RER Paris to Vernon
 

Some decisions have been made, inspite of JoeG's bad experience I have taken everybodies suggestions and visited all websites and I booked my tickets Strasbourg to CDG thru europe rail, we will see if they are right when they arrive in the mail. Now I wonder the train from Saint Lazare to vernon is RER and leaves early in the morning. Do I need to book this in advance or can you just walk in in the morning and get on? We will pick up our rental car in Vernon. Europecar was 500 compared to 300 with hertz for 10 days, quite a big difference. A

Hi A,

>.. the train from Saint Lazare to vernon is RER and leaves early in the morning. Do I need to book this in advance or can you just walk in in the morning and get on? <

The RER is a commuter train. You can buy your tickets at any metro station or when you get to St. Lazare.

Don't get on the train without a ticket.

Did you check the price of your car at www.autoeurope.com and www.kemwel.com?

((I))

I don't believe it's even possible to buy a ticket in advance for the RER. You won't have any problem buying your ticket on the spot - it's just like buying a metro ticket. There are overhead flashing signs that indicate what trains are arriving and on what tracks.

RER don't go to Vernon but SNCF commuter trains do and thus you should be able to buy them online? www.voyages-sncf.com but there is no reason to do so - same price at station i believe on these regional trains.

Unless was recently converted to RER in which case i did not hear it - it's an SNCF commuter train from Gare Saint-Lazare

When I tried to book this thru that SNCF site it did not recognize Vernon as a destination where as I found it on the RER website which is why I thought it was a commuter train. A

As to the rental car companies. www.autoeurope.com was where I got the 500 quote and kenwel does not list vernon as a pick up location. A

It is a commuter train, run i believe by the SNCF or French Railways and not the RER, a part of the Paris metro system though sometimes both SNCF and RATP (metro) run some RER lines in tandem

In any case there is little need or reason IMO to buy this ticket before paris - get it at any train station.

Hi A,

www.voyages-sncf.com shows the trains from PARIS ST LAZARE to VERNON.

11.90E each way.

Buy your tickets in Paris.

((I))

Hi, Just to let everyone know I purchased tickets from Rail Europe on Tues Jun 9th and they arrived at my home in rural Canada exactly 8 hours, exactly as ordered. Thanks for your help. A

Hi A,

What did they cost?

They no doubt cost more - esp the $18 shipping, but still Ira you have to put yourself in the shoes of the average traveler who, having the tickets in their hands and not having to buy tickets in a foreign language once there, the difference you are pointing out in price can be simply PRICELESS and to me that is OK.

It's just a regular train, although not as big as the grand lines, of course. Some lines that you will see on a RATP map are not actually the RER like most people think of it (not the same as the lines inside Paris that go underground). For example, the train to Auvers-sur-Oise is like that, and you have to transfer from the RER line to it (it is called Reseau Transilien on the RATP map). Also, a Carte Orange will not be valid on those lines (you can see the line to Auvers on the Carte Orange zone map). YOu won't even see a line to Vernon on that CO map, though, RER or Transilien.

YOu can always buy RER tickets ahead of time, they don't expire, but it doesn't mean much as the seats aren't reserved.