We are going to be staying at a friend's apartment in Versailles for 2 weeks in August. We have a few day trips planned (normandy, chartres, giverny etc). But for the days that we are traveling into Paris (probably 7 days in total) should we be taking the car that we are renting or should we stick with the RER? How bad is traffic in August in Paris? How hard is it to park? I know parking is generally free in August - is it hard to find a spot? We will be traveling with our two boys (8 and 11) Thanks so much in advance!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
The RER from Versailles to Cite (Notre Dame) takes about an hour. I know the roads blindfolded and can't drive it that fast, let alone find a place to park. Parking alone will cost more than a couple of round-trip RER tickets.
Posted by
Mesa, AZ, USA
90 posts
take the RER, it wont be worth it otherwise. You will spend so much time trying to find a parking spot in Paris it will ruin your trip there. Sooo not worth it. Maybe try to turn in your car, then spend the next few days going to paris if you are concerned about money?
Posted by
OP
Needham, MA, USA
4 posts
This is what I was suspecting. The car rental is using credit card points so it's not a big deal. We'll have it anyway. Just wanted to see if it really IS as bad as I thought it would be to try to find parking. Sounds like it's not a good idea. We'll just use it for our day trips outside of the city!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32327 posts
Kristin, Do NOT drive in Paris, especially in August. The RER is by far the quickest travel method, and you won't have to worry about parking, etc. Have you worked out the travel times for your day trips to the Normandy area? I'm not sure that's ideal for day trips, as you may not have time to see much. If you're interested in seeing the D-Day beaches and other historic sites, they're quite "spread out" and even with a Car you may have difficulty finding some of them. If the D-Day sites are high on your list of "must sees", you might consider spending a night in Bayeux and taking one of the excellent day tours. Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Needham, MA, USA
4 posts
@Ken - yes - we are staying 2 nights actually (Bayeux area and Honfleur - both @ places recommended in Rick Steve's France book). We have booked a 1/2 day private tour with Victory tours which should be a lot of fun. That will give us time to explore a bit on our own as well (beaches, tapestries, caen war memorial museum etc.) Can't wait!
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
Depending on where your apartment in Versailles is, there are three train lines you can take. Two are RER with one going along the left bank into the heart of Paris and the other going to Gare St Lazare. The third line goes into Gare Montparnasse. All three link to the Metro for access anywhere in Paris. Each train is less than an hour trip - 45 minutes max I believe.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Trains are so much easier then car with kids too, they can stand up and move about a bit,, although its not even quite an hour ( depending on where you stop in Paris it can be only 40-45 minutes) .. taking a car into Paris can be a horror,, not the driving ( although I wouldn't want to tangle it myself) ,, but the traffic jams where you can take an hour or more getting in and out of city itself.. it once took my friends( locals) over 21/2 hours to drive me to my hotel in Paris from Chantilly,, and the bulk of that was once we got into Paris.. boring. A car for trip outside Paris is great though, being able to stop where you want etc. Have fun.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Oh,, and I would try and find out about the one day moblis metro passes, make sure the zone covers Versailles( passes are good for zones,, spreading out from Paris, I think Versailles is zone 4 or 5) , but it could be useful for trip into Paris and then any metro you take inside Paris, I think it works out cheaper. I am not a transport expert but there are many on here who are pretty good at this, ask them.