This RER map shows the Disneyland Paris RER line as the red line traveling from west to east across Paris:

It’s important to remember that the RER A line has several branching lines with different terminus stations. The terminus station for the Disneyland RER Paris line is Marne La Vallée–Chessy station located about 40km east of Paris city centre along the A4 branch of the RER A train line.

For information on the Disneyland RER Paris line tickets, timetables, maps and a guide on how to make the trip out to Paris Disneyland see the Paris RER to Disneyland article.

If you have a story you’d like to share to help others avoid the same scam, please contact ben@parisbytrain.com.

Scam: Ticket purchase help

Where: At Metro / RER ticket vending machines, especially at Gare du Nord train station

How: Scam artist offers to help you purchase tickets using his bank card/credit card claiming that foreign cards do not work (true in some cases). After purchasing the tickets he asks you to pay him in cash for the tickets, but at an amount demanded is much higher than face value. Variations include purchasing a carnet (booklet of 10) of single use Metro or RER tickets and offering you only 1-2 tickets for the price of an entire booklet, claiming they are good for multiple use or something similar.  Scam is commonly run at Gare du Nord due to high tourist traffic coming from RER B trains from CDG Airport and Eurostar London – Paris trains, with plenty of first-time travelers to Paris.

Avoidance:

• buy tickets from a ticket window
• buy Metro/RER train tickets from ticket machines using your own bank/credit card
  • bank & credit cards with a chip, taking 4 digit PIN numbers from most countries will work fine
• politely refuse help from apparently good samaritan locals

Scam: Pick pocket teams

Where: Train car doors

How: Two-man team. One is a decoy attempting to expose your wallet.  He stays on train.  Partner picks pocket & gets off train as doors close.  I had this attempted on me on the Barcelona Metro, but the method works anywhere.  One member waits to get on train at a 45º angle in front of you (keeping you in his peripheral view).  When the train arrives and doors open, passengers exit train, then you and pickpocket move to door, he enters just ahead of you and drops something on the floor of train.  A mobile phone in pieces, coins, etc.  The point is to get your help to bend over and pick up the pieces with him, exposing your back pocket & your wallet.  His partner then picks your pocket while leaving train and walks off.  After picking up pieces, the original pickpocket stays on train and plays innocent, offering himself to be searched for your wallet.

Avoidance:

• Don’t help to pick up items dropped.
• Keep your wallet in front pants pocket.

Scam: Unregistered Taxi / Limousine Rides

Where: Near train station & airport passenger pickup stands for taxis, limousines, etc.

How: Illegal taxi or limousine offers you a ride to destination of your choice at discount or flat rate because their reserved passenger has been delayed.  After driving begins the car takes you to an unsafe neighbourhood and demands extra fee or they will eject you into the unsafe area.

Avoidance:

• Take taxis from designated taxi stand areas at train stations and airports.
• Only take taxis from reputable/recommended companies which includes:
  • Taxi G7
  • G7 Horizon
  • Alpha Taxis
  • Les Taxis Bleus
  • ABC Taxis 93

Scam: Bag Placement & Pickup

Where: Anywhere you put your hand bag down

How: When you put your handbag on floor at your feet, thief puts their bag down beside yours, stops, bends over and ties her shoes.  When done, she picks up her bag and yours and walks off.

Avoidance: when you put your purse down, put bag between your feet, not on your left or right sides of your feet.

Scam: Mobile phone theft with closing doors

Where: near train doors as they’re closing

How: As you talk or text on your mobile phone, holding it up near your face in plain view with a weak grip, the thief will wait until train is about to depart and doors are about to close.  He will grab your mobile phone from your hands and escape through the closing doors and run out of the station.

Avoidance:

• Use your mobile phone after the train doors are closed and train car is in motion (no escape route).
• Don’t text or talk on phone when the train doors are about to open or close.
• Don’t sit immediately in front of doors (minimizes distance to escape route).
• Hold onto your mobile phone like an orange (hand wrapped around it), not like a Christmas card (holding bottom edges, exposing phone, easy to grab).

Final Thoughts

Simply go about your business of arriving and leaving this station in an efficient manner and you’ll be fine.

Enjoy your trip and stay safe!

(If you have a story you’d like to share to help others avoid the same scam, please contact ben@parisbytrain.com).

Pour des instructions pas-à-pas voir Terminal 2 à Paris par le RER ou Terminal 1 à Paris par le RER.

Aperçu CDG jusqu’à Paris

Ligne => RER B (Bleu)

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

Stations d’arrivées => 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)

Coût => 9,50€ (plein tarif, tarif au 1er Janvier 2013) / 6,65€ (enfants entre 4 et 9 ans) / gratuit (enfants de moins de 4 ans)

Pass Acceptés => Paris Visite, Passe Navigo (Découverte)

Premier Train / Dernier Train CDG en direction de Paris => 04:56 / 23:56 (22:55 L-V jusqu’à juin 7, 2013)

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

Détails

A propos du RER B

Le moyen le plus rapide et le moins cher de se rendre à Paris depuis l’Aéroport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) est de prendre le RER B au départ des Terminal 2 et Terminal 3/Roissypole de CDG.

