Articles by Ben

I recently switched from PHPBB software to VBulletin, mostly for the ease of handling SPAM, but also for refinements to how questions & answers are posted.

VBulletin is a paid service, costing about 100£/year if you keep up with all the updates.  PHPBB is free which lends itself to the try-before-buy methodology, which I did. The Paris by Train forums are active enough that I felt it was time to upgrade to a “commercial” forum software, which has more refinement, features, and especially SPAM protection.

Stop by and post a question that you have on traveling Paris by Train and I’ll try my best to answer it within 48 hours.

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for the site outage between March 4th and 7th.  There was another site (of mine) on this web server that went haywire and swallowed up all the memory and most of the CPU processing power, rending my dear ParisByTrain site unavailable.

Rest assured, I’m still here and the site will stay up as long as it stays a useful resource for travelers coming to Paris.

The new job and new and soon-to-be-furnished apartment are taking up all my time currently, but I hope to get back to answering questions and adding articles in a couple of weeks.  The new apartment won’t even have Internet for at least two weeks, so that’s a major issue.

Anyways, I’ll try to keep a closer eye on ParisByTrain and make sure things are running smoothly.

Take care all,

Ben

A friend of mine recently became a fan of TED (Technology. Entertainment. Design) and it led me to watch this 18 minute talk on creative genius by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.  She talks about inspiration, where it comes from, how people deal with it, and offers an idea of how to we can channel it as a positive force rather than a destructive one (often afflicting tormented artists).

It’s quite an interesting, if not inspirational, talk in itself and I recommend it for a watch to anyone who has to deal with the creative process in their work (hopefully all of us).

For me personally, Paris by Train draws its inspiration from the belief in spreading knowledge and having a positive impact on people’s lives.  One of the biggest effects I hope this site has is to reduce anxiety.  It can be a tough thing to set foot in a country where there may be serious barriers to communication.  The idea of not being able to get to shelter or to feed yourself due to an inability to simply communicate is a scary thought. And to some it is enough to stop cold any ideas or dreams of visiting far off places to experience different cultures and perspectives.  So, Paris by Train is my small stab at helping make this leap of faith by travelers a little bit less scary, allowing them to focus on the beauty of discovery & learning different places & people.  To help people look forward to such an experience with anticipation instead of anxiety, I think is something well worth the effort.

To find a route from CDG to a Metro station use the Paris Metro Journey Planner, operated by the Paris public transit authority - RATP.

Find a route from CDG to Paris Metro Station

Here is a step by step example of finding a route from CDG Airport Terminal 1 to St. Sulpice Metro station in Paris.

Step One - Route Planner

First, open up the Paris Metro Route Planner in a web browser. You’ll see a page similar to the one shown here.

Step Two - Departure Metro Station

First decision to make: Address or Station?  If you know the name of the Metro station closest to your final destination, click on the radio button next to Station

In this example, we’re leaving from CDG Airport Terminal 1.  To enter your departure station enter: Aeroport CDG 1

If you’re arriving at CDG Terminal 2 enter: Aeroport CDG 2. To find a route from CDG Terminal 3, use Aeroport CDG 1 as this is the closest station to Terminal 3.

Step Three - Destination Metro Station

Next, we’ll select a Destination station.  In this example we’re going to St. Sulpice Metro station.  Select the Station radio button and type St Sulpice in the text box below.

Step Four - Options

By default the route planner will search for the fastest route between the departure and destination stations.  At times this can result in several connections between several Metro or RER train lines. If you’re traveling with heavy luggage or suffer from mobility issues, choosing fewest connections or shortest walking distance options may result in a better route.

Step Five - Departure Time & Date

There is an option near the bottom of the Route Planner that allows you to enter the Date and Time that you plan on making this journey.

It’s important to specify the same day of the week and approximate time of day (in 24 hour clock) that you will be making this trip to get accurate results.  You do not have to specify the exact date & time of travel if this information is not available.  If you’re not sure of when you’re traveling, simply choose a time and day that makes sense, i.e. don’t use a time in the middle of the night. Somewhere between 8am to 9pm (21 hours) will give you good results.

Step Six - Being Precise

Click the Search button (bottom right corner) to start the Route Planner.

