May 2008

The Pass Navigo Découverte, open to purchase by everyone, is available at weekly and monthly prices from Zones 1-2 to Zones 1-6. (Zone Map in PDF format)

in Euros
Zones    Week    Month
1 - 2    € 17.20    € 56.60
1 - 3    € 22.70    € 74.40
1 - 4    € 27.90    € 91.70
1 - 5    € 33.40    € 109.90
1 - 6    € 37.60    € 123.60

(current Carte Orange Prices as of July 1, 2009)

The Carte Orange/Navigo Découverte prices in Euros, British Pounds, and US Dollars, are also available in the following formats:

• Adobe PDF - Carte Orange Pass Navigo Decouverte Prices
• Online at Google Documents - Carte Orange Pass Navigo Prices

Learn more about Carte Orange.

Below are the “horaires du train” or train schedule/times for Paris-Gare de Lyon to Fontainbleau-Avon on the Transilien Ile-de-France train network. If you’re looking to travel to INSEAD Business School, to Chateau Fontainebleau, or to do some bouldering in the Forest of Fontainebleau, this is the train you should be taking from Paris.

Available formats:

• Paris to Fontainebleau-Avon Train Schedule (Adobe PDF)

For detailed train travel instructions, see Paris to Fontainebleau-Avon by Train.

Here is a detailed map of RER A to RER E lines in and around Paris and its surrounding suburbs. Unlike the Paris metro system which covers only 2 Zones, the Paris RER trains cover 6 Zones all around Ile-de-France, the province which contains Paris.

The Paris Regional RER train system connects major tourist destinations and ports of entry to the heart of Paris, near St. Michel - Notre Dame.

Popular RER Routes

• Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport Terminals 1 & 2 to Paris - RER B (Blue)
• Paris-Orly (ORY) Airport to Paris - RER B (Blue) / Orly Val
• Paris to Versailles - RER C (Yellow)
• Paris to Chateau de Vincennes - RER A (Red)
• Paris to La Défense - RER A (Red)
• Paris to Gare du Nord (for Eurostar to London) - RER B (Blue) or RER D (Green)
• Paris to Galleries Lafayette - RER A (Red)

Download Paris RER Map (PDF) (courtesy of RATP)

Here you can find and download a detailed Paris Metro/RER Map perfect for printing on an inkjet printer. 4×6 photo paper works best, which allows extremely high resolution prints. As long as you don’t require reading glasses, this will be the most compact, detailed and useful Paris metro map. Try printing this without margins and expanding or zooming the map to the edges of the paper if your printing software allows it. This will maximize your 4×6 paper, making the metro lines map as readable as possible while remaining small and compact.

For those who prefer large print, print this PDF metro map using regular or high quality 8.5 x 11″ paper in landscape mode and then fold it like a letter or a brochure so that the middle of the sheet doesn’t become creased and illegible after folding and re-folding.

This RATP Paris Metro RER map covers all 14 metro lines (16 if you include the “bis” lines) and the 5 regional train lines RER A to E. The Metro RER Zones are not printed on this map but the darker shade is Zone 2, with the lighter tan/beige being Zone 1 or Central Paris. There are a lot of popular destinations outside of Paris that are noted near the edges of this map, but the stops aren’t actually shown, such as Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY) airports. For those destinations you’ll have to download the Paris RER Map.

Paris METRO RER MAP (PDF) (courtesy of RATP)

Overview

Departure station => Paris-Gare de Lyon

Line => SNCF Ile-de-France / Transilien / RER

Direction => Montereau / Sens / Laroche Migennes

Arrival Station => Montereau (Zone 6, €8.50)

First Train / Last Train => 05:57 / 22:46 (see notes)

Details

To fastest way to get to Montereau from Paris is to take a Transilien train from Paris-Gare de Lyon to Gare de Montereau, which takes from 55 to 65 minutes.

Start by finding the schedule for Paris to Fontainebleau trains at Transilien.com. Search for trains leaving from station Gare de Lyon, in Paris, going to destination city Montereau, without specifying the destination station. Frequency of trains from Paris to Montereau can range from 20 minutes apart during rush hour to 1 hour 30 minutes apart during quiet periods of mid-morning, mid-afternoon and late at night.

