Paris1972-Versailles2003

Well, this is an older post and will just refresh the text and links. I did change the title to be more exact, as this post is more of how to get around in the city by bus or car above ground! Yes Versailles the city of the palace/museum has an excellent transportation system and great roads/streets. Let me share some of it with you today. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Versailles has an excellent transport system and have written before on its main train stations in fact the city has five!  Rive Gauche,  Chantiers, Rive droite, Porchefontaine, and  Montreuil.  The first three I say you can walk to the palace/museum. Therefore, I will concentrate this time on the bus network and roads. Versailles is 40 km from Roissy CDG airport (dept Val d’Oise 95) and 25 km from Orly airport (dept  Val de Marne 94).  From Roissy CDG airport there you take the train RER B until Saint-Michel- Notre-Dame, connect here with the train RER C until terminus at Château-Rive Gauche station. You can also take a combination bus train metro bus or mix in but takes too long nowdays more than 2 hrs. Like going from Roissy CDG to Montparnasse or St Lazare and then Versailles…

By car or rental car is a breeze believe me don’t read the scary books! Take the expressway from Roissy CDG airport ,autoroute A1  direction  Paris, get on the boulevard périphérique Ouest (west), follow direction Rouen A13, and take the A13 direction Rouen/ Versailles, until exit or sortie n°5 Versailles Centre/Château. Follow this road avenue des Etats-Unis, which continues into avenue de Saint-Cloud, all the way to the palace/museum.

From Orly airport, take the Train RER B until  Massy Palaiseau, change there to take the train RER C direction Château-Rive Gauche station. A bit over an hour here, taking OrlyBus to Montsouris station, there take bus 88 to Montparnasse and again train line N to Chantiers train station in Versailles, local bus to palace. You can to Paris, and get on a RER C station like Saint Michel to the Château Rive Gauche station closest to palace.

By car or rental car, go out Orly and take the A106 direction Paris than shortly get on the outside beltway on the A86 exit or sortie Versailles Château. Follow this road avenue des Etats-Unis, which continues into avenue de Saint-Cloud, all the way to the palace/museum .

All train stations in Versailles, you can walk to the palace/museum or take a local bus of  the Phébus network .Bus no 11 and 40 takes you for example from Château-Rive-Gauche station to the Orangerie, From my former closest station Rive Droite you can take bus no 3 and 14 etc  Schedules in Île de France mobilités webpage: https://me-deplacer.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/itineraire

There is the  RATP bus  n° 171  coming from the metro  station  pont de Sèvres metro line 9 until in front of the palace/museum on Avenue de Paris terminus. The RATP schedule webpage: https://www.ratp.fr/plans-lignes/busratp/171

The city bus info center is at the Agence Navigo Phébus Europe. Open Mondays to Fridays from  9h to 12h30 and 13h30 to 18h. Saturdays from 10h to 12h30 and 13h30 to 18h.  Office location at 18 Avenue de l’Europe. Right across the Europe bus terminal corner with Avenue de Saint Cloud. Ticket now 2023 are 2.50 euros on board. Below an older picture and location

 There are several other kiosks ,shops that can sell the tickets but the above are the official ones and both close to the palace/museum. The closest to the palace/museum agencies are at A la Havane tabac  21 rue Hoche (left of palace towards the Ch Notre Dame) ,Agence des Manéges 12 Avenue du Général De Gaulle ( across RER C station) , and the La Civette du Parc tabac ,17 Rue des Reservoirs (past theater Montansier) . The main city bus terminal is at Place Lyautey ,across from the RER C train station château rive gauche (left bank).  My old line A (see pic)  is now the no 3 passing by rive gauche (ave du Général de Gaulle)  and rive droite  (Ave du Maréchal Foch) very close to the palace/museum. In winter months there is line 14 easy taken in Ave de l’Europe or Place du marché Notre Dame (market).

The city of Versailles has a page showing all transports possibilities: https://www.versailles.fr/132/se-deplacer/transports-en-commun.htm

For car parking in Versailles, I never had problems finding off street parking, even visiting the city, but still it is easier if coming for a day per se to use the city public parkings. The closest to the palace/museum are right in front of the palace/museum in place d’Armes as well as at end of  avenue de Sceaux (passing ave du Général de Gaulle and near the rive gauche train RER C station, the train stations at Chantiers and rive Droite and the  place du marché Notre-Dame (I advise small cars here because the ramps are tight). Other parkings are Parking Europe (right across the govt building préfecture) Parking Saint-Cloud (at corner with ave de l’europe),Parking Saint-Louis (by the Cathedral) and Parking Reine-Richaud  (by the hospital apts complex behind the train station rive droite) on Blvd de la Reine.  You need to enter your license plate into the ticket machine or horodateur or on the application smartphone and can ask for a receipt. The city agents will be able to verify the payment via a portable gadget.  If infraction on parking like time expire you will have  FPS= Forfait Post Stationnement that is establish by the control agent. Lost ticket will cost you 25€. The fine is  33 € in Versailles but it can be reduce to  17 € if the payment is done in the next  5 days of the fine or  FPS. If not the fine can go to 83€