99% of the time the Paris Metro Route Planner will not show you a route, but will instead ask you to specify more precisely the departure and destination stations

The Paris Metro Route Planner will ask you to select from station names that closely matched your search criteria (Aeroport CDG 1 and St Sulpice).

Most of the time the suggested stations are correct, but you can click on the selected items to see the other suggestions.  Above are the exact station names that the Paris Metro Route Planner needs to use.

Finally, click again the Search button.

Important! The Paris Metro Route Planner will open a new browser window to show you the route results. This is considered a “Pop-Up Ad” by most browsers such as Firefox or Internet Explorer and their Pop-Up Blockers will not show the route planner results window.  You need to allow your web browser to show this Pop-Up Window, either permanently or just for this session.  To permanently allow the Route Planner to show Pop-Up Window route results, see the Purdue University page on allowing Pop-Ups from certain websites.  For the “address of Web site to allow” use: ratp.info.  The RATP uses several Web servers to provide the Route Planner results, so it is important to specify only “ratp.info” rather than www7.ratp.info or something similar since that number “7″ will change from time to time as the website spreads out the server traffic load to several different Web servers.

Step Seven - Review Route Planner Results

The Pop-Up Paris Metro Route Planner results page will show something similar to this:

Examining Route Planner Results

Looking closer at the results we see that the Paris Metro Route Planner gives total Travel Time for the journey (51 minutes).

Each part of the journey is broken down into steps specified along the left hand side column (1 & 2):

Each step shows details on which line you must take, in which direction, and which station you need to descend or stop at.

This first step specifies the type of train: RER, the line: B, the direction: Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse, from the departure station: Aeroport Charles de Gaulle 1, and the destination station which is either your final destination or the station where you’ll need to transfer to another line: Chatelet Les Halles. At the airport train stations, on the train platforms, you can verify the direction of the RER train by looking at the overhead television screens which show the direction and departure time of the train.

Note: the direction for trains leaving CDG is not important if you’re destination is within city centre Paris, since the RER B train stops at all RER B stations within Paris itself: Gare du Nord, Chatelet Les Halles, St Michel Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert Rochereau, and Cité Universitaire.  Thus, if you see a different direction name listed on the overhead television information screens than the one you received from the Route Planner, don’t panic, the train will stop at all the downtown Paris RER stations.

See the following photo guide articles for more information on catching the RER B train from Paris CDG Airport to Paris city center: CDG Airport Terminal 1 to Paris and CDG Airport Terminal 2 to Paris.

In this example, the second leg of the journey is completed on a different type of train: the Paris Metro, Line 4.  In this step, direction is very important.  Every Paris Metro line will have two (or more) directions which are specified by the name of the last station on the line (the terminus station) at that end of the line.  In this case, the direction is Porte d’Orleans.

When you are transferring from the RER B train line to Metro Line 4 at station Chatelet Les Halles, you’ll have to follow signs within Chatelet Les Halles that show Metro Line 4 and the direction Porte d’Orleans, if the sign you’re reading denotes directions.  Not all signs within Metro stations show line directions (to save space) and some signs show both directions, since you’re so far away from the actual Metro train plaforms that the path you’re on leads to both sides (and directions) of the Metro line.  Only when you get close enough to the two train platforms, each heading in opposite directions, will the Metro signs start specifying a single direction/terminus station.  For this particular trip, the opposite direction for Metro Line 4 is Porte de Clignacourt, but we’re after Porte d’Orleans.

On the right hand side of the Route Planner results is a column specifying the time each part of the journey will take, including walking time (in green) to the train platforms themselves.

The final piece of information on the Route Planner results is the Paris Fare Zones you’ll be crossing during your journey.  This tells you the approximative cost of the trip and the type of ticket required for the journey.

In this case, CDG Airport to Paris (any Metro station) is a special fare and is priced as such: 8,40€.  For journeys purely within the Paris Metro system, the Fare Zones are 1-2, and will require only a single Ticket t+ at a current cost of 1,60€ (as of Feb. 2009).  Any journeys beyond zones 1-2 will require additional Ticket t+ tickets good for the Metro and Bus, or special station to station priced tickets called Billet Ile-de-France.  Tip: Billet Ile-de-France tickets, when arriving or departing in central Paris, such as on this trip from CDG Airport to Paris, are good for both the Paris RER and the Paris Metro; you’ll use this single ticket on both types of trains to complete your journey.