Unless you have a ticket Mobilis (day pass) / Passe Navigo Découverte / Paris Visite card good for all 6 zones, you’ll have to buy a special billet Ile-de-France [bee-yah Eel-duh-franz] for this train. This can be done only at the SNCF Ile-de-France ticket window just west of the Blue platform, or at the blue, boxy ticket vending machines (Billetterie Ile-de-France), just outside the building, further west of the ticket window. Most of the ticket windows and vending machines in Gare de Lyon only sell tickets for the Grandes Lignes trains, which depart for cities outside of the main Parisian/Ile-de-France area, so don’t make the mistake of lining up in one of these queues as they won’t be able to sell you the ticket you need.

At the ticket window, simply ask for “Montereau Aller-Rétour” [mon-tuh-row alleh-ray-tour]. You’ll get two tickets, one for each direction, for about €17. You’ll have to pay by cash unless you happen to have a smart-card / Euro credit card. North American credit cards will most likely not work at any SNCF ticket window nor ticket vending machine, so keep some cash handy.

With tickets in hand it’s time to find out which platform your train will depart from. At Gare de Lyon there are two platforms, Blue and Yellow. The Blue zone or platform is marked with lanes or “voie” that are letters A to N, ascending from left to right, on signs with a blue background. The Yellow zone or platform has lanes that are numbered from 5 to 23, in ascending order from right to left, with signs in yellow.

Trains leaving for Fontainebleau can be on either platform, on any lane so find the Gare de Lyon Departures board at either one of the platforms (taking care not to mistake it for the Arrivals board, also available at each platform). What you’re looking for on the board is the terminus station, i.e. the last station that the train will stop at, which may not necessarily be Montereau. Your train will be one of the following:

• Laroche-Migennes
• Montereau
• Sens

The board will note the train number (useless information), the terminus station (any one of the four noted above), time of departure, and which platform and lane. At the right hand side you’ll see a blue or yellow square. This corresponds to which platform your train will leave from, Blue or Yellow. The number or letter for the lane will often not be marked on the board until 15 minutes before the train leaves, but make your way to the correct platform before that. At the right platform you’ll notice a crowd of people staring at the big black Departures board. What they’re waiting for is the lane number or letter to appear on top of the yellow or blue square, denoting exactly which lane the train will depart from. During busy hours, once that lane letter or number is posted, there is a hurried rush towards the train parked in that lane. If you wish to have a seat for the hour long ride, be one of those people.

To double check that you’re on the right train, take note of the television or LCD displays at the beginning of the train “voie” (lane). The display will show each stop the train will make on its journey. One of them should be Montereau. If that stop isn’t listed, check the Departures board and find the correct lane for your train.

The train, once underway will often make several stops before arriving at Montereau, so be sure to check which station you’re at before jumping off. The stops are generally Melun, after 25 minutes, then Bois-le-Roi, Fontainebleau-Avon, Thomery, Moret, St. Mammés, and finally Montereau.

When arriving, if you happen to be the first at the door, look for the door button as the doors do not automatically open. Don’t be surprised if the doors are a bit sticky and require some encouragement (pushing) to get fully open.

Enjoy your trip.

Notes

The schedule for trains going from Paris to Montereau change depending on day of the week, holidays, special periods of the year and special days of the year. In general the first train of the day is 5:57am, the last train is 10:46pm. On Sundays and holidays, the first train leaves Paris-Gare de Lyon at 6:31am. You can always verify train times at Transilien.com.

Links

PDF map of Gare de Lyon

This article explains how to travel from Central Paris to CDG Airport by city train (RER B). For instructions in the opposite direction see Airport CDG to Paris by Train. There are also picture guides of the Terminal 1 train station or Terminal 2 train station at Airport Charles de Gaulle.

Overview

Line => RER B (Blue)

Direction => Aéroport Charles de Gaulle / Mitry - Claye

Arrival Station => Aéroport CDG 1, Aéroport CDG 2 TGV

Cost => €8,50 (Zone 1 -> Zone 5)

Passes Accepted => Pass Navigo/Carte Orange (5+ Zone), Paris Visite (6 Zone)

Schedule - First Train / Last Train from Paris => 04:56 / 00:15 (station Gare du Nord)

Details

The cheapest and fastest transportation to Airport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) from central Paris, is the suburban train line RER B (blue line on RER maps) at a cost of €8,40, one way, requiring roughly 40 minutes.

