I'm fairly tech savvy, but I am a bit confused with all the train options (passes) and apps for France. I have both the BonJour RATP app and the SNCF Connect app for my Apple Iphone. I'm wondering which one to use or do I need both? Here's my itinerary in a nutshell, beginning September 4. We'll start out with 2 days in Paris, city center. Then move for a week to a Marriott timeshare resort outside of Disneyland Paris. So we will be going back and forth from Paris to Baily-Romainvilliers for that week. We'll also want to go outside the city to Versailles and Chateau de Fontainebleau. After that week we'll move on to Strasbourg and Colmar for 4 days and then Chamonix for 3 days, for a total of 15 days in France. Then we move into Switzerland for the Lake Geneva area and Montreaux. So we arrive in Paris on a Wednesday. I know some passes go from Sunday to Sunday, so I'm not sure a weekly pass (for Paris) works for us. I'd appreciate any recommendations or info. Thank you.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6710 posts
RATP operates the Metro and RER systems serving Paris and its suburbs, including Versailles and Disneyland, but not Fontainebleau. SNCF is the national railway system serving the whole country. So both apps will be helpful in France.
Paris by Train has all you need to know (and more) about Metro and RER. The Man in Seat 61 has all you need (and more) about rail travel in France. Rome2rio is a good way to explore options for getting from place to place, but verify schedules and buy tickets from the actual carriers, not through the site.
Posted by
OP
El Dorado Hills, California
16 posts
Dick, thank you for the info and links! Looks like good stuff and now I'll study it. I do use Rome2Rio and like it a lot. Thanks.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10486 posts
I have SNCF Connect and SBB apps on my phone. SNCF is good for your train tickets as far as Geneva. Once in Switzerland, you will use the SBB app.
Posted by
698 posts
I found the SNCF app very user friendly while in France recently!