Ready to try this for yourself?  Here is a pre-saved version of the above journey: Aeroport CDG 1 to St. Sulpice Paris Metro Route Planner search.

I recently met Rosa Jackson, a Canadian culinary educator & prolific food writer based in Nice & Paris.  She currently offers French Provençal cooking classes in sunny Nice with her cooking school Les Petits Farcis.  When not in Nice, she’s leading culinary/market tours in Paris (Edible Paris).

If you’re looking to get to know the local food scene in either Paris or the Provence region of southern France, you need to get in touch with Rosa at either Edible-Paris.com or PetitsFarcis.com.

Read about a typical cooking class with Rosa at Gourmet magazine.

TGV Pro train ticket exchange & refund policies are unique.  I’ll attempt to explain the conditions of sale for these business class TGV train tickets below.

First misconception: Pro tickets are first class train tickets.  This is not true.  Pro tickets can be bought for seats in either the first class or second class train cars on TGV trains

The main difference between Pro (Business) and Loisir (Leisure or Economy or other types of) tickets is their refund/exchange policy.

Exchange and Refund Conditions for TGV Pro tickets:

• TGV Pro tickets are exchangeable for another TGV ticket on any other TGV train route, without exchange fee, up until your train leaves. You must pay any differences in fares, if applicable.
• TGV Pro ticket holders, from one hour before your scheduled departure to one hour after your scheduled departure, may take trains on the same route, without exchanging your ticket.  This does not guarantee you a seat!  If you have time, you should visit a automated ticket vending/exchange machine (Yellow for any type of TGV ticket, Purple for Pro TGV tickets) to officially exchange your ticket and reserve a seat.
• TGV Pro tickets are fully refundable up until the time of departure of your scheduled train, free of cancellation fees.
• After your scheduled train departs and up until 60 days afterwards, you will lose 50% of your ticket value for any refund or exchange of the ticket.  After 60 days, an unused TGV Pro ticket is worthless.
• Exchanging/Refunding tickets using automated machines or ticket counters in any major train station is free of charge.
• You may cancel/refund a TGV Pro ticket by telephone at any time up until 60 days after scheduled departure. To speak to a SNCF travel agent by phone to exchange/refund tickets call 08 92 35 35 01 when in France (0,34€/min).

If you are unsure of your travel plans in terms of schedule, it may make sense to purchase TGV Pro train tickets. Loisir tickets are exchangeable, free of service charge, up until the night before the day of travel.  On the day of travel, Loisir TGV tickets are subject to a 10€ exchange/refund fee (plus difference in fares if applicable).  After the departure of your scheduled train, Loisir tickets are worthless.

Travel from CDG to Disneyland Paris can be done in two ways by train:

• TGV high speed train from CDG to Disneyland, or
• RER B city train from CDG to Paris, then RER A train from Paris to Disneyland Paris

TGV trains from CDG to Disneyland take only 12 minutes to complete the journey. Ticket prices for CDG to Disneyland vary from 15€ to 30€ for first class tickets (more legroom, wider seats).  Tickets can be purchased ahead of time: see Buying TGV Tickets for more information.  CDG to Disneyland tickets can also be purchased upon arrival at the Terminal 2 train station.  A related article, CDG Terminal 2 to Paris, has some photos of CDG Terminal 2 that should help you get your bearings in this station.

RER trains from CDG to Disneyland always connect at Chatelet Les Halles underground station in central Paris.  Ticket prices for RER train travel from CDG to Paris, then Paris to Disneyland at Marne La Vallée station cost 14,85€ as of January 2009, requiring two tickets to complete the journey. Travel time is roughly 80 minutes, station to station.

See the articles Paris to CDG and Paris to Disneyland for more information on taking RER trains from CDG to Disneyland.