Within Paris the RER B line travels from south to north, stopping at Denfert-Rocherau, up past the Luxembourg Gardens (station name: Luxembourg), St. Michel/Nôtre Dame, Châtelet Les Halles, Gare du Nord, then continues north east, making up to 9 more stops on its way to CDG Terminal 1 and 2.

The first train from Paris Gare du Nord to Airport Charles de Gaulle (CDG) leaves at 4:56am, arriving at Terminal 1 at 5:28am, Terminal 2 at 5:30am. The last train at night from Paris Gare du Nord to CDG leaves at 12:15am (past midnight) arriving at Terminal 1 at 12:47am, Terminal 2 at 12:50am. This train schedule is in effect Monday to Sunday, including holidays (every day).

Note that not all RER B line trains stop at Charles de Gaulle airport. The easiest way to determine whether the next RER B train arriving at a station goes to CDG is to look at the RER overhead station stop panels on the train platform.

If a light is lit next to “Aéroport Ch. de Gaulle 1″ or “Aeroport Ch. de Gaulle 2 - TGV”, the next train will stop at CDG airport. You’ll also be able to tell how many stops the next train will make between Paris and the Airport by counting the number of stations in between Gare du Nord (the last Parisian station) and the airport stations, Terminals 1 and 2. Obviously, the train making zero stops in between Gare du Nord and the airport will be a bit quicker, usually by about 12 minutes.

Another way to tell if the next train is going to the airport is to look at its four letter “name” and whether it starts with the letter “E”, which is marked on overhead television monitors, as well as on the front of the train. All trains with names that start with E will stop at Charles de Gaulle, for example: EKLI. If a bunch of other travelers are getting on with suitcases and look like the traveling type… more than likely you’re on the right train.

When arriving at CDG the train will make stops at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. For those getting off the train at Terminal 1, you’re in fact arriving at Terminal 3 and you’ll have to take a shuttle tram called CDGVAL to Terminal 1. Remember to take note of which side of the CDGVAL tram line to get on, as Terminal 3 is actually in between Terminals 1 and 2, so you have to pick the correct direction to go. There should be floor standing signs on the overhead walkway above the tramline to help you make your choice.

If you’re looking for the departures level, you’ll need to head to the escalators or elevators and make your way up a floor.

Bon voyage.

Links

RER Map (PDF)

RER B Train Schedule

Overview

Pass valid for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days on Bus, Metro, RER, and Ile-de-France trains (not TGV).

Pass valid on OrlyVal train to Orly Airport (with 6 zone pass).

Price ranges from €8,80 to €48,40 depending on zone coverage and duration (1 to 5 days). Coverage of Central Paris (not incl. airports) for 5 days would be €28,30 adults, €14,15 for children 11 and under.

(Price schedule courtesy of RATP)

Carte Paris Visite counts days from day of first use, not 24 hour periods. If you arrive at night and use the pass, that will be counted as one day.

Details

The Paris Visite Carte is a 1, 2, 3 or 5 day pass good for either Zones 1 to 3 or 1 to 6 around Paris. If you’re staying just within Paris itself and not venturing out to Chateau Versailles, Chateau Fontainebleau nor Euro Disney, stick with the Zone 1 to 3 card, which will cover all of “central” Paris.  See the Paris Fare Zones Map for more information.

The key difference between the Paris Visite Carte and the Passe Navigo Découverte is the timing. Pass Navigo’s are valid strictly from Monday 00:00 to Sunday 23:59:59. If you land at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport on Wednesday and buy a week long Pass Navigo Découverte, it will work only up until Sunday midnight. Starting from Thursday, you will not even be able to purchase the card.

Paris Visite cards are good from the day of first use (not time of first use). This means that if you arrive on Thursday evening at 8pm, buy and use a 3 day Paris Visite card, by 1am that night, the card will have “used” an entire day. So to maximize the value of the Paris Visite Card, start using it during the morning. If you’ve arrived in the evening at one of the Paris airports, simply buy a single Ile-de-France ticket from a ticket window that will get you into Paris (€8,40 from CDG, vs. €18 for 1 day Paris Visite 6 Zone Card).

