Most travelers seem to be day triping to Versailles from Paris, we will be staying in Versailles and traveling to Paris for the rest of our vacation. Any advice on buying a pass in Versailles that can be helpful in Paris for train or museums? Anything we can buy ahead of time?
Thanks,
Eileen
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
There is no advantage to buying passes ahead of time.
Yes, there are several kinds of tranportation passes. Which would be best depends upon the answers to several questions: (1) Will you be flying into CDG or Orly or will you arrive by train? (2) What day of the week will arrive and what day of the week will you depart? (3) What will be the total length of your stay in Versailles?
If you're going to visit several museums and want to be able to skip the lines at the most popular ones, the Paris Museum Pass can be a good deal. Entrance to Versailles is covered by that pass. (Does not include the musical fountain show on weekends.) Check this site: www.parismuseumpass.com.
Posted by
OP
Canandaigua, New York, usa
40 posts
Tim,
Four adults will be arriving to Versailles via car from the south of France, we are dropping the car off in Versailles. We will visit the Chatuae and train into Paris on a Tuesday, we will depart CDG on Friday.
We absolutely want to skip the lines in Paris! It seems we should buy the Paris Museum Pass before we arrive in Paris so we can use it at Versailles or not?
Thanks for your help,
Eileen
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Versailles is in zone 4. Most likely everything you'll want to see in Paris is in zone 1.
Plan A: Buy zone 1-4 Carte Orange passes and load them on passe Navigo Decouverte cards. The pass costs 26.70€ and the card costs 5€. Provide a headshot photo, slightly smaller than passport-sized. The pass is good for travel Monday-Sunday, but it can still be a good value when used for less than a full week.
Plan B: Buy single tickets to Paris and single tickets to return to Versailles. The fare for taking the RER from Versailles to central Paris is 2.80€ (includes transfers to other RER lines and/or Metro lines). Buy ten-ticket carnets for your rides in Paris and share the tickets with one another. A carnet costs 11.10€. Each ticket is good anywhere the Metro goes and on the RER in zone 1. Each ticket provides unlimited transfers on the Metro and/or RER until you exit the system. Each ticket is good for bus transfers and for transfers between bus and tram (T1, T2, T3) for up to 90 minutes after first boarding. A ticket is also good on the Montmartre funicular. You cannot use a single ticket to transfer between Metro and bus and the ticket is not good on the T4 tram.
In your case buying Paris Museum passes in advance is probably a good idea. You can order them on the museum pass site.
Posted by
XXX
1170 posts
We'll be staying sort of close to Versailles also (maybe about 10-12 minutes), and want to do the same as Eileen i.e. travel to Paris for a day trip.
We are flying into CDG, but will be leaving France on the EUROSTAR.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Eli,
Ten minutes from Versailles could put you in a different zone. Do you know the name of the RER or Metro station closest to your hotel? If not, what is the name of your hotel? Do you know the address? How many days will you be in Paris? What day of the week will you arrive and what day of the week will you leave?