I found the following paragraph on the Net somehwere and it confuses me. It seems redundant and a bit contradictory. Can those Paris travelers with a bent on good grammar please clean this up to the point where I could use it to find my way to Versailles?

"Trains cost €5.00 and run from Gare Montparnasse and Gare St-Lazare go to Versailles-Rive Droite. From there it is a 15 minute walk. Another route is the RER C which goes to Versailles-Rive Groite (also Rive Gauche or R.G.), which is 700 meters from the chateau. You can catch the RER trains at Invalides, Champ de Mars, Musee d?Orsay, St Michel and Gare d?Austerlitz. The trip is about one hour from the center of Paris. Any train whose name starts with a V (e.g., ?Vick?) goes to Versailles; don't board other trains. Get off at the last stop (Versailles R.G. or ?Rive Gauche??not Versailles C.H., which is farther from the palace), and exit through the turnstiles by inserting your ticket. "

Hi mdtravel,

There are several ways to get to the Versailles palace. The easiest way is to take the RER C and get off at Versailles Rive Gauche. Keep your ticket as you will need it to exit the train platform in Versailles.

Exit the train station, turn right. At the first major street turn left (you will be able to see the very large wrought iron gates to the palace. It's about a 5 minute walk from the station and there will be lots of other people going so you can follow them.

How you get to the RER C depends on where you're starting from,i.e., where your hotel is located.

If you change from the metro to the RER C at Javel (as I did) you exit the metro station and walk across the street to the RER station. You do not have to exit the metro for all RER connections.

Another option is to take the RER C to Versailles Chantier which is the next station after the palace. A different train than the one going to the palace will take you here. But you don't want this train since it's a longer walk or a cab ride from the palace.

You can ask the train conductor to verify that you're taking the correct train by simply saying "Versailles Chateau?" If you can't pronounce the words then write them on a piece of paper and show the conductor.

It's very easy to get to Versailles from Paris - you should have no problems.

mdtravel:

Basically, there are two ways to get to Versailles:

1. Take a regular SNCF train from either the St-Lazare or Montparnasse station. You'll need to buy a train ticket at the station, and the cost is 5 €. When you get off at the Versailles Rive-Droite station you'll have a 15-minute walk to the château.

2. Take a commuter train (RER) train from the following Métro/RER stops: Invalides,. Champs de Mars, Musée d'Orsay, St-Michel, or Gare d'Austerlitz. Be sure to get on the RER C line (the trains are clearly marked with overhead flashing signs). You'll need to buy a ticket for this ride, too, unless you have a pass that lets you ride as far as Versailles. Get off at Versailles Rive-Droite.

Either way it takes about 45 minutes in my experience.

I don't know what the business about trains with names that begin with V is all about. Maybe someone else can explain.

The SNCF train from Montparnasse to Versailles-Chantier is € 2,50 each way. Same as the RER-C. The train trip is faster - some non-stop takes 13 minutes, those with stops take 17 minutes. About 5-6 trains per hour, compared to 4 on the RER to Versailles-Rive Gauche.

If you're starting off near Gare Montparnasse, that's a faster route. But elsewhere in Paris, I'd take the RER-C, for its shorter walk to the chateau.

I don't know about the trains from St-Lazare, but I know there is one from Gare Montparnasse--I think the one from MOntparnasse goes to the Chantier stations, and the one from St-Lazare to the Rive Droite train station, neither of which are the one closest to the chateau (this is Rive Gauche and is where you want to go).

I think the RER makes most sense and is easiest. Take line C5 which goes the Versailles Rive Gauche. YOu do have to get on the right RER train, but they are marked with the line on those electronic windows. I know one is called VICK, but there might be other names (not sure) -- trains with lines and names are on boards posted on the walls of the RER station on the quay, so you can check them. I think as the train comes in, only the name (ie, VICK) is posted on the overhead electronic sign as to arriving train. I don't understand that thing you are quoting, as the RER that goes to Chantiers is a different train than the one that goes to Rive Gauche. I don't think you can ask a conductor on the RER if you are on the right train to the chateau-mainly because I've never seen a conductor on RER trains, and I think it would be too late anyway, if there was one around--most likely, you'd be on your way. You just have to be able to look at the line number and get on the right one.

The problem is the the two stations for Versailles -- the preferred Rive-Gauche and the Chantiers are on opposite ends of the same RER line -- line C. So the DIRECTION you are going on RER C will make the difference. If the train is going to its terminus you'll get there either way -- it's just that Rive-Gauche has less of a walk. To be honest I have always had trouble with getting on the right RER C -- signage is rather opaque in places.

Hi md,

If you go to http://www.ratp.fr/ and use the route finder it will tell you how to get from your hotel to Versailles Rive-Gauche.

I agree with Ira..USE the RATP site and I think you'll have a better understanding of the route and what is involved.

I checked the ratp website and used Arc de Triomphe as my starting point, and this is what I came up with:

TAKE THE RER C AT PONT DE L'ALMA AT 19H13 DIRECTION VERSAILLES-RIVE GAUCHE UNTIL VERSAILLES-RIVE GAUCHE AT 19H42
IT WILL TAKE YOU ABOUT 1 HOUR

Just returned from Paris 4 days ago.
We took the RER Versailles Rive Gauche line, and we were able to do the 5-10 minute walk to the chateau. I don't recall the stop that we got on, but any metro/RER map will have the different lines identified by different colors, so it's easy to figure out the stop closest to you.

I too was looking for the "VICK" sign to tell me what platform to go to - there were several C line trains with different destinations, and the sign had several abbreviated destinations that didn't correspond with my RER map. I got help from a very nice woman, and our train wasn't indicated by "VICK", but "VERO".

When in doubt, just ask.