Le RER B traverse le centre de Paris du nord au sud, et s’arrête à Gare du Nord, la gare Eurostar Londres – Paris, puis à Châtelet Les Halles la “super” station de correspondance avec 4 lignes de métro et 3 lignes de RER, puis Saint Michel/Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert-Rochereau, Cité Universitaire, et continue au sud vers l’Aéroport Orly (un changement à la station Antony pour le métro OrlyVal est nécessaire).

Les deux stations de l’Aéroport Charles de Gaulle sont nommées “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1″ et “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 – TGV”, la première étant située à proximité du Terminal 3 dans le bâtiment Roissypole et la seconde étant située entre le Terminal 2E et 2C. (Une carte de l’aéroport CDG est fournie ci-dessous).

Le premier train au départ de l’Aéroport Charles de Gaulle en direction de Paris part à 4:56 du Terminal 2, s’arrête à la station “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1″ deux minutes plus tard, puis arrive ensuite à Gare du Nord à Paris à 5:26.

Le dernier RER B à partir de l’aéroport CDG en direction de Paris part à 23:56 (mise à jour: voir l’avertissement ci-dessous), et arrive à Paris Gare du Nord à 00:26. Les horaires des RER de CDG à Paris sont les mêmes tous les jours de la semaine, y compris durant les vacances. (Pour les horaires complets, voir les horaires du RER B).

*** Avertissement! Des travaux sont en cours sur la ligne du RER B, de 2010 à juin 7, 2013 et affectent les derniers trains en soirée au départ de l’aéroport CDG en direction de Paris. Le dernier train direct au départ de l’aéroport CDG en direction de Paris part à 22:55, du lundi au vendredi (les trains du samedi et du dimanche ne sont pas affectés). Les voyageurs essayant de prendre le RER B après cet horaire seront invités à prendre une navette à la station Aéroport CDG 1 jusqu’à la station Aulnay-sous-Bois où le RER B fonctionne normalement en direction de Paris.

Se rendre à la station

Pour des instructions pas-à-pas basées sur des photos voir Guide Photo CDG Terminal 1 direction Paris ou Guide Photo CDG Terminal 2 direction Paris Photo.

Si vous atterrissez au Terminal 1 vous devrez emprunter un train-navette nommé CDGVAL pour le Terminal 3/Roissypole afin de prendre le RER. Le nom de cette station est “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1″. Ne pensez pas que le “1″ dans le nom signifie “Terminal 1″, car ce n’est pas le cas, il s’agit simplement de la première des deux stations de l’Aéroport CDG. Il vous suffit de suivre les indications pour le tram CDGVAL à l’intérieur du Terminal 1.

Pour rendre les choses plus confuses, le Terminal 3 est situé entre les Terminaux 1 et 2, donc en vous déplaçant d’ouest en est à travers les terminaux vous atteindrez le Terminal 1, puis le 3, et enfin le 2. Gardez à l’esprit que le tram CDGVAL s’arrête aux parkings entre les Terminaux 1 et 3 (Parc P-r), et Terminaux 3 et 2 (Park P-x), donc ne descendez pas trop tôt du CDGVAL. Des annonces vocales en anglais et en français sont faites à chaque arrêt pour vous guider.

Plan de l’Aéroport Charles de Gaulle (CDG) (PDF: ADP)

Si vous atterrissez au Terminal 2, gardez à l’esprit qu’il y a 7 sous-terminaux et que vous devrez vous rendre à la station située entre les sous-terminaux 2E et 2F. Il y aura de nombreux signes à travers les terminaux indiquant le RER pour Paris.

Acheter les Tickets de RER

A la station Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1, un grand atrium ouvert en béton, ou à la station du Terminal 2, un impressionnant ensemble d’escalators blancs à trois niveaux, vous trouverez de nombreuses machines automatiques vendant des tickets. Assurez-vous d’utiliser les machines bleus Billetterie Ile-de-France et non les machines jaunes SNCF TGV , étant donné que seules les machines bleues vendent les tickets que vous recherchez pour le RER B.

Il est encore plus important de noter que la plupart des cartes de crédit américaines et non-européennes (sans les puces intelligentes et sans numéros à 4 chiffres) ne fonctionnera pas avec ces machines. A la station de CDG 1 il y a un grand guichet avec 3 employés SNCF qui vendent des billets individuels pour le RER. Au Terminal 2, il y a une salle en verre foncé à carreaux au niveau inférieur, dont un côté assure la vente des billets de RER et SNCF / TGV. Si vous êtes confronté à cette pièce de verre, l’entrée sur la gauche sera pour les billets RER à Paris. L’entrée sur la droite est uniquement pour les billets à destination d’autres villes. Il y a presque toujours au moins un vendeur de billet qui parle anglais et il sera signalé par un petit drapeau britannique dans le coin de sa fenêtre. De toute façon, vous cherchez à acheter un billet pour “Paris Aller-Simple» [Poire-Ee Alleh-Som-Pleh] qui est un billet aller simple. Le prix devrait être d’environ € 9,10 pour les billets adulte et € 6,40 pour les enfants (9 ans et moins) pour les billets RER B direction Paris.