In summary, if you’re arriving in Paris on Thursday and want to have a unlimited Paris transit pass for 3 or 5 days, this is the least expensive pass. In addition, there are discounts for various tourist attractions and services for Paris Visite pass holders, such as 25% off boat tours on the Seine, 20-40% off admission to the Arc de Triomphe, the Opera house, the Pantheon, and other sights and services.

Links

Paris Visite Fares

Paris Visite Discounts

This is an overview of how to travel from CDG Airport to Central Paris by city train (RER B). For instructions in the opposite direction see Paris to Airport CDG by Train.

For step-by-step photo instructions see Terminal 2 to Paris by train or Terminal 1 to Paris by train.

CDG to Paris Overview

Line => RER B (Blue)

Direction => Paris (Robinson, Antony, St-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse)

Arrival Stations => Gare du Nord, Châtelet les Halles, St Michel/Nôtre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert-Rochereau, Cité Universitaire

Ticket => “Billet Ile-de-France” Aéroport CDG - Paris (Zone 5 -> Zone 1)

Cost => 8,50€ (full fare) / 5,95€ (children 4 - 9) / free (children under 4)

Passes Accepted => Paris Visite, Passe Navigo (Découverte)

First Train / Last Train CDG to Paris => 04:56 / 23:56

Photo Guides: Terminal 1 to Paris, Terminal 2 to Paris

Details

About the RER B Train

The quickest & least expensive way to get to Paris from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport is by taking the RER B suburban city train leaving from either CDG Terminal 2 or Terminal 3/Roissypole.

The RER B train line runs north-south through the centre of Paris, stopping at Gare du Nord, the London to Paris Eurostar station, then at Châtelet Les Halles the “super” exchange station with 4 metro lines and 3 RER lines available, then Saint Michel/Nôtre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert-Rochereau, Cité Universitaire, and continues south towards Orly Airport (requiring a transfer onto the OrlyVal metro at station Antony).

The two train stations at Charles de Gaulle Airport are named “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1” and “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 - TGV“, the first being located near Terminal 3 in the Roissypole building and the second located between Terminal 2E and 2C. (A map of CDG airport is provided below).

The first train leaving Charles de Gaulle Airport towards Paris departs at 4:56am from Terminal 2, stops at “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1” station two minutes later, and then reaches Gare du Nord in Paris at 5:26am.

The last RER B train leaving airport CDG for Paris departs at 11:56pm just before midnight, arriving at Paris Gare du Nord at 12:26am. This train schedule from CDG to Paris is the same every day of the week, including holidays.  (For a complete timetable, see the schedule of RER B trains).

Getting to the Train Station

For step-by-step photo based instructions see either CDG Terminal 1 to Paris Photo Guide or CDG Terminal 2 to Paris Photo Guide.

If you’re landing at Terminal 1 you’ll have to take a shuttle train called CDGVAL to Terminal 3/Roissypole in order to catch the RER train.  The name of this station is “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1“. Don’t mistake the “1″ in the name as meaning “Terminal 1″, it doesn’t, it’s simply the first of the two train stations at CDG Airport.  Just follow the signs for the CDGVAL tram within Terminal 1.

To make things more confusing, Terminal 3 is located between Terminals 1 and 2, so traveling from west to east across terminals you’ll hit Terminal 1, then 3, then 2. Keep in mind that the CDGVAL tram stops at parking stations in between Terminals 1 and 3 (Parc P-r), and Terminals 3 and 2 (Park P-x), so don’t get off CDGVAL too early. There will be voice announcements at each stop in French and English to help guide you.

Map of (CDG) Charles de Gaulle Airport (PDF - Courtesy of ADP)

If you’re landing at Terminal 2, keep in mind that there are 7 sub-terminals and you must make your way to the train station which is located between sub-terminals 2E and 2F.  There will be numerous signs through the terminals pointing towards the Paris RER train.

