So here I am again, trying to update much older posts since I started my blog in November 26 2010! And one of them is transports in Paris or how to get around. Let me do my best to update this information for all. Hope you enjoy it.
Many visitors and even folks outside of Paris ask for ways to move about in Paris and to come in. Many guides abound on this ,and I will try to give you my five cents worth stemming from personal experiences over the last 17 years.
First, most folks come thru CDG(Charles De Gaulle) airport which is known as the main Paris airport but is not in Paris but in Roissy-en-France town in the department 95 Val d’Oise , and Tremblay-en-France a town in the department 93 Seine Saint Denis. It is now in zone 5 and can cost over 10 euros minimum to come into Paris while in the city it cost less than 2 euros to move about. Versailles is in zone 4. Several ways to come in into the city such as taxis, buses, RER trains or reseau express regionale and roissybus etc.
Some things never change for a long time and one of them is the line from the CDG airport at Terminal 2 between wings CD and EF follow signs for TGV/SNCF to the platform direction Paris, and take the RER B. There is one almost every 12 minutes, and the travel time is about 30 minutes to Châtelet les Halles inside Paris. If you arrive in Terminal 1 you take the the automatic airport metro train CDGVAL to terminal 2, the buses or navettes are the line 1 stops at level or niveau 5 or you can walk from the automatic walking escalators. The return out can be done on the buses to level or niveau 5 at portes or doors A5 and B6 stops TGV/RER. From terminal 3 on foot to Roissypole about 250 meters.
You can, also, take the Roissybus a bus service from all terminals to Rue Scribe/rue Aubers on the side of the Opéra Garnier, place de l’Opéra. Every 15 minutes or so and it takes about 50 minutes travel time. All is done between 5h45 and 23h each day. The old Les Cars Air France,were given a bit of confusion as many folks believe you needed to come on Air France to use them, when in fact all could; therefore, now they are call the le Bus Direct (no longer running here for the memories). You still have line 1 to Place Charles De Gaulle or Arc de Triomphe on the side of 1 av Carnot or from Porte Maillot on the side of Blvd Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, now, also Trocadero, every 15 minutes from 5h45 to 23h. Line 2, to the Tour Eiffel,Place de l’Etoile, Porte Maillot. Line 3 to Orly airport connection, and line 4 to Montparnasse at rue du commandant Mouchotte or from gare de Lyon at bd Diderot, every 30 minutes from 7h to 21h30.
If you arrive very late you can take the bus Noctilien, from midnite to 5h. You have five points in Paris at Chatelet, gare de Lyon,gare Montparnasse,gare de l’Est,gare du Nord , gare Saint Lazare and Orly airport. For updated info here: https://www.ratp.fr/en/getting-around-night/its-easy-get-around-night
You can take regular bus services No 351 from CDG to areas such as international bus terminal at Galliani or porte de Bagnoles, Vincennes or Montreuil for 2 euros to connect with the metro. Taxis stands are waiting outside terminals or main railroad station the best known are Taxi G7, and Alpha Taxis. My experiences in the region have been with G7 always good.
From Orly airport,situated on the town of Orly in department 94 Val de Marne, the transportation is from Orly Sud and Orly Ouest , take the OrlyVal until Antony then RER B to CDG or into Paris. You also have buses Le Bus Direct line 3, all every 30 minutes from 6h to 22h30 ,(weekends out is 7h). Between terminals Sud and Ouest you have free connections on OrlyVal, navette buses. By bus on Orlybus depart from Paris at place Denfert-Rochereau in front of entry to RER station, every 15-20 minutes, from 5h35 to 23h05 travel time about 30 minutes.
You can interconnect from CDG T1 and T2 airport to Orly Sud or Ouest by taking the RER B from CDG T2 until Antony, then OrlyVal, frequency every 10 minutes from 6h to 23h or Le Bus Direct. I admit this is web information as not been thru Orly well believe since 2010. My second home is CDG.
You can also take the TGV fast trains from Terminal 2 at CDG to north, south and west lines as well as Thalys. I have connected even to Disneyland and Brussels Midi from here too.
There are many shuttle private companies operating to suit must tastes, mine have been serve well by yellow van on several occassions. However, not taken them since 2011 and now they are call the Paris Shuttle info here: https://www.parishuttle.com/
You can purchase several options of tickets according to your lenght of stay and needs, I will compare all before deciding on the ones to purchase as per personal choices/needs. The single ticket in Paris zone 1-2 is 1,90 Euros on machines and counters ,on the buses is 2 Euros. then you have the carnet of 10 tickets for 16.90 euros, usually enough for most people. The airport prices are apart and different, these are from CDG RER B to Paris 10.30 euros, the Roissybus is 13.70 euros, the Orlybus is 9.50 euros, the T7 is 1.90 to Orly, Bus 183 from porte de Choisy to Orly is 2 euros, and the OrlyVal is 9.30 euros. These have change a lot and could in the future especially next by Jan 1 2021.
You can buy a daily card call Mobilis for the whole day of travel on zones 1-2 Paris for 7.50 euros. You can buy for a whole week the Navigo Semaine for all Paris proper métro