For my friends in camping cars, the best is at Parking de Sceaux if only for a day. However, if overnight you need to go to the  camping de Versailles Huttopia at 31, Rue Berthelot,contact  tél +33 (0) 1 39 51 23 61. Follow from palace/museum the ave de Paris and turn right after passing the Hôtel de Ville on Rue des Etats Généraux continue same road changes name to Rue des Chantiers, then turn left on Rue Yves Le Coz, and then right on Rue Berthelot! For info webpage: https://europe.huttopia.com/en/site/camping-versailles/

There are many companies that cover Versailles in public transports such as RATP, SNCF (you know these from Paris), and other coming from other town such as Véolia, Savac, and Keolis.  If you like to do bike in the palace grounds than see Astel , info webpage:https://astel-versailles.com/

The city ,also has parking for bikes or vélos such as near 105 spots for bikes on the road itself, 96 spaces are reserve at the train stations Château Rive Gauche, 200 spaces at Chantiers, and only saw a few by Rive Droite but should be better now. The better and more security side is at Chantiers.

The city of Versailles orientation map : https://www.versailles.fr/ma-ville/se-deplacer/plan-de-la-ville/

The Versailles tourist office on getting to Versailles: https://en.versailles-tourisme.com/useful-information-and-tips

The Versailles tourist office on public transports modes: https://en.versailles-tourisme.com/useful-information-and-tips/transport-in-versailles

There you go folks, hope it helps those coming or taking the bus and or car to Versailles; it is a very plausible city to drive on and only the areas around the palace/museum can be considered traffic prone. The bus well as I always said above ground you see more so take it, it goes everywhere even to around the Orangerie on the Route de Saint-Cyr  D10 or the Porte Saint Antoine (hameau / trianons) on rue de Versailles D186! again ,hope you enjoy the royal city of Versailles: my kind of town !

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

And here I am continuing my walks in the beautiful cities and towns of my belle France. Well this one needs no introduction me think ! I am bragging lol! I used to lived in Versailles for almost 10 years upon entering France! Since moved to Bretagne where I am still in the Morbihan breton for another 7 years! La vie est belle en France!

Let me tell you briefly about the streets of rue de Satory, Rue du Général Leclerc, and Rue du Maréchal Joffre in my beloved Versailles!

Well there is a Satory a district of Versailles, department of Yvelines (78) region of Ile de France.  Not to be confused with the rue de Satory  

Many deputies in the Etats Généraux (States General) were living in rue de Satory and rue du Vieux-Versailles. They met at the Libraire  Blaizot who published the minutes of the meetings. It is naturally in this familiar neighborhood that they gathered for the swearing in the Jeu de Paume , founder of the new French Republic (France) .

The rue de Satory in the quartier or neighborhood of Saint Louis.  From the name of the hill south of the city to which it gave access. Old rue de la Montagne which reunited the rue du Maréchal-Joffre and the current rue de Satory. Some interesting buildings to see here me think are at

N ° 1: Beautiful Art Deco facade at the corner of avenue de Sceaux restored in 2012 (restaurant Limousin). Ernest Renan lived there in 1848 (he was a teacher at Lycée Hoche (high school)). No. 7: Former Librarie Blaizot which was a literary a firm to read the press at the time of the French Revolution.

N ° 13: Have followed since 1778, a grocery then butchers until today.  N ° 17: Balconies of 1790, geometrical: one of the entrance of the old barracks of the horsemen of Chevau-légers (light cavalry). Their motto was “To defeat the giants” ..

No. 18: Birthplace of General Lazare Hoche, who died at 29 after “pacifying” the Vendée and Bretagne. It has balconies with curved railings. Purchased  by the city in 1986. N ° 22: False windows, a house of the 18C at the corner of the rue du Vieux Versailles: a corner balcony style Louis XV. No. 26: Military cafe of the Maison du roi (King’s House) in 1814, then bakery, glacier, and tea room as today. N ° 27: Former Hôtel Lannion and former cabaret of the Jardin Royal (Royal garden)  before the French Revolution. N ° 33: A Pharmacy since 1768

The street ends today at the former crossroads of Quatre Bornes with the rue de l’Orangerie. By you know who.

A bit on the Rue du Général-Leclerc ,quartier or neighborhood of  Saint-Louis.