Prendre le RER

Pour la station de l’Aéroport CDG 1 la direction devrait être assez évident étant donné que le quai est visible depuis la zone des machines automatiques et vous verrez des tourniquets avec des reflets verts. Le Terminal 2 n’est pas bien pire: il suffit de suivre les panneaux qui disent «Trains en direction de Paris”. Il serait assez difficile de les manquer et tous les trains à partir de ces quais sont en direction de Paris. Vous pouvez consulter les écrans situés sur le quai pour voir tous les arrêts du RER. Les arrêts devraient inclure la Gare du Nord, Châtelet les Halles, Saint-Michel-Notre Dame, Luxembourg, et autres. Les quatre cités ici sont ceux que la majorité des voyageurs rechercheront car ils sont tous au centre de Paris. Gare du Nord est la meilleure sortie pour ceux dont l’hôtel est situé près du Sacré Coeur / Montmartre, Châtelet les Halles pour ceux qui restent près du Louvre, Saint-Michel-Notre Dame est sur la Seine (rive gauche), et le Luxembourg est à proximité du Jardin du Luxembourg (Jardin du Luxembourg).

Pour les voyageurs qui en veulent plus, il y a des RER B «express» qui partent des deux stations. Il suffit de regarder les écrans sur le quai et de vérifier le nombre d’arrêts entre les stations de CDG et les quatre stations parisiennes centrales mentionnées ci-dessus. L’express RER B ira directement de l’Aéroport CDG 1 à Gare du Nord, sans s’arrêter à aucune station entre les deux. Le train régulier fera environ 9 arrêts entre l’aéroport CDG et Gare du Nord. Vous économiserez environ 12 minutes en prenant l’un des trains express, mais même les non-express RER B vous emmèneront à Paris (Gare du Nord) en environ 34 minutes.

Bon séjour !

Liens utiles

Disneyland Paris par le RER

Plan du RER (PDF)

RER B Train Horaires de l’Aéroport Charles de Gaulle (CDG) à Paris Gare du Nord

Horaires – Premiers et derniers trains du Métro et RER A RER B.

How to get to Château de Versailles from Central Paris

Option 1: RER C – Yellow line

Locate either train stations or metro stations in central Paris that will connect you to RER C, the yellow RER line. Listed below in the flowchart are all the RER C stations within Zone 1, their arrondissements and any connecting metro lines (ie. if you are closer to a metro station, you can hop onto any of the listed metro lines to get to the specific RER station). All RER lines fork and have several different end terminals, so you’ll have to pay attention to make sure that you’re on the right train. The terminus station to get to Château de Versailles is ‘Versailles Rive Gauche’ (listed as C5 on the RER map).

Flowchart: How to get from Central Paris to Château de Versailles via RER C

Between central Paris and Versailles, you need to take the RER C Line in a way which will lead you to ‘Javel’ station and later to ‘Porchefontaine’ station. Since the line forks, it will really depend on where you start to know how many stations away Javel and Porchefontaine will be. These stations will indicate whether you’re heading in the right direction to end up at ‘Versailles Rive Gauche’.

Example: If you start at Avenue Henri Martin, you’ll need to pass Boulainvilliers, Avenue du President Kennedy and then Javel, if instead of passing Javel you hit Champ de Mars it means you’re going the wrong direction. This is an easy mistake to make and if that happens, just get off at the station and look for the signs in the station which go towards the right direction. Make sure not to exit the station or else you’ll need to use a new ticket over a common mistake.

Once you arrive at ‘Versailles Rive Gauche’, Château de Versailles will take about five minutes to walk to.

Ticket t+ cannot be used for this trip. Versailles is within the Île-de-France region. The ticket t+ is only valid on RERs within the city of Paris (ie. Zone 1). Instead you’ll have to get a ‘Billet Origine-Destination‘ to/from Versailles-Rive-Gauche at 4,10€ per direction (price current as of January 2013).

Note: If you plan to use any other forms of public transportation in the day, I recommend getting an unlimited Mobilis pass for the day from Zone 1-4; you’d only need to take one more round trip to make it worthwhile in terms of cost (pass costs 10,85€).

During normal working hours, ‘Versaille Rive Gauche’ station has someone selling tickets who may speak a bit of English. Be prepared for the language barrier by having a map handy and the places you need to get to written down.

(Photo courtesy of Villemartin)

Otherwise, happy traveling! Getting to the station from Château de Versailles is just as easy, there’s clear signage to help you navigate back to the train station and then hop onto the RER C line to Paris and you’re set. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can always take the bus back too!

For more information, check out the ParisByTrain article: Château de Versailles by Bus.

The train to Disneyland® Paris from London is a Eurostar high speed train with travel time of 2 hours 55 minutes. Tickets start at £69 return.

The train to Disneylqnd 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-Disneyland 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 7,00€ one way or 14,00€ 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

The Paris RER is 5 train lines:

• RER A
• RER B
• RER C
• RER D
• RER E

Paris RER Maps

The public transit authority of Paris (RATP) offers multiple RER maps that can be downloaded here:

• basic RER map showing its 5 lines with branching endpoint stations and the 6 fare zones for Paris and surrounding suburban area (Ile-de-France)
• 
• combined Paris RER & Metro map showing lines, stations & interchanges between the Metro & RER
• 

Paris RER Schedules & Timetables

Paris RER trains operate as a scheduled service, unlike the Paris Metro.