Buying Train Tickets

At either the Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1 train station, a large open concrete atrium, or Terminal 2 train station, a white, triple level, escalator extravaganza, you’ll find plenty of ticket vending machines. Be sure to use the Billetterie Ile-de-France blue box machines and not the yellow SNCF TGV vending machines, as only the blue box machines sell tickets for the RER B line that you’re after.

Even more important to note is that American and most other non-European credit cards (without smart chips and without 4 digit pin numbers) will not work with these machines. At the CDG 1 station there is a large ticket window with 3 SNCF employees that will be selling individual tickets for the RER. At Terminal 2 there is a dark glass paned room on the bottom floor, off to one side that will be selling RER tickets and SNCF/TGV tickets. If you’re facing this glass room, the entry on the left will be for RER tickets to Paris. The entry on the right is only for tickets to other cities. Almost always there will be at least one ticket seller that speaks English and it will be noted by a little British flag on the corner of his or her window. Either way, you’re looking to buy a ticket for “Paris Aller-Simple” [Pear-Ee Alleh-Som-pleh] which is a one way ticket. The price should be roughly €8,40.

Boarding the Train

For Aéroport CDG 1 station it should be pretty obvious where the platform is as you can see it from the ticket machine areas and you’ll see turnstiles with green lights on them. Terminal 2 is not much worse: simply follow the signs that say “Trains to Paris”. It’ll be quite difficult to miss and all trains from these platforms travel to Paris. You can view the television screens while on the platform to see all the stops the train will make. The stops should include Gare du Nord, Châtelet les Halles, St. Michel-Nôtre Dame, Luxembourg, and others. The four mentioned here are the ones that the majority of travelers will be looking for as they’re all in central Paris. Gare du Nord is best for those going to a hotel near Sacré Coeur/Montmarte, Châtelet les Halles for those staying near the Louvre, St. Michel-Nôtre Dame is across the Seine (the Left Bank), and Luxembourg being near the Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens).

For those extra keen travelers, there are “express” RER B trains that leave from both train stations. Simply look at the television screens on the platform and note how many stops are between CDG train stations and the four central Paris stations mentioned above. The express RER B train will go directly from Aéroport CDG 1 to Gare du Nord, without stopping at any stations in between. The regular train will make about 9 stops in between CDG Airport and Gare du Nord. You’ll save roughly 12 minutes by taking one of the express trains, but even the non-express RER B will get you to Paris (Gare du Nord) in about 34 minutes.

Enjoy your stay!

Useful Links

RER Map (PDF)

RER B Train Schedule Airport Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Paris Gare du Nord

Overview

Smart card for week/month pass valid on bus, metro, RER, Ile-de-France (Transilien) trains (Not TGV)

€5 fee for card itself PLUS:

Week Price, valid only from Monday at 00:00 to Sunday 23:59:59 (as of July 1, 2008)

• €16,80 for Paris only (Zone 1+2)
• €33 for Paris out to Airports CDG/ORY (up to Zone 5)
• €37,20 for all zones (up to Zone 6)

On sale up until Wednesday, midnight. Next week’s pass, on sale from Friday onwards.

Zone Map (PDF)

Pass Navigo Découverte Prices in Detail

Details

The Paris train, metro, RER, tram and bus system uses a smart card called Passe Navigo Découverte for week passes. These passes are open to visitors (see note) as opposed to normal Navigo passes which are for residents of Ile-de-France only.

The Navigo Découverte pass can be purchased for a €5 fee on top of the regular week pass prices noted above, which varies from €37,20 for all six zones to €16,80 for only zones 1 & 2 which covers only Paris. Six zones includes Paris and surrounding suburbs, airports Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY), Chateau Versailles, Fontainebleau, Parc Disney. The services included are any metro, RER (suburban) train, buses (RATP/Noctilien/Optile), and trams up to the zone limits of your pass.

The Navigo Découverte is sold at nearly any ticket window that normally sells tickets and passes for the Metro, RER, Ile-de-France trains. You’ll need a smaller than passport size photo to be used on the pass (exact Navigo Decouverte photo size is 3cm tall by 2.5cm wide), plus a pen to write your name. There’s nearly always a photo booth nearby ticket windows at major stations, costing 4€ for a set of four pictures, so be sure to get your photo taken before going to the ticket window where they’ll likely have scissors handy for trimming your freshly minted photo on the pass.

