cody2006

I'm choosing a Eurail pass, and I can't figure out if it would include everything. Specifically, do Eurail passes cover Metro and RER in France?

pmgoosed

Yes...It covers the RER, but not the metro.

For the metro, purchase the Carte L'Orange if you plan to be on the train more than 12 times in your stay.

It is 15 euro and gives you unlimited travel for the week. Bring a mini-passport photo and buy it at the ticket window.

Christina

actually, I think it is a pass that covers SNCF trains. No metro system in any city belongs to SNCF, and only some of the RER lines are managed by SNCF. I think it does cover the lines or parts of lines that are managed by SNCF, but not the others. SNCF runs lines C and E, B only from Gare du Nord outward, A only in limited parts (beyond Nanterre, I think), and D except between Gare du Nord and Chatelet.

I don't see quite how you'd use a Eurail pass for city transportation, but I'm not sure how they work -- I thought any kind had specific days it covered that you would have to use up, but maybe I'm wrong and some cover unlimited travel for an entire month or something.

Seamus

If you visit www.ratp.fr the English language pages do not include info on Carte Orange because they want to sell you the more expensive Paris Visite card. If you look at the French language pages you can get full info about Carte Orange. In case your French is not up to snuff, here's a summary:
Carte Orange is valid on Metro and RER from Monday through Sunday and can be purchased starting Friday of the week preceding and ending Tuesday of the week for which it is valid. It is available with different coverage areas, with prices varying according to how many zones. Most tourist sites are in zone 1 and 2.
You will need a small passport size face photo to obtain the CO. Best to bring one with you as the machines in the stations are often unreliable.

BTW, if you have a Eurailpass with limited number of travel days you may not want to use up a day just for a ride on the RER.

ira

Hi C,

Have you entered your itinerary at www.railsaver.com and clicked "only if it saves money" to see if you need a railpass?

You do know that you have to pay extra for the TGV and seat reservations on slower trains?

You do know that you can get greatly reduced rates on SNCF tains if you buy them early?

cody2006

I was really just considering it if I were going to get a consective-day pass. You're right, it's not worth it if I would be spending limited days on it.

Ok, so assuming I am not covered by Eurail during this period, here is what I'm specifically trying to do: I arrive from London at Paris Nord. I don't care about sightseeing or anything right away, just want to find a hostel somewhere, then the next day go to Pontault-Combault (Emerainville), which is on RER E. The maps I've seen are kind of confusing. So two questions:

1) How can I get from Paris Nord to Emerainville (I know it will take at least a couple of stops)?

2) How much will my RER E ticket and any other metro, etc. tickets cost?

cody2006

Thanks, Ira, I appreciate your help (on this and other threads). I finally took your advice to check out railsaver.com today, after seeing you post about it for a while. It's very useful. And thanks for letting me know about paying extra on TGV, etc.

So does anyone know where I can find RER E fares? I'm guessing you just buy them au guichet, so maybe someone happens to know an average price, even if it's not to my specific destination?

PalQ

Christina as usual is right on about what RER lines are covered - the most useful ones are the one (B) from Roissy Airport into Gare du Nord and line C that goes along the Seine to Versailles. If you have a consecutive day railpass you should use it for these lines and the other parts Christina mentioned though few would take those. To do so in Paris involves going to the ticket window and getting a "contremarque de passage" just say "contremarque s'il vous plait" and show your pass and the contremarque is a ticket that says you have a pass and lets you into and out of the system when you insert it into the automatic ticket machines.
S-Bahns in German, likewise run by the rail system, also honor railpasses and these you just get on - Berlin and Munich are two cities with very useful S-Bahns - not that U-Bahns do not honor railpasses - many cities have both and some duplicate routes - look for a large S in a circle for S-Bahn stations and a circled U for U-Bahns.
Reservations with railpasses in France cost but 3 euro so that is not a factor in deciding whether to pass or not. If you're a novice European rail traveler you could benefit by the free European Planning & Rail Guide (free at: www.budgeteruopetravel.com) which will answer questions like this and many more - www.ricksteves.com and www.euraide.com also have good info on rail and railpasses. Yes discount tickets are available on web but require long advance purchase and are often non-changeable non-refundable and a quite a hassle booking if the legions of complaints about using the www.voyages-sncf.com site are to be believed. But yes you can save money with that route especially if you're route is set in concrete - personally i like the flexibility of a pass if i'm traveling enough.

ira

Hi C,

>How can I get from Paris Nord to Emerainville ...<

Go to www.ratp.fr for directions.

