We will arrive at gare du nord station, we want to take a day trip to Palace of The Palace of Versailles, Then when we leave Paris we will be heading toward's Germany leaving from Gare de l'Est. What would be a central area to look for accomadations here? What would be the most central between the Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est.
Also, any info on how to get to the Palace of Versailles would be appreciated. Thanks
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Shelly,how long is visit to Paris. What is hotel budget per night in euros. I would not choose to stay by either of the stations unless it was a one night transit visit, otherwise there are way too many nicer places to stay that are just as easy to get around to sites and stations on the metro and RER. Getting to Versailles is the easiest do it yourself daytrip from Paris, it will take roughly 45 minutes on the RER( suburban train system) and cost this summmer was 3.50 euros per person , per way, so 7 euros total. Once in Versailles follow hordes to Palace, 10 minute walk. You buy a seperate ticket for the RER, you simply are buying a destination ticket , either from a machine, or from the manned ticket kiosk, simply " bonjour, une billet aller -retourn pour Versailles Rive Gauche si vous plait" . You will get two tickets, they look same as metro tickets but they are not, so keep them seperate from your metro tickets.
You need to take the RER Line C, direction Versailles Rive Gauche. There is a website you really should browse before your trip, it explains the french /paris public tranport system very well and has photos etc to really familize yourself. parisbytrain.com/
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
FYI, Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est are basically next to each other. You can walk between them in less than ten minutes. I recommend staying in the Marais. It's the only part of Paris that still looks a bit like the city did in medieval times. It's a short ride on the Metro to either Gare du Nord or Gare de l'Est from anywhere in the Marais. A ticket to Versailles-Rive Gauche includes unlimited transfers on the Metro and the RER. Be aware that the RER C line divides on the west side of Paris. All trains with the nameplate VICK go to Versailles-Rive Gauche. For a zoomable map of the Metro and RER system, go here: http://tinyurl.com/6xmvms4.
Posted by
San Francisco
14538 posts
Hi, Of the two, Gare de l'Est or Nord, as repects to accomodation, I much prefer Nord but have checked out one hotel, a 3 star, usually 89-100 Euro for a single, across the street from Est if you're interested in staying at Gare de l'Est; restaurants, esp Alsacian cusine, and patisseries are on both sides of the street, including a Chinese buffet restaurant. Gare de l'Est has been enlarged, refurbished, "remodeled" (no coin lockers as was the case 30 yrs. ago), both stations have left luggage facilities, downstairs at Est.