Here are some examples of first and last RER trains to popular destinations:

CDG Airport Terminal 2 to Paris, Gare du Nord station

• First RER B train leaves at 4:56 and arrives at 5:26
• Last RER B train leaves at 23:56 and arrives at 0:26

Paris, Gare du Nord to CDG Airport Terminal 2

• First RER B train leaves at 4:56 and arrives at 5:30
• Last RER B train leaves at 0:15 and arrives at 0:50

Paris, Chatelet les Halles station to Euro Disneyland (Marne La Vallée station)

• First RER A train leaves at 5:19 and arrives at 6:01
• Last RER A train leaves at 0:36 and arrives at 1:16

Euro Disneyland to Paris, Chatelet Les Halles

• First RER A train leaves at 5:13 and arrives at 5:47
• Last RER A train leaves at 0:20 and arrives at 1:01

Full RER Timetables for download and print can be found here:

• RER A Timetable (Paris Disneyland, La Défense)
• RER B Timetable (Paris Airports)
• RER C Timetable (Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Orly Airport)

Paris RER schedules can be confusing to read. Here are some instructions on reading RER timetables.

Paris RER Tickets

Paris RER trains use two different types of tickets depending on which part of the RER network you will be traveling. When taking an RER train strictly within central Paris Zone 1 (visible in the first RER Map), you can use a basic Paris Metro ticket for travel on the RER. Travel beyond Paris Zone 1 on the RER requires a special ticket: a Billet Ile-de-France.

Billet Ile-de-France Paris RER tickets are similar to the one shown here:

Paris RER ticket prices are determined station to station for travel beyond Zone 1 and range from 1.70€ to upwards of 11€. Some example trip RER fares (prices valid as of January 2013):

• CDG Airport to Paris Zone 1: 9,50€
• Paris Zone 1 to Disneyland Paris: 7,30€
• Paris Zone 1 to Versailles: 4,10€

Tickets for the Paris RER can be purchased at any RER or Metro station ticket window or ticket vending machine. Metro station ticket machines will appear like the following:

(photo courtesy of squarejer)

(Metro ticket vending machines may also be white or purple in colour).

RER and large train station (gare, like Gare du Nord) ticket vending machines may appear like the following:

These machines are known as Billetterie Ile-de-France and can also be blue in colour.

Do not attempt to purchase Paris RER tickets from yellow ticket machines which only sell/exchange TGV train tickets:

Passes

Paris RER passes include the following:

• Ticket Mobilis (Day tickets)
• Carte Paris Visite (1, 2, 3, 5 day pass)
• Passe Navigo Découverte (Week pass)

Paris RER travel passes are subject to fare zones, 1 through 5, which determine the price of the multi-use pass or ticket. The above transit fares are valid for travel not only on the RER, but also on the Metro and Buses within the fare zone you have purchased.

Day Tickets

The Ticket Mobilis day ticket looks like this:

This particular day ticket is valid for zones 1 & 2 (the minimum possible), which as of July 2011 costs 6,30€. Note the writing on the top left hand corner? To be valid for travel those fields should be filled in with: date of use in format dd/mm/yy (Valable le), lastname (NOM), and firstname (Prénom).

Multi-day Passes

The Carte Paris Visite consists of a black folding card and a coupon like ticket which looks like this:

The Carte Paris Visite card is available in only two zone choices: 1-3 or 1-5. (If you want coverage for either CDG or Orly Airports, you’ll need the 1-5 zone card). Carte Paris Visite can be purchased with either 1, 2, 3 or 5 day validity. Prices are as follows (current as of January 2013):

Remember to fill in the requested information on both the ticket coupon and the black paper card before using the Carte Paris Visite. These two pieces must be kept together to be valid for travel.

Week Passes

Paris RER week passes are known as Passe Navigo Découverte (a physical card) that must be purchased along with a week long “subscription”, known as Carte Orange Navigo Semaine, which provides unlimited travel within certain zones (1-2 up to 1-5 zones of validity). The physical Passe Navigo card itself costs 5€. Navigo Semaine subscriptions are priced as follows:

For example, a Passe Navigo Découverte loaded with 1-5 zones of travel would cost 39.40€ in total: 5€ for the plastic Navigo Découverte card and 34.40€ for the 1-5 zone subscription, which covers popular destinations like CDG Airport and Paris Disneyland, both in Zone 5.  (Prices current as of January 2013.)

This week pass system works strictly from Monday start of service, till Sunday end of service, not an arbitrary seven day period. If you arrive in Paris on Thursday, you will not even be able to purchase a Carte Orange week subscription. Starting on Friday, passes for the following week (valid starting Monday morning) will be on sale.

The Passe Navigo Découverte radio frequency (RF) card is roughly the size of a credit card and has no identifying information on it:

Each plastic RF card also comes with a paper identification card which is meant to hold your hand written name and a face photo of the traveler (measuring 3cm tall by 2.5cm wide). (Do use your full first and last name for this card. The example below has the last name edited to protect the privacy of the traveler).

