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 !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 