High speed TGV trains from CDG to DisneyLand Paris take just 11 minutes to travel between Charles de Gaulle Airport TGV station and the DisneyLand Paris park gates. TGV train ticket prices vary from 15€ to 24€ each and can be purchased ahead of time from:

• RailEurope.com for USA residents
• RailEurope.co.uk for UK residents
• RailEurope.ca for residents of Canada
• and TGV-Europe.com for other travelers

CDG to DisneyLand Paris trains leave from a train station located inside of Terminal 2 at CDG Airport. For instructions on getting to the CDG Terminal 2 train station see the article CDG Terminal 2 to Paris photo guide. (Note that the TGV train station is located opposite of the RER train station, which is described in the previously mentioned article. The picture above is the CDG Terminal 2 TGV train station.)

Ticket purchases for the TGV train from CDG to DisneyLand Paris can also be made directly at the airport train station from the Grandes Lignes section of the ticket office. CDG to DisneyLand Paris train tickets can also be purchased from yellow ticket vending machines available throughout the station. But, keep in mind that most North American credit cards without embedded smart chips nor PIN number protection will not work with these machines. These TGV ticket vending machines will appear similar to the ones shown in the photo below.

CDG to DisneyLand Paris Schedule

Trains from CDG to DisneyLand Paris leave the airport with a frequency anywhere between 15 to 60 minutes apart. The first TGV train leaves CDG at 06:54 and arrives at DisneyLand Paris 12 minutes later. The last TGV train from CDG to DisneyLand Paris departs at 21:55 in the evening, seven days a week.

Search for exact TGV train times CDG to DisneyLand Paris at RailEurope.com or RailEurope.co.uk depending on your location.

Useful Links

Save 15% by booking online - Disneyland Paris

The train to DisneyLand Paris from London is a Eurostar high speed train with travel time of 2 hours 55 minutes. Tickets start at £59 return.

The train to Disney Paris leaves once a day at 08:35 from London St. Pancras International Train station (King’s Cross Tube station) and arrives at DisneyLand Paris park gates at 12:30 (Paris time, which is one hour ahead of London time).

Search for London-Disney Paris ticket availability at Eurostar.com.

More information: Eurostar train to DisneyLand Paris.

If you plan on visiting Paris before making a trip out to DisneyLand Paris, there is also city train service to Paris Disneyland. The train to DisneyLand from Paris is the RER A commuter train which offers non-reserved seating train service between Paris city centre and DisneyLand at Marne La Vallée–Chessy train station. Ticket price is 6,45€ one way or 12,90€ return.

Schedules, maps, tickets/passes and more information can be found here: Paris RER to DisneyLand.

Trains to DisneyLand Paris also leave directly from CDG Airport arriving at Paris Disney park gates in less than 15 minutes with ticket prices less than 15€ one way.

More information: TGV Trains from CDG to DisneyLand Paris.

Useful Links

Save 15% by booking online - Disneyland Paris

I recently met Gail Bosclair of Perfectly Paris which offers Paris vacation apartment rentals in the Montmartre area.

Visitors to Paris these days are getting savvy to the idea of renting out apartments for a few days to a week at a time.  They end up paying less than they would for a hotel while getting a real taste of what it’s like to live in a beautiful area of Paris like Montmartre, which has spectacular views over the city.

She’s got some really beautiful Paris apartments under management.  I encourage you to check out her properties.

This is a step-by-step photo guide of taking RER B Paris city trains from Airport Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2 to Paris city centre. From the the CDG arrivals lounge to central Paris, I’ll guide you step-by-step on how to make this transfer. If you’re arriving at Terminal 1, see the CDG Terminal 1 to Paris photo guide.

Arrival at CDG

Upon arrival at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2 the first thing that will happen after exiting the plane is immigration/passport control, which can be very quick depending on where you are sitting on the plane.  If you’re seated near the front of the plane and are the first to exit, you’ll be the first to go through immigration screening by French national police.  Thus you could be past immigration within 5 minutes (or 40 if you’re the last to exit a large plane).

Next you’ll collect your baggage at the carousels.  Estimate a good 30 minutes for this, nothing out of the ordinary in terms of expediency, perhaps even a little slow.

Customs control for baggage is next, which is separate from passport control and handled by customs officers near the exit of the baggage collection area.  In general the customs officers spot check passengers and only stop those who rouse their curiosity.  After this you’ll exit into an unsecured area of Charles de Gaulle Airport free to make your way to Paris or other cities via train.

