes a ton of work & time, in my opinion, so perhaps you can enlist your daughters, to help you with some of the research ;-)

Regarding your travel options to Versailles:

  1. Via RER C: Take Metro to Javel Metro/RER station. Check here for best route: http://www.ratp.fr

  2. Via SNCF train: Take Metro or bus ( bus #96, bus stop near St. Paul's Metro) to Gare Montparnasse.

You can check train schedules to Versailles here: http://www.transilien.com

Enjoy your trip!