dina4, the RER (suburban train) lines are lettered and Métro are numbered, and the two networks connect at various points, such as Invalides (see map, above).

Yes, you can board the C line at the Orsay and ride to Versailles RG. A <i>Forfait Loisir</i> to Versailles is 21.15&euro;. RER tickets to suburban destinations always include M&eacute;tro transport to an RER line.

llcc - If you're going to take no more than &quot;a couple more&quot; rides on your arrival day, then your outlay will be 8.40&euro; for the RER and 2.14&euro; for two single tickets, so that would be less expensive than the other combination.

For the Versailles trip: just do the math. Your outlay will depend upon how much transport you will need besides the round-trip. The options are:

<i>Forfait Loisir</i>
<i>Forfait Loisir</i> + <i>carnet</i> tickets
<i>Forfait Loisir</i> + 2-zone <i>Mobilis</i>

By the way, the chateau is closed on Mondays.

Dina

I can only dare to help you with the price of the Forfaits Loisirs pass, since we seem to be equally confused
The pass is 20 euros.

It says 21.15&euro; here:

http://www.transilien.com/FR/TouVers.htm

The 20.00 E pass is NOT the Forfait Loisirs. It is only good for Versailles itself. (See www.chateauversailles.fr.) A Forfait Loisirs costs 21.15 E and includes the metro/RER roundtrip from central Paris.

If you don't need all the extras the above passes provide, just pay the entrance fee (8 E for the palace and 5 E for the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon). The gardens are free. Or get in free with a museum pass and buy individual metro/RER tickets to Versailles and back.

I forgot one thing. If you download and print the metro/RER map refered to by Robespierre, you'll see the difference between the two systems. Metro lines are numbered. RER lines are alphabetized.

Does the roundtrip mean:
I leave Sentier metro station, I go to Versaille, and HAVE to exit from Sentier? Or can I go from Versaille and exit any metro station within Paris

Any RER ticket to a suburban destination is valid from anywhere in the central zone to the destination, or vice versa. So you can go <u>to</u> Versailles from any station and <u>from</u> Versailles to any station for the one fare.

The same is true, for example, when coming in from CDG or ORY: the ticket takes you from the airport to the M&eacute;tro station nearest your hotel.

My French is limited, but from what I read it appears that the Forfait Loisirs ticket allows you to leave from any metro or RER station in zones 1-2 and return to any other within those zones.

Thanks for the clarification. I'mfeeling much better about this. Still a few questions...

1. The Forfait Loisir seems like a better deal since you get admission and audioguides, but does it allow you to skip the long lines like the One-day Pass and the Museum Pass???
Robespierre, that ratp website was all in french, so it didn't help with the forfait loisir details.

2. Also, on days when the fountains are running, do you still have to pay to see the gardens if you have a one-day pass or a Forfait Loisir?

Thanks!

It always surprises me that travellers seem to spend 90% of their time worrying about 5% of the cost of the trip. Transportation is going to be only a tiny fraction of any trip to Paris; the cost of the hotel and airfare will completely obliterate any savings you might make on transportation. Even your choice of food each day in the city will erase any significance in transportation costs. So why not concentrate on finding a cheaper hotel or a better airfare, or eating more cheaply during the day?

Yes, you can skip the lines with a Forfait Loisirs. The gardens are free.

re your trip CDG/RER to your hotel it was pointed out the changes and transfers you have to make. Don't know how much baggage you have but do realize you will have a fair amount of stair climbing and walking to negotiate this method of getting in.The savings in cost might not be worth it.

Anthony - since you can't know how much time and effort travelers invest in shopping for airfare, lodging, and dining, numbers like &quot;5%&quot; and &quot;90%&quot; may be off by orders of magnitude.

Spending five minutes shopping for transport and sightseeing might save 10&euro;. That's 120&euro; per hour - not a bad hourly.

Choosing the wrong thing on the menu at a single meal in Paris might easily negate any savings obtained by pouring over mass transportation options for an hour.

I think that people worry about transportation because they have more control over it. It comforts them to spend a lot of time saving nickels and dimes. The real expenses of the trip are airfare, lodging, and food, but those are much harder to plan and control in advance.

Food is something that one can control on the spot, but not in advance; and I find that most visitors aren't that concerned once they are in the city, apart from choosing a general category of restaurant that seems to have a price range they can tolerate.

I wouldn't pour anything over public transit options. It makes them soggy and hard to light.