If you happen to be arriving via Terminal 2G, the new Schengen (Euro Borderless Zone) terminal, you’ll need to take a shuttle bus to Terminal 2E/F in order to catch the RER train.  The shuttle buses, circulating every 4-5 minutes, can be found just outside the arrivals area of 2G.  [Thanks to Lynne P. for this updated information].

Getting to the Train Station at Terminal 2

The CDG Terminal 2 arrivals hall will look like this:

Notice the blue overhead signs? Those will point to Gare SNCF / Railway Station, Paris par Train / Paris by Train. Follow these signs to make your way to the train station located right within Terminal 2.

Here are some close-up photos of signs pointing to the CDG Terminal 2 train station:

At the end of each of the terminal buildings (there are six sub-terminals at Terminal 2: terminals 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F) will be a large sign noting how long it will take to reach other terminals and the train station. In this photo, we see that the train station at Terminal 2 is 3 to 5 minutes walk from Terminal 2F.

Here is a map of Charles de Gaulle Airport showing the layout of CDG Terminal 2. Also visible are Terminal 3, Terminal 1 (which has its own train station) and CDGVAL shuttle train between CDG’s 3 terminals and parking structures.

(Courtesy of ADP)

The moving sidewalks between Terminal 2’s sub-terminals definitely speed up walking times:

Closer to the train station area you’ll find more signs directing you down to the station.

When you’ve arrived at the train station area, you’ll be on Level 4 of an atrium with a Sheraton hotel on one end, HSBC Bank on the other end and multiple signs pointing to the Gare/Station/Paris by Train.

Another photo of the station atrium taken on Level 3 facing the opposite direction (towards HSBC Bank, one level up). Signage is quite clear on the station location. You may wish to withdraw some Euro cash from the HSBC bank machine (visible at the top right in the below photo).  If your (non-European, non-smart-chip) credit cards don’t work with the automated ticket machines, they won’t work at the SNCF/RATP ticket windows either.  Thus you’ll need Euro cash to buy your tickets.

At the bottom of the atrium, Level 2, the actual station level you’ll have various stores and eateries on one side of the hall and a SNCF ticket purchase office on the other side.  Scattered throughout the middle of the train station are blue or green Billetterie Ile-de-France train ticket vending machines.

The SNCF ticket office is split into two halves, each selling only certain types of train tickets.  When facing the ticket office the left half sells tickets and passes for traveling within Paris and the Ile-de-France area, known as Billets Ile-de-France.

The right half deals with TGV tickets (for sale, collection, refunds and changes) for trains traveling to other cities within France, known as the Grandes Lignes.

If you’re wanting to buy a simple train ticket to Paris and you have a smart chip credit card or Euro coins, you can use the blue Billetterie vending machines to purchase such tickets. (The machines shown in this photo are from Terminal 3, but they are otherwise identical). Note that multi-day passes such as Carte Orange / Pass Navigo or Paris Visite cards are not sold by the machines.  You must visit the ticket office to purchase passes.

Bear in mind that these machines will not work with most North American credit cards, which in general do not have smart chips nor are PIN number protected.

After buying your train tickets or passes it’s time to turn towards the train platforms which will require descending another set of escalators or stairs onto Level 1. The Paris Train platforms are marked as “Voie” (”platform”) 11 and 12 and also show “RER B Paris par Train“, the Regional Express Network trains that operate between Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Paris city centre.

This is a photo overlooking Paris bound train platforms 11 and 12 at CDG Terminal 2 Station.

On the platform itself you’ll see signs noting that all trains are going to Paris, since Aeroport Charles de Gaulle is the terminus or end-of-line station for the RER B train line.

Note that although the platform sign reads Aeroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV, this platform shown is not the TGV train platform, it’s simply the name of this station as a whole.