The downside of the pass is its timing. The pass validity starts on Monday morning, first service (usually around 05:30) and ends the following Sunday at last service (metro trains usually arrive at their terminus station around 01:40). If you happen to be arriving mid-week, it may not make financial sense to purchase the pass. After Wednesday midnight, you cannot add zones to the pass for the current week. From Friday onwards you can only purchase zones for the following week.

If you plan on arriving Thursday - Sunday, consider buying a carnet of tickets (book of ten or twenty) that are good for Paris zones 1 & 2, or day passes called Ticket Mobilis. Another option is to buy a Paris Visite card, which is really just a more expensive Mobilis ticket that can be used for a set period of days, starting from whenever you first place the ticket into a turnstile machine. The Paris Visite cards are good for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days and for either zones 1 to 3 or all six zones.

Who can buy a Passe Navigo Découverte?

Some travelers to Paris have been getting hassled by RATP staff into buying a Carte Paris Visite by refusing to sell them a Passe Navigo Découverte.  Please don’t let this happen to you.  You have the right to purchase a Passe Navigo Découverte as outlined in a publication entitled Guide Navigo, published by STIF in October 2008, the parent organization of RATP (Paris Transit Authority).

Page 9 of this document explains that the Passe Navigo Découverte is open to all travelers.  Here is the excerpt:

The translation of the first two points is as follows:

• The pass Navigo Découverte is open to all travelers, residents of Ile-de-France or not, and are allowed to load onto it a Carte Orange subscription.
• It’s purchaseable directly from ticket windows from a [Metro/RER] station or a train station or an authorized resellers at a price of 5€.  It is then issued immediately without formality.

If you are concerned about hassles with purchasing a Passe Navigo Découverte when in Paris and don’t wish to be forced into buying a more expensive Carte Paris Visite, print out Guide Navigo and bring it with you to Paris.  If a ticket seller tells you the Passe Navigo is only for residents, show the guide to the ticket seller.

Overview

Departure station => Paris-Gare de Lyon

Train Line => Transilien or Ter

Direction => Laroche-Migennes / Montereau / Montargis / Sens

Arrival Station => Fontainebleau-Avon (Zone 6)

Ticket => Billet Ile-de-France - Fontainebleau–Avon

Price => 7,80€ one way

Passes Accepted => Carte Orange/Pass Navigo, Ticket Mobilis, Paris Visite Card

Attractions => INSEAD, Forest of Fontainebleau, Chateau Fontainebleau

First Train / Last Train => 06:05 / 23:35 (see notes)

Paris Fontainebleau-Avon Train Schedule

Paris to Fontainbleau Train Timetable

Fontainebleau to Paris Train Timetable

Details

To get to Fontainebleau from Paris take a Transilien train from Paris-Gare de Lyon to station Fontainebleau-Avon, which takes about 40 minutes. (See the Gare de Lyon photo tour for information about this station).

Start by checking the train schedule for Paris-Fontainebleau or search for trains at Transilien.com. If you’re using Transilien.com, search for trains leaving from station “Gare de Lyon” in Paris, going to destination city Fontainebleau, without specifying the destination station. The frequency of trains from Paris to Fontainebleau can range from 20 minutes apart during rush hour to 1 hour 30 minutes apart during quiet periods of mid-morning, mid-afternoon and late at night.

Unless you have a ticket Mobilis (day pass) / Passe Navigo Découverte / Paris Visite card good for all 6 zones, you’ll have to buy a special billet Ile-de-France [bee-yah Eel-duh-franz] for this train. This can be done only at the SNCF/Transilien Ile-de-France ticket window just west of the Blue platform (see the photo of the Transilien ticket window at Gare de Lyon), or at the blue, boxy ticket vending machines (Billetterie Ile-de-France), at the end of the Galeries des Fresques just west of the ticket window or on the Yellow Zone platform just outside the building. Most of the ticket windows and vending machines in Gare de Lyon only sell tickets for the Grandes Lignes trains, which depart for cities outside of the main Parisian/Ile-de-France area, so don’t make the mistake of lining up in one of these queues as they won’t be able to sell you the ticket you need.