In memory of General Philippe Leclerc de Hautecloque  who lived in Versailles as being an instructor at the military school of Saint-Cyr, and entered Versailles with his armored division on August 25, 1944 from Saint-Cyr.  The street was name in his honor in 1948. Some interesting points on the street are at

N ° 15: Old Hôtel Montesquiou . Passage of the Marquis de Lalonde (mayor of Versailles  under the monarchy Restoration) to avenue de Sceaux. .N ° 34: the former Mirabeau dwelling in 1789. See,also, the Fausse fountain at the corner of rue Royale ,now école d’art mural (art school) of Versailles.

And the Rue du Maréchal-Joffre, on same neighborhood of Saint-Louis. It was name as such in 1919.  This is the former rue de Satory named after the hill it crosses to the south. From the name of Joseph Joffre , Commander-in-Chief of the French Army from 1914 to 1916 during WWI.

Some interesting buildings here that I like are at

N° 1 : Former restaurant of the Trois Marches (eventually the chef of Trianon)  N ° 2: Former small vegetable garden of the king (manure and sowing), lot in 1736. N ° 4: Lot attributed to Jean Loustonneau, surgeon of the Children of France, under king Louis XV. Awarded in 1864-1869 to the Chief Medical Officer of the Military Hospital. N ° 5: House where died in 1808 Mademoiselle de Romans, one of the mistresses of king Louis XV of which she had a son recognized Louis-Antoine de Bourbon. N. 7: Accommodation in 1789 of Isaac Le Chapelier, founder of the Breton club which met at Café Amaury , rue Carnot, and associated with the law prohibiting corporations. N ° 10: Current entrance of the Potager du Roi which was created from 1678 to 1683 under the direction of Jean-Baptiste de la Quintinie . Former vegetable garden and orchard of king Louis XIV and his successors. A neighborhood police station and housing for employees of the horticultural school were located at the corner of rue Hardy until the 1980s. The construction of artisans and tradesmen along the wall of the potager du roi were removed in 1853 and two grids open in front of the rue d’Anjou and rue des Bourdonnais. (See my post on the Potager du Roi).

N ° 12: Parc Balbi.  Former cul-de-sac of Satory giving access to the entrance to Balbi Park. From the name of the Countess of Balbi, Anne Jacobé de Caumont de la Force, for whom the Count of Provence, brother of Louis XVI and future Louis XVIII had built in 1785 the park and the adjoining pavilion In 1792, some of the rare plants has been moved to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris ,as usual!  (see my post on the Parc Balbi).

N ° 13: Former house of the family of the Marquis de Lalonde (mayor of Versailles until 1825) entrance of the cemetery of Saint-Louis. Depended in 1990 on the College of the Sacred Heart. N ° 14: Former Hôtel Letellier before the French revolution, then Grand Seminary in 1833, which became school Jules-Ferry in 1907 after the separation of the church and the state, then Lycée Jules-Ferry (high school) by extending to the place de l’ancienne caserne Denfert   (former barracks) across the street.

N ° 15: Angle of the rue des Bourdonnais. A cemetery from 1725 to 1776. Purchased in 1890 by the firm of disabilities services of Versailles. In 2015  the private school Saint-Louis. N ° 19: Former Hôtel de Choiseul d’Aillecourt. Salon of the Countess des Écotais under the monarchy Restoration, then by an American diplomat between the two WW. No. 24: Impasse Satory ;a Villa built from 1791 to 1804 with a view of the pièce d’eau des Suisses pond (see my post on it in my blog). Convent of Carmelites in 1900, then Grand Seminary in 1906 (displacement of seminarians from the Letellier pavilion) until 1972. Saint-Louis retreat house for elderly priests and some lay people since 1981 a retirement home for persons in need or EHPAD.

No. 29: Lycée Jules-Ferry. Former Hôtel du duc de la Vrillière in 1772, which served as stables to the Countess d’Artois, younger sister of the Countess of Provence. They contained 28 cars and 7 sedan chairs. The building then became the barracks of cavalry and infantry Denfert, then from 1981 the new Lycée Jules Ferry( high school) extension of the building on the other side of the avenue.

N ° 30: Old coolers or ice houses  in the area of ​​Satory ,exploited until 1879 by the Society of Glacières of Paris. No. 37: Land purchased by the Soeurs de l’Espérance (Sisters of Hope) in 1854; they built a chapel, which is now closed, and whose entrance is on the street. Then, a Retirement home in 1990. No. 39: former house of Jean Chavignat, first surgeon of the queen and his wife born Simonet of Tournelles, maid of the queen.

The webpage on the city of Versailles and its quartiers or neighborhoods: City of Versailles on its neighborhoods

And there you, I hope you like it and do walk Versailles , there is a lot more than the palace/museum here I keep telling you lol! And remember, happy travels, good health ,and many cheers to all!!!