Please walk me through transit from St. Lazare to Versailles
 

I will be staying at the Hotel Londres et New York, across the street from the Gare St. Lazare. I would like to visit Versailles. Please walk me through the best transportation route, or combination of routes, as I have never been to Paris. What kind of train or Metro tickets do I need to purchase, transfers to make (if any), etc. Thanks in advance for helping this newbie.

I think I would take Metro line 13 to Invalides, changing there to RER line C to Versailles Rive Gauche. You would purchase round-trip tickets from Gare St. Lazare to Versailles Rive Gauche.

Note that RER line C splits at some point before reaching Versailles. You need to make certain you board a train that goes to Versailles Rive Gauche (not Versailles Chantiers). On the RATP map, they designate that line as C5.

http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/carteidf.php?lang=uk

There is also a train from Gare St Lazare which I'd be more inclined to take rather than the RER C if I was staying across from the station.

You'll need to buy a ticket from the office if you don't have a chipped card... lines can be long so allow yourself time or pick one up the day before. The train will show on the big departure boards... the ticket agent can also point you in the right direction. The station you'll be heading to is "Versailles-Rive Droite".

Here's a link to a Google map of Versailles:
http://g.co/maps/6qhzw The chateau is indicated with a purple marker... the marker "A" is the Rive Droite station you'll alight at. You should find it very easy.

I would take the commuter train directly from Saint Lazare to Versailles. The walk to the palace from the Versailles-RD station is hardly any farther than the walk from Versailles-RG. It is a much faster trip than the RER C in any case.

Thank you for your quick response. I've been doing some internet research and found a reference to a combination pass for SNCF combination pass that includes roundtrip train ticket and ticket to Versailles. But I can't find this on their website. Does anyone know if this is still available?