The TGV train platforms are located and accessed from the other side of the station.  If you’re taking a TGV train to another city besides Paris, the train platform area should look like the following:

Remember to keep your train ticket with you at all times throughout the journey.  You may be asked by a ticket controller to show a valid fare or otherwise pay a penalty fare of 35€. The tickets are also required to exit the arrival station in Paris as there will be turnstiles protecting the exits, just as they protect entrances.  Finally, your RER train ticket is also good for connections onto the Paris Metro and other RER train lines once you’ve arrived in Paris; There’s no need to purchase a separate Paris Metro/RER Ticket T+ for making connections within the city centre onto other Metro or RER trains (but not buses nor trams, which require a new ticket).

The first Paris city centre station will be Gare du Nord, requiring about 30 minutes for the voyage from Airport CDG Terminal 2.  Paris stations along the RER B line after Gare du Nord will be Chatelet Les Halles, St. Michel-Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert Rochereau and Cité Universitaire.

Resources

The following train timetables show depature times of RER B trains leaving CDG Terminal 2 towards Paris.  (Ignore the second pages).

RER B Train Schedule (departure times) CDG Terminal 2 to Paris Mondays to Fridays (except holidays)

RER B Train Schedule (departure times) CDG Terminal 2 to Paris Saturday, Sunday and holidays

Here are ten ways to ride the Paris Metro like a local (or better).

1. Plan your route. Before making a trip, use a Metro map and the official RATP Paris Metro route planner to find the shortest route with the least number of line changes.  Station to station a Metro train will take just over a minute. Making connections will cost you about 3 minutes at small interchanges with few intersecting lines and up to fifteen minutes at mega stations Chatelet Les Halles, Gare du Nord, Gare Montparnasse, Saint-Lazare.  These stations are enormous, sprawling, multi-level, and likely confusing (especially Chatelet Les Halles). You could be walking up to a kilometer to reach the next train platform. If you’re changing trains more than twice, search for a more direct route.
2. Don’t wait till Monday morning or the first day of the month to buy your Metro ticket t+ or Carte Orange for the week.  The lineups for both vending machines and ticket windows are extremely long on these particular days, since Carte Orange expires on Sunday evening / last day of the month.  Thus, an unusually large number of people will be renewing their pass.
3. Take the RER if you can, even if it means back tracking on the Metro.  With far fewer stops and higher speed, the RER is almost always faster than the Metro.  Use it as much as possible.
4. At rush hour on the station platform, walk to the far end, furthest away from the entrance stairwell.  People tend to bunch up just next to the platform entrance, reducing your chance of getting on the train.  You’ll also get last second “jumpers” who push themselves onto the last metro car as the doors are about to close, squishing everyone else already on the over-packed car.
5. Time flies: Most platforms have overhead signs showing minutes till the next train.  These are hardly atomic clocks.  2 minutes can mean immediate arrival or actually 6 minutes.  Don’t wander off in the meantime.
6. Choose the best train car.  Many people stand at the edge of the platform near the rails to be closer to a car door when the train arrives thinking this will guarantee they get on. This is untrue.  Trains often arrive with cars which are full and no one is descending. If you happen to be waiting at the doorstep of such a train car, you’re not getting on. Furthermore, when you turn around to go to the next train door, you’re no longer at the head of the line, you’re at the rear, as everyone else behind you has turned toward the next train car as well, and you’re behind them.  By standing back, you can survey the train cars as they pass, allowing you to quickly move to the one that is not overly full and where there are people descending.  Stand back as the train arrives to watch multiple doors. Some train cars will have many people descending, some none at all.  Your best chance of getting on a busy Metro train is with a car somewhere in between these two extremes.  Standing back from the fray allows you to see the action from afar and choose the best train car.
7. Take off your backpack & keep it near your feet/between your legs. You’ll take the personal space (at a premium on the Metro) of two people with it on your back.  It’s bad form, screams “ignorant tourist” and is more prone to having uninvited “inspections” for wallets and other valuables (not common, but possible).
8. During rush hour, stand, don’t use the folding seats near the train doors, which allows more people to be crammed into the train car, a national past time in Paris.
9. Prepare for takeoff: Make your way to the door (carefully) before the train arrives at your station. If this is not possible at least make motions that you’re getting off at the next stop.  Everyone reads that body language and will prepare to get out of your way when it’s time.  This allows you to alight quickly so that others have time to enter the train before it departs.
10. Wash your hands after your journey. The amount of other people’s lives on handles and poles on a Metro train would make the monkey in Outbreak shudder.