The paper identification card has a sticky plastic fold-over sheet which holds your photo in place. You must already have a photo with you when purchasing the Passe Navigo Découverte at Metro or RER ticket windows. The photo can be black & white or colour, professionally done or home printed or even photo copied and reduced from a driver’s license and trimmed to the required 3cm x 2.5cm size. Automated, coin operated photo booths can often be found in larger Metro, RER and train stations within Paris, charging roughly 5€ for 4 photos. Paris transit authority workers often have scissors handy for trimming your photo for use on the Passe Navigo.

Restrictions on Passes

Some restrictions apply to the use of the above passes:

• Ticket Mobilis is not valid for travel to CDG Airport via the RER B train, nor the Roissybus
• Ticket Mobilis is not valid for travel on the Orlyval train nor the Orlybus to Paris-Orly Airport
• Passe Navigo Découverte is not valid for travel on the Orlyval train to Paris-Orly Airport

Paris RER Stations

Paris RER stations are marked with signs like the following:

(Photo courtesy of Gregory Deryckère).

Here’s an example of an RER station entrance at Auber station on the RER A line near Galeries Lafayette in Paris’ 8th district:

(Photo courtesy of Google Maps which is a great way to visualize your route. Google Maps with Street View, allows you to virtually tour the streets of Paris).

Paris RER stations are often shared with Metro lines such as at Paris’ largest underground station, Chatelet Les Halles. In the following photo at the top left corner is a sign showing RER A and RER D joining five Paris Metro lines within one Paris station – Chatelet Les Halles:

RER stations in Paris can also be found within large train stations (gare) such as Gare du Nord. Here is an example of a combined RER & Metro station sign at Gare du Nord:

Inside of an RER station, access to the train platforms is restricted by the use of turnstiles and double door gates such as this entrance into the fare paid zone within Chatelet Les Halles:

Things to note in the above RER station turnstile/barrier photo:

• Turnstiles or gates are marked with green arrows or red circular lights. Only green arrow marked turnstiles can be used for entry. The red marked gates (such as the one at the extreme left) are for passengers exiting the fare paid area.
• Certain turnstiles are reserved for Navigo pass card holders. Notice the traveler on the far left? He is using a reserved turnstile, marked on the front with a ticket crossed out. There is also no ticket slot on these reserved turnstiles and access will only be given to Navigo pass card holders.
• Using Tickets: Normal turnstiles and barriers have a small ticket slot which will be on your right side when entering a turnstile. Insert your ticket into the slot, magnetic stripe down. The ticket will be read for validity and ejected for you to retrieve near the top of the turnstile. You must retrieve the ticket before the gate or turnstile will open or operate. If you’re using a double door barrier gate, retrieve your ticket, approach the gates and wait patiently for them to open, then pass through. These gate style barriers can often be slow in opening. But, do not back out and try your ticket again as tickets can only be successfully used for entry once, which prevents ticket “pass-back”. Simply stand close enough to trigger an electronic eye which senses the presence of a traveler.
• Using Passe Navigo cards: As you enter a turnstile, the top right hand portion of the barrier will have a purple area meant for reading Navigo pass cards. Simply place your Navigo card on top of this area and wait for a “ding” or high pitched short buzzing to signify your card has been successfully read. If the barrier is a double door gate, approach the doors and wait for them to slowly open. Turnstiles are often faster to pass through since you provide the force to open the barrier, rather than these tired machines. The following is a photo of the Navigo pass card reader area found on turnstiles.
• (photo courtesy of RATP).

Finding your RER Train

Once past the turnstiles you need to make your way to the correct Paris RER platform where you’ll be able to board the train. Within RER stations, signs will note lines along with direction of travel, which is denoted by the final or terminus station for the line. Here is an example Paris RER A sign:

Things to note in the above photo:

• The top left corner designates which Paris RER line, in this case, RER A.
• The names to the right of the line indicate the direction for this platform. There are two: Boissy-St-Léger and Marne-la-Vallée (Paris Disneyland).
• In this particular example there are two end points or directions for RER A trains using this one train platform, thus we need to refer to an overhead station panel on the train platform itself to determine the final destination of the next train.

On the train platform you will find overhead station panels such as this:

Things to note about the above RER station panel:

• Station names are either lit with a yellow square or dark. Lit RER stations will be stopped at by the next RER train passing through.
• In the above photo, the RER A train pulling into the station is serving the Marne La Vallée direction, as opposed to the Boissy-St-Léger terminus since the station name Marne La Vallée–Chessy is list. The next train to arrive at the station will likely serve Boissy-St-Léger.
• RER stations within central Paris Zone 1 (visible on the RER Map with zones) will always be serviced by RER trains. It is only RER stations outside the centre of Paris that may or may not be serviced since some RER trains are considered “Express” and make only a few stops before arriving at their final destination.
• The Train Court square at the bottom right hand corner, when lit, signifies that the next train will be “short” meaning it will have fewer train cars than the length of the platform. It would be wise to stay away from the ends of platform when the next train is court.