At the ticket window, simply ask for “Fontainebleau Aller-Rétour” [fawn-tan-blow alleh-ray-tour]. You’ll get two tickets, one for each direction, for about €15,60. You’ll have to pay by cash unless you happen to have a smart-card / Euro credit card. North American credit cards will most likely not work at any SNCF ticket window nor ticket vending machine, so keep some cash handy.

With tickets in hand it’s time to find out which platform your train will depart from. At Gare de Lyon there are two platforms, Blue and Yellow. The Blue platform is marked with lanes or “voie” that are letters A to N, ascending from left to right, on signs with a blue background. The Yellow platform has lanes that are numbered from 5 to 23, in ascending order from right to left, with signs in yellow.

Trains leaving for Fontainebleau can be on either platform, on any lane so find the Gare de Lyon Departures board at either one of the platforms (taking care not to mistake it for the Arrivals board, also available at each platform). What you’re looking for on the board is the terminus station, i.e. the last station that the train will stop at, not Fontainebleau-Avon, which will never be marked on the board. Your train will be one of the following:

• Laroche-Migennes
• Montargis
• Montereau
• Sens

The board will note the train number (useless information), the terminus station (any one of the four noted above), time of departure, and which platform and lane. At the right hand side you’ll see a blue or yellow square. This corresponds to which platform your train will leave from, Blue or Yellow. The number or letter for the lane will often not be marked on the board until 15 minutes before the train leaves, but make your way to the correct platform before that. At the right platform you’ll notice a crowd of people staring at the big black Departures board. What they’re waiting for is the lane number or letter to appear on top of the yellow or blue square, denoting exactly which lane the train will depart from. During busy hours, once that lane letter or number is posted, there is a hurried rush towards the train parked in that lane. If you wish to have a seat for the 40 minute ride, be one of those people.

To double check that you’re on the right train, take note of the television or LCD displays at the beginning of the train “voie” (lane). The display will show each stop the train will make on its journey. One of them should be Fontainebleau-Avon. If that stop isn’t listed, check the Departures board and find the correct lane for your train.

The train, once underway will often make one or two stops (and possibly none) before arriving at Fontainebleau-Avon, so be sure to check which station you’re at before jumping off. The stops are generally Melun, after 25 minutes, and Bois-le-Roi about ten minutes after that and then finally Fontainebleau-Avon.

When arriving, if you happen to be the first at the door, look for the door button as the doors do not automatically open. Don’t be surprised if the doors are a bit sticky and require some encouragement (pushing) to get fully open.

[Update & new photos kindly provided by TomL]

At Fontainebleau-Avon station you’ll be descending at the back of the station where you’ll find buses 12 A / B / C that head off in various directions. Bus 12A heads towards Chateau Fontainebleau, if that happens to be your destination.

If you’re using a single ticket (billet Ile-de-France) for your trip, you’ll need to purchase a ticket from the bus driver.  For Pass holders (Carte Paris Visite, Pass Navigo/Carte Orange, Ticket Mobilis 6 Zone), buses in Fontainebleau are included.

Enjoy your trip.

Notes

The schedule for trains traveling from Paris to Fontainebleau may change depending on day of the week, holidays, special periods of the year and special days of the year. In general the first train of the day is 6:05am, the last train is 11:35pm. As of December, 2008, the Paris to Fontainebleau train schedule is now the same across all days of the week and on holidays: two trains per hour, leaving Gare de Lyon at :05 and :35 after the hour, each hour.  You can always verify train times at Transilien.com.

Links

Paris to Fontainebleau Train Times / Timetable

PDF map of Gare de Lyon

Overview

Line => RER C (yellow)

Direction => Versailles-Rive Gauche

Arrival Station => Versailles-Rive Gauche (Zone 4, €2,95)

Details

From Paris you can take a suburban “RER C” train to within 5 minutes walk of Chateau Versailles, ending at station Versailles-Rive Gauche.

Start your trip by going into any metro/RER station that you find around the city, which will be marked with a blue sign with an M or RER surrounded by a circle. From time to time you’ll see the metro marked only by the old style art deco Metropolitan signs. Take note of the station name when inside.