(Photo by jmanners)

RER Train Line Maps

The following RER Train Line maps are specific to a single RER Train line, A, B, C, D, or E.

Each RER Line map shows:

• Stations along the RER line
• Branches & Terminus (last) stations for each branch, used to specify direction of travel for RER trains along their platforms within stations
• Interchanges or Connections to Paris Metro lines
• Connections to other RER train lines
• Transfers to TGV Trains, Transilien/Ter commuter train lines at large Paris train stations (known as “Gare” in French). This includes Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est, Gare de Lyon, Gare de Austerlitz, Gare de Montparnasse, Gare St. Lazare.
• Zones for Carte Orange / Pass Navigo / Paris Visite / Mobilis tickets and passes
• Handicap accessibility at stations
• Famous attractions near stations

These maps can be found on all RER train cars just above their doors.

RER A Train Line Map

RER B Train Line Map

RER C Train Line Map

RER D Train Line Map

RER E Train Line Map

Paris and the surrounding area is divided into 6 concentric zones for use in pricing public transportation passes.  Travel into the 6th and farthest zone is the most expensive, while zones 1-2, central Paris, are the least expensive.  Examples of popular destinations and their zones: Chateau Versailles & Orly Airport - Zone 4, CDG Airport & Euro Disneyland - Zone 5, Fontainebleau - Zone 6.

This Paris Transportation Zone Map (PDF) displays Fare Zones 1 to 6 which apply to:

• Carte Orange / Pass Navigo / Pass Navigo Decouverte
• Paris Visite Pass
• Ticket Mobilis (day pass)
• Ticket Jeunes (day pass for 25 and under, for weekends/holidays)

What’s visible on the Zones map:

• Fare Zones (”Zones Tarifaires”) 1 through 6
• RER A, RER B, RER C, D, E train lines
• RER & Transilien train network in Ile-de-France (administrative region around Paris)
• Station names along all RER/Translien train lines
• Connections (”Correspondances”) and transfer possible between different RER, Transilien, and RER to Transilien trains
• Shuttle bus (”navettes bus”) from RER C station: Pont de Rungis and Orly Airport
• Orlyval train to Paris-Orly Airport between RER B station: Antony and Orly West / Orly South airport terminals, which requires a special fare (”tarification spéciale”)
• Major tourist sites (”Sites touristiques”) accessible from certain stations

(Zone map courtesy of RATP)

This RER C Train Map shows:

• All stations along each RER C branch (C1 - C7)
• Interchanges with Metro Lines / RER Lines
• Famous Sites and Attractions at stations on RER C
• Zone regions (Zone 1 to Zone 6)

Downloadable RER C Line Map (PDF)

Popular Destinations

Along RER C (with station names in brackets) in and around Paris:

• Notre Dame Cathedral (St-Michel Notre Dame)
• Orsay Museum (Musée d’Orsay)
• Tomb of Napolean / Army Museum (Invalides)
• Eiffel Tower (Champ de Mars/Tour Eiffel)
• Massy TGV Train station (Massy/Palaiseau)
• Palace of Versailles (Versailles Rive-Gauche)

More Information

RER Train Map (RER A, B, C, D, E) (PDF)

Maps on Paris by Train

Grace à Google Translate.  Il y a un widget disponible sur la rubrique gauche où vous pouvez changer le langue de la page instantement en plusiers langues, français par exemple.  Et, le traduction ce n’est pas mal du tout. Loin de parfait (comme mon français, evidemment), mais, pour la plupart, il marche.

Google.. vous ne cessez jamais de me surprendre.

Paris by Train Forum

Paris by Train forum is now open for questions, answers, general discussion about all things public transportation in Paris.

Have a question on Paris Train Schedules?

How to get to your hotel in Paris?

Where are the best baguettes in Paris?

Ask your question on the Paris by Train forums!