Riding RER Trains

Paris RER train doors do not open automatically. Whether you’re getting on or getting off, you’ll need to activate the train car doors through a button located on the handle near the middle of the double doors (unless someone pushes the button first).

On board the RER train itself, there will often be folding seats near the doors themselves, which should be used only when there is room to do so. Obviously at rush hour, these seats should remain up to allow as many passengers board the train as possible.

Above the doors of each RER train car are RER line maps showing all stops along the current RER line. At times these maps can be active, showing a flashing light beside a station name designating it as the next stop, with lit station names showing the path of travel, dark station names showing stations already passed. At other times, the maps will be simple stickers showing all stations and connecting Metro lines and large train stations along the route.

Exiting RER Stations

Upon arriving at your desired RER station, you need to alight the train car (remembering to open the door using the button) and make your way past the turnstiles and barriers. RER stations often require the use of tickets and passes while exiting RER stations, using the same turnstile barriers as when entering, but in reverse. This is a measure against travelers paying less than the appropriate fare for their travel. There is little preventing passengers from buying a lower cost fare, boarding a RER train and riding it beyond the fare’s validity. Forcing riders to use their tickets or passes to exit RER stations and random checks by ticket controllers, doling out penalty fares of around 35€ per infraction, are the few measures against improper use of the RER.

Many Paris RER stations have multiple exits (sorties) which can be up to ten minutes walk apart (such as at Chatelet Les Halles). Exit maps can be found near station exits which help you get your bearings before leaving the station. Exits will be marked in blue and often have a number and exit number associated with them:

Popular Paris RER Routes

• Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport to Paris
• Paris to CDG Airport
• CDG Terminal 2 to Paris (Photo instructions)
• CDG Terminal 1 to Paris (Photo instructions)
• Paris to Euro Disney
• Orly (ORY) Airport to Paris
• Paris to Orly Airport

Questions? Suggestions?

If you have questions about the Paris RER informaton presented here, don’t hesitate to ask for help on the Paris By Train forums where I or some other knowledgeable traveler will get back to you with an answer.

If there is a subject which I haven’t discussed in this article that you think is appropriate, please let me know via the forums.

The RER A train connects Disneyland® Paris to Paris city centre to La Défense business district at the western edge of the city.

Paris RER A Train – Overview

The RER A line shown on this RER map is the red line, which travels east to west through metro Paris, from Marne La Vallée (formerly known as Euro Disney, now called Disneyland Paris) to St Germain-en-Laye out west.

Schedules

RER A Schedules/Timetables & Line Map (showing stations & connections)

Map

Full Paris RER network map

Tickets & Passes

Fares for the RER A includes single use tickets known as Billet Ile-de-France, multi-use tickets and passes  Paris Visite, Ticket Mobilis and Pass Navigo Decouverte. Be careful with tickets & passes used on RER trains which are subject to fare zone limits and restrictions. Traveling with a ticket beyond its zone limit will prevent you from passing through exit turnstiles at your destination and worse, may earn you a 35€ fine from controllers that randomly check tickets.

Major stations

• Disneyland Paris (at Marne La Vallée station)
• Gare de Lyon (major TGV station)
• Chatelet Les Halles (connection to RER B airport trains)
• Auber (shopping at Galeries Lafayette & Printemps)
• Arc de Triomphe (at Charles de Gaulle–Etoile station)
• La Défense (Grande Arche, skyscrapers, banking business district)

RER A – Paris Disneyland

• Paris Disneyland Train Instructions (RER A)

Paris Disneyland is not actually in Paris city centre itself, but out in the commune of Marne La Vallée. In 40 minutes the RER A train travels from city centre Paris to Eurodisney at Marne La Vallée station.  RER A trains leaving Chatelet Les Halles for Disney start at 5:20 in the morning and run every 10 to 30 minutes until the last train departs at 00:36 in the evening, every day of the week. One way ticket price is 7,30€ (full fare, January 2013) and 3,65€ for children. Other methods of travel: TGV train from CDG Airport to Paris Disneyland and Eurostar London to Paris Disneyland.

RER B – Gare de Lyon

• Gare de Lyon photo tour

Gare de Lyon is a major TGV (high speed) train station in south east city centre of Paris. Most trains leaving from Gare de Lyon serve the surrounding Ile-de-France area and other far away cities within France such as Dijon, Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, Montpellier and many others. Chateau Fontainebleau and INSEAD business school are accessible from this station via Transilien brand trains departing from Gare de Lyon.

RER B – Chatelet Les Halles

The RER A connects with the RER B Airport train at this staton. Other connections at Chatelet Les Halles include Metro lines 1, 4, 7 and 14. The RER D also joins Chatelet Les Halles to Gare du Nord, home of the Eurostar London Paris trains.

RER B – Auber

If Paris fashion and shopping are on your schedule, Auber is a stop for you.  Located above this station are two of the largest department stores in Paris: Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, known for its outrageous advertisements and window displays.

RER B – Charles de Gaulle–Etoile

The Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Avenue de Champs-Elysées is accessible via Charles de Gaulle–Etoile station on the RER A. This station is another fair size interchange hub connection Metro lines 1, 2, 6 to the RER A train.

