Train or metro from versailles to Paris

I'm not aware that the metro goes out to Versailles. When we went last year it was on the RER which is more of a train than a metro. The RER takes you right into Paris where you can transfer to the metro or other RER runs. As a hint at the Versaille RER station, don't confuse your metro carnet ticket with your RER ticket. They look a lot alike but they are different. We were among several tourists who kept getting our tickets rejected. We were inserting the wrong ticket. I bet it happens all day long.

Thanks, The metro map shows a line to Versailles, but maybe I was confusing it with the RER...your help is appreciated!

The metro does not go as far as Versailles. The Versailles Rive-Gauche station on the RER C line is the one closest to the chateau.

The metro map shows both the metro and the RER lines so it can be confusing. Also when taking the RER C line out to Versaille, the line splits. Thus, you have to be on the right RER C train. In the stations we were in in Paris, there is a video monitor showing all train runs coming through the station. These trains have names listed on the monitor. Train names beginning with "V" go to Versailles. Below is a link to a picture I took of the monitor. "Vick" on the upper left was the designation for our train to Versailles. The route is also shown. http://gyazo.com/e6a621bb751f647269b60362b5ee5297

thanks again!

You need to be aware of the trains going to Versailles but it sounds like you will be only going one way....to Paris. I did this last year while in Paris. The RER station is only a few blocks from the Palace. Easy walk. The RER C train is the only one going to Paris. It stops at all the downtown spots. Easy and pleasant ride.

thank you

What the others have not mentioned is that there are three train lines between Versailles and Paris. RER C is the one everyone else has mentioned and is closest to the Chateau. But there is also RER B, which is the furthest from the Chateau and an SNCF line (regular train) that isn't too far from the RER C station. So depending on where you drop off your car and what you do after or where you are going in Paris, any of those stations and trains into Paris might work for you. You could ask at the rental office or enter the address in Google Maps and see which one is closest. All three lines have regular trains and take you into different parts of Paris. RER C uses the same tracks as a Metro line, and you must have a ticket to/from Versailles but you can transfer on that ticket to the Metro once in Paris. RER B ends at Gare St. Lazare. The SNCF line ends at Gare Montpanarsse. Hope this clarifies things.

Probably the reason nobody mentions the RER B for Versailles is because the closest either spur will get you to the chateau is eight or ten miles. For comparison, Kilometer Zero is less than twelve miles from the palace by bike. Nor do the metro and rer share tracks.

thanks, these answers are helping!

Ed found a small error in my post - I mentioned RER B is the furthest from the chateau, but that is actually an SNCF line - not an RER (and it is nowhere near 8-10 miles from the chateau). That is Versailles Rive Droite Station and it goes to Gare St. Lazare. The SNCF line going to Versailles Chantiers Station is not much further from the RER C station, about a 5 minute walk. That station is also a RER line, a branch of the C line. So there are many options and each has frequent trains (every 20-30 minutes). Furthermore, the OP Susan noted that she is dropping a car off in Versailles and was looking for the best way to get back to Paris. She did not mention going to the chateau, which is why I thought having ALL the options would be beneficial. The RER lines have seamless transfers to the Metro. SNCF lines do not.

The RER ticket you purchase in Versailles should allow a free transfer to the central Paris Metro lines.

thank you,Susan