Your goal is to get to the RER C line, the yellow line that serves the western half of the Parisian suburbs. If you’ve got a day or week pass that’s good for at least Zone 4, skip this paragraph, else visit a ticket window in the station to purchase special ticket, since Versailles is in Zone 4, outside the coverage of normal Paris Metro/Bus/RER Ticket t that you would get for traveling within Paris. At the ticket window or guichet [Gee-Shay] don’t panic. There’s a 50/50 chance the worker will speak English quite well and if not, they’ll understand “Chateau Versailles” [Shah-Tow Vher-Sigh]. Normally the metro worker will ask you whether you want a return ticket, by asking “Aller Rétour?” [Alleh-Ray-Tour] (or by making hand signs), which is simply two of the single tickets. Each ticket is currently (July, 2008) €2,90 so €5,80 for a return trip. Tip: don’t expect that your credit card will work at the ticket window. Many North American credit cards will simply not work at RATP/SNCF credit card machines so have cash on hand and don’t expect to use that 50 euro note either. Small bills or coins are best. Go ahead and buy Aller-Rétour return tickets to save a bit of time (unless you plan on sneaking off the tour path at the chateau and spending the night there).

Once past the turnstiles find the Metro map or plan [plon] to see where you are in relation to the yellow RER C line. If you happen to be at St. Michel/Notre Dame, Tour Eiffel (plus a few others) you’re already on the RER C line, all you need to do is find the right train platform. Many stations throughout Paris serve several different metro lines and RER train lines all within the same station. This means a single station can have several vertical levels plus many different platforms going in opposite directions. This may sound confusing, but it follows a pattern that you’ll quickly master: All RER lines are letters, A to E, all Metro lines are numbers 1 to 14. All lines have a terminus station, i.e. the last station on the line. Every train and metro platform will mark which line you’re on and which direction the train is going, which is the terminus station. If you are not already at a station which serves the RER C line, play snakes and ladders with the metro/RER lines on the map to see how you can get to the closest RER C station.

Once you’re at an RER C station, follow the overhead signs and wall signs towards the RER C Versailles-Rive Gauche platform. What may be confusing is that there may be other names on the sign along with Versailles-Rive Gauche for other terminus stations along the same line. For example, you may see an RER C sign that shows the direction/terminus station as Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Versailles-Chantiers, Versailles-Rive Gauche, all on one sign. As long as the terminus station is not before the station you want (in this case Versailles-Rive Gauche), you can take the line since it’s going in the right direction.

Once you’ve arrived at the RER platform you’ll see overhead signs along side the rails which show a plethora of station names, each possibly lit with a yellow square before the name. If the name is marked with a yellow square, the next train that arrives will stop at that station. Look for the station that you want, Versailles-Rive Gauche. If the name is not on the board, check the other side of the platform, which is going in the opposite direction.

When the train arrives, the doors will not open automatically; Someone on the train, or you, must press the green or silver button on the door to open it.

Once on the train, if you’ve taken the right train, you won’t need to keep track of the stations since Versailles-Rive Gauche will be the last station on the line and everyone will be getting off.

After arriving at the terminus station, look for blue “Sortie” signs which mark exits for the station. Eventually each of them will have a name marking what street it gives access to. On occasion a landmark or sight such as Tour Eiffel or Chateau Versailles will be marked on the exit sign as well, highlighted in beige. Pick an exit and look out for brown street signs pointing in the direction of the Chateau. With any luck, you’ll find one for Chateau Versailles, which is just a five minute walk from this station. Enjoy your visit.

Links

• Google Map of Versailles-Rive Gauche station to Chateau Versailles
• Photo tour of Chateau de Versailles at Flickr.com
• Learn more about Versailles at About.com

Train travel in Paris is the easiest and cheapest way to get around the city and the sights surrounding it.

This blog is the start of a Paris Train Travel book where I’ll show you how to navigate the complex and comprehensive network of trains throughout this beautiful busy city.

How to use Paris Train Guide

Each chapter or blog post will focus on a single subject or part of the vast network of trains that cover Paris’ inner districts (arrondissements), the surrounding suburbs and major cities across the country.

If you’re looking for information on a particular part of the train system, just go directly to that post by checking the tags on the left hand side of the blog or by searching on the name, for example: Gare de Lyon, day passes, etc.