RER B – La Défense

Home to Paris’ business and banking district, La Défense is a little slice of Manhattan or Chicago with its numerous skyscrapers (but without the traffic: it’s mostly a pedestrian area).  A second “Arc de Triomphe” exists here as the high-tech Grande Arche, many times larger than the Arc de Triomphe, housing office space and a museum dedicated to computers at its top floor.  Views over Paris from this arch are impressive.

The RER B Paris train connects Paris city centre to CDG Airport, Orly Airport, Gare du Nord (Eurostar station) and other important destinations in the metro Paris area.

Paris RER B Train – Overview

The RER B map shown here is a simplified version, showing only major destinations and connections along the blue colored line.

Schedules

RER B Schedules/Timetables & Line Map (showing stations & connections)

Map

Full Paris RER network map

Tickets & Passes

RER B uses tickets known as Billet Ile-de-France. Multi-use tickets and passes for the RER B include Paris Visite, Ticket Mobilis and Pass Navigo Decouverte.  Caution: tickets & passes are subject to fare zone limits and restrictions, notably with regards to airports CDG & ORY.

Major stations

• Aeroport Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
• Gare du Nord (Eurostar Paris London train station)
• Chatelet Les Halles (large interchange station)
• Notre Dame
• Luxembourg
• Denfert-Rochereau (connection point to Gare Montparnasse)
• Antony (connection point to Paris Orly Airport train – Orlyval)

RER B – CDG

• RER B CDG to Paris Instructions
• RER B Paris to CDG Instructions

The above instructions provide information on taking the RER B from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris centre and vice versa. If you know which CDG Terminal you’re landing at see the detailed photo instructions for CDG Terminal 2 to Paris or CDG Terminal 1 to Paris. If you’re landing at Terminal 3, use the CDG Terminal 1 to Paris instructions.

RER B – ORY

• RER B Orly to Paris Instructions
• RER B Paris to Orly Instructions

The RER B remains the fastest way to get from central Paris to Orly Airport (ORY) at a total single ticket cost of 9,60€. Keep in mind that the RER B does not directly connect to Orly Airport, but requires a connection onto Orlyval, a dedicated airport train leaving from Antony station, south of Paris, along the RER B train line.

RER B – Gare du Nord

The RER B train makes its first stop in central Paris at Gare du Nord, famous for being the station for the Eurostar high speed Paris to London train.

See the photo tour of Gare du Nord to get a better idea of its layout.

RER B – Chatelet Les Halles

The largest underground station in the world, Chatelet Les Halles, connects to a multitude of Metro and RER train lines including: Metro 1, 4, 7, 14 and RER A, RER B & RER D.

If you’re going to Gare de Lyon and are changing trains from RER B to the RER A at Chatelet Les Halles, note that the two trains are on the same platform, just at opposite sides. Simple alight the RER B, walk to the other side of the platform and board the next train. The next stop will be Gare de Lyon.

RER B – Saint Michel Notre Dame

Conveniently, the RER B makes a stop just next to the famous cathedral of Notre Dame, immediately beside the river Seine in Paris’ 6th district. This station also serves as a connection to the RER C line traveling to Versailles.

RER B – Luxembourg

This station is located immediately east of the Jardin du Luxembourg or Luxembourg Gardens.

RER B – Denfert Rochereau

Second to last station within central Paris for the RER B, Denfert-Rochereau connects to Metro Line 6 which connects to Gare Montparnasse, another of Paris’ popular main large train stations serving TGV trains out to Bordeaux and other southern cities in France.

This article explains how to take a RER A train from Paris to Disneyland® Paris. If you’re going from Charles de Gaulle airport to Parc Disneyland, you can take either a TGV train direct from CDG to Disney (Marne la Vallée) or first take the RER B train to Paris then at station Chatelet Les Halles, switch to the RER A train line towards Marne La Vallée.

Note: You can save 15% on Disneyland Paris tickets by buying before you arrive.

Note: Disneyland Paris 30% sale + kids free. Sale ends March 28, 2013.

Overview

Line => RER A (Red)

Direction => Marne-la-Vallée (RER line A4)

Departure Stations => Charles de Gaulle Etoile, Auber, Chatelet Les Halles, Gare de Lyon, Nation

Arrival Station => Marne-la-Vallée — Chessy

Map => Full RER train network map (PDF)

Price => 7,00€ (Zone 1 -> Zone 5)

Passes Accepted => Paris Visite Card (5 Zone), Pass Navigo Decouverte 5 Zone, Ticket Mobilis 5 Zone

Travel Time => 39-45 minutes

First Train / Last Train (Gare de Lyon – Disney) => 05:22 / 00:39

Frequency of trains => approx. every 15 min. (9 minutes to 30 minutes between trains)

Full Schedule => RER Train Schedule/Timetable

Details

RER Stations

RER A city trains travel from central Paris to Disneyland throughout the day at roughly 15 minute intervals from five large central Paris RER A Stations: Charles de Gaulle Etoile (at Arc de Triomphe), Auber (at Galeries Lafayette shopping center), Chatelet Les Halles (massive underground shopping centre and largest underground/subway station in the world), Gare de Lyon (largest Paris train station), and Nation.