Your station is Gare du Nord. Your place is Emerainville (parking gare de Emerainville). It's a straight shot.

Buy your ticket at the RER station in Gare du Nord. Whatever it costs, it's cheaper than a day on a railpass.

When are you going to Paris that you expect to arrive and find a hostel easily?

cody2006

Ira,

I was originally planning on staying in a hostel that night I arrive in Paris (May 16 - reservations on hostelworld.com are around 23&euro, but www.ratp.fr shows a convenient 24 min, direct RER, so maybe I'll just stay closer to the friend I'm visiting in Pontault-Combault. Thanks for sharing that site; I can already tell it's going to help me a lot with my 3+ Paris visits this summer.

pmgoosed

Ok, people, for the record, NO MATTER WHAT EURAIL PASS (DAYS, MONTHS, etc) the PASS COVERS MOST OF THE RER.

Trust me....I did it for 21 days last march. Unless something dramatic happened over the last year to change that, your EURAIL PASS DOES NOT GET STAMPED...you just flash it on the train.

pmgoosed

Now which RER line is covered...I would have to look at my Eurail book.

Robespierre

Your transport within Paris is covered here: http://tinyurl.com/qod2b (by the way, <i>Cartes Oranges</i> are sold from Friday through Wednesday.

EurailPass validity on RER trains is spelled out here: http://tinyurl.com/eua6g

RER ticket pricing is here: http://tinyurl.com/j6bog (enter the first three letters of each station and a menu will appear)

PalQ

Looks like RER D and E are no longer covered - two years ago i rode both lines with a railpass and got a contremarque - perhaps the window person just gives it out perfuntorily but it seems only on B north of Gare du Nord and all of C is covered - it's not just flashing the pass and not having it stamped - may well happen but technically unless you enter the date on the saverpass you're cheating and travelling without a valid ticket and could be fined. I have seen very thorough checks of tickets on RER and metro trains. Us

Robespierre

Can one even get to the platforms without a ticket? Every rail station I've been through lately (although I use the bus 99% of the time) has a ticket barrier that you can't get through without either a paper ticket or Navigo.

pmgoosed

Truth be told, you are correct. I had carte orange which got me through the gates and then I just flashed my eurail pass the one time i was questioned.

Robespierre

I don't understand. If you had a valid <i>Carte Orange</i> coupon, why would you need the Eurailpass? Or were you traveling further on the pass than your Orange was valid?

CRAZY4TRAVEL

It may cover some of the RER trains and such but you may not want to waste a day if it is a very short journey as those trips are usually very inexpensive. If you think you will not use all your days, go for it but I would carefully plan how many days you will need and not necessarily include local train travel unless you are making several journeys in one day.

pmgoosed

Carte L'Orange only covered a certain portion...you hit it on the head. I was travelling further than my zones.

Christina

I've never used one for the RER, but that Eurail site does seem explicit. I just thought I had read that it covers whatever SNCF covers, and then I had a list handy of which lines SNCF manages, so that's all I knew. It would make sense that it covers whatever SNCF covers, as it does on regular trains, that is very weird if you could get free passage on a regular train but not an RER line managed by SNCF, which is worth less.

Maybe it is that you don't have to use a day, the Eurail website doesn't really say about that -- but if you don't have to use a day for the RER, I could see why it would be limited. Sort of, it doesn't really make sense as many other RER rides wouldn't take any longer than those it covers.

Now what I don't understand is how pmgoosed could use it for the RER by just flashing, and then how ones gets out of the RER system? I know you could use the Carte Orange ticket to get in it, but if your CO didn't cover the zone you ended up in, how would you get out without a ticket?

These RER trips are very cheap, however, maybe cody isn't aware of that. I think going to zone 4/5 is about 4 euro or so, one way.