Overview

• Costs €1,60 per journey (with an individual Ticket t+)
• Children 4-10, cost is €0,80. Children 3 and under ride for free.
• Passes Accepted => Pass Navigo, Navigo Découverte, Paris Visite Card, Ticket Mobilis
• First trains leave terminus stations at 05:30
• Last trains leave terminus at 00:40, 01:40 on Fridays, Saturdays and nights before holidays

Paris Metro

The Parisian subway is known as the Metro, short for “chemin de fer Métropolitain” [metropolitan railway].  The network of underground rail lines has 245 stations scattered throughout central Paris’ 20 “arrondissements” [districts].

Tickets for the Paris Metro are purchased from blue or green “billetteries” [ticket vending machines] or from “guichets” [manned ticket windows] within stations. The current price (July 2008) for a single ticket known as a “Ticket t+” is €1,60. Tickets can also be purchased as a book of ten or twenty, known as a “carnet” [booklet], for a slight discount (booklet of ten Ticket t+ is €11,40 or €1,14 each).

During your journey, keep your ticket with you until you arrive at your destination station and pass through the exit gates or turnstiles.  “Controleurs” [ticket inspectors] may stop you at any point during your journey to ask to see a valid ticket or pass.  Failure to provide a valid fare will result in a fine of €35, payable on the spot through credit card.

Paris Metro stations are mostly located underground with a few above ground due to local geography. Entry into the Metro stations is free up until the turnstiles which mark the area from which you must have a valid transportation ticket or pass. Some station entrances are unmanned, having no ticket window nor ticket vending machines, only turnstiles which accept tickets and smart card passes (Pass Navigo) for entry.

Metro lines are numbered from 1 to 14, each a different color, with two “bis” [b or secondary] lines making 16 in total.

Each Metro line has two (or more) terminus stations. These end-of-line stations are used to note the direction the train is traveling. Each Metro line platform within a station will be marked with the line number and the direction the trains will travel from that platform.

Signs within Paris Metro stations mark the way to train platforms on a given line, in a given direction. Metro lines are signified by the letter M within a circle.There are several Metro stations that serve multiple lines in various directions. This causes some stations to have several vertical levels accessible sometimes only by stairs, but often with escalators and sometimes with elevators for extremely deep stations.

As you make you way toward the line platforms within a station, stairs often descend or ascend onto the either side of the rails.  Each stairwell is often marked with a detailed Metro line sign showing number, direction, and stations that will be visited as the train travels toward the terminus.

(photo by roboppy)

Exits from Metro stations are marked by blue “sortie” [exit] signs and often note the street or area they give access to.

(photo by kygp)

Stations often have several exits leading out to various streets and pathways.  There is often a map provided within the station, outside of the ticketed turnstile area, but still within the station, showing all exits in relation to above ground streets and establishments.

Links

Paris Metro Google Knol

Paris Metro Line Schedule/Timetable with frequency and neighborhood maps for stations

More Metro photos & information at nycsubway.org

The best detailed Paris street map to buy is The Paris Mapguide from Michael Middleditch.  I’ve not found a Paris street too small to be included in this book.  There are some outlying arrondissements that are not covered fully though, so beware if you’ll be traveling at the outer edge of any of the border arrondissements of Paris.

I wouldn’t recommend this map book for Paris if I didn’t love it myself, and I seriously love this map book. This Paris map book is soft cover, just slightly bigger than paperback size (not thickness, it’s 64 pages), and is extremely detailed. It contains a Metro/RER map, RATP bus routes and shows Metro stations within neighborhoods/quarters. This last feature is not to be overlooked.  A Paris Metro map from the RATP is great to have, but if you overlay the metro stops with a Paris street map you’ll have a god-like understanding of how to move about Paris.  You’ll be giving locals directions with this map (this has happened to me multiple times, including once where I gave a nice elderly Parisien lady directions near Charles de Gaulle Etoile and just after helping her another nice Paris gentleman stopped and asked me: “You OK?”, not realizing that I was the one giving directions to the local Parisien woman).

Where can you find/buy this Paris street map? That depends on where you live.

The Paris Mapguide at Amazon.com for those living in the United States.

Live in the UK? Buy the Paris Mapguide from Amazon.co.uk

Canada? Amazon.ca

Vous habitez en France? Amazon.fr now carries The Paris Mapguide.

Michael, if you come across this page, I owe you a pint (or a beverage of your choice).

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