Tickets & Passes – RER Paris to Disneyland Paris

A single one way ticket, a billet Ile-de-France, from central Paris to Disney costs 7,00€ (as of July, 2011). You can buy these tickets from any metro or RER station ticket window or from the automated ticket vending machines (using coins or smart-chip enabled credit cards) within stations. You can start your journey from any Metro / RER station within central Paris (Zone 1) using this one ticket and simply transfer to the RER A train line if you’re not already on it. You don’t need to buy a separate ticket just for the metro portion of your trip. The normal metro ticket t+ will not work for this trip since Marne la Vallée / Parc Disney is in Zone 5.

The following passes are accepted for traveling from Paris to DisneyLand:

• Paris Visite card 5 zone (not 1 – 3 zone),
• Pass Navigo or Pass Navigo Decouverte with 5 zone, week/month (semaine/menseul) pass,
• Ticket Mobilis 5 zone (RER/Metro/Bus day pass)

Inside an RER Station

From inside any of the above mentioned Paris RER stations, you’ll want to take RER A train in direction Marne-la-Vallée, but keep in mind that the direction may also read Boissy-St-Léger such as in the photo below.

You’ll find station panels and signs similar to the one above at any of the above RER A stations. Follow these signs to the correct RER A train platforms. At certain stations, Chatelet Les Halles and Gare de Lyon for example, these RER train signs & panels will lead you to a single central platform with RER trains running along either side in opposite directions. To avoid confusion as to which side is the correct direction look up at the RER station stop panels hanging above each side of the train platform such as the one shown here:

Each station along the line will be shown on these panels, but the next train to arrive will only stop at stations names lit with a yellow square (the left half in the previous photo). Thus, these panels serve two purposes:

1. to indicate that you’re on the correct side of the platform: if you see your arrival station on the panel, you’re at least on the correct side of the platform. In this case you’d want to see Marne La Vallée – Chessy as one of the stations.
2. to indicate whether the next train will stop at your desired station. If Marne La Vallée – Chessy is lit with a yellow square, take the train. If not, wait for a train that will stop at Marne La Vallée/Parc Disney.

Once on board a RER A train to DisneyLand Paris, remember to keep your ticket handy throughout your trip as you may be asked to show it to ticket checkers, known as controllers in France. If you fail to produce a valid ticket the controller will charge you a fine somewhere in the range of €40 payable on the spot through credit or debit card. And even though ticket vending machines don’t take non-smart chip credit cards, the mobile credit card swipe machines these controllers carry, definitely do. At the end of your trip you’ll also need your ticket or pass to exit through the turnstiles when you arrive at Marne La Vallée / Disney.

This is the Marne La Vallée train platform at DisneyLand Paris when you arrive:

Once you exit the RER A train make your way up the escalator or stairs in the direction of the Sortie signs. This leads you to the exit (and entry) turnstiles for the RER trains as show in the following photo:

Using your billet Ile-de-France in the turnstiles allows you to pass through into the main section of the station which has an information booth, ticket window, and various shops selling newspapers/magazines and snacks.

After exiting Marne La Vallée–Chessy station, you’ll notice the motif of the station itself is Disney-like with its castle like spires.

Here’s a panoramic photo of Marne La Vallée–Chessy RER/TGV station amongst some attractions at DisneyLand Paris.

When it’s time to return to Paris, you’ll be making this trip in reverse. Within Marne La Vallée–Chessy train station, you’ll need to again purchase a Billet Ile-de-France to Paris (7,00€) either from a ticket vending machine or from the ticket window, pass through the turnstiles, and descend down onto the RER A train platform. The platform will be well marked with a sign indicating which train will depart next for Paris:

Have a great Disneyland visit.

Useful Links

Save 15% by booking online – Disneyland Paris

(Note: Disneyland Paris 30% sale + kids free. Sale ends March 28, 2013.)

This RER Disneyland Paris city train (RER A) can be taken from popular central Paris stations:

• Charles de Gaulle–Etoile (at Arc de Triomphe)
• Auber (at Galeries Lafayette & Printemps)
• Chatelet Les Halles
• Gare de Lyon
• Nation

This Paris Metro-RER map shows only central Paris and the five popular RER A stations along the RER Disney line, shown as a thick red line traveling west to east across Paris city centre:

The complete Paris RER Map shows the full RER Disney line from Paris out to Marne La Vallée station, the location of Paris Disneyland:

Tickets for the RER Disney train cost 7,30€ one way (as of January 2013).  Tickets for the RER A train can be purchased from any of the above RER stations, from any Metro station within Paris, from both ticket windows and from Metro ticket vending machines and RER/Transilien train ticket vending machines (accepting euro coins or smart-chip credit cards).

For a schedule or timetable for the RER Disney train, refer the RER A timetables in direction Marne La Vallée–Chessy.  Travel time along the RER Disney line from Chatelet Les Halles station to Euro Disney is about 40 minutes.

For more information on taking the RER Disney train to Paris Disneyland, see the Paris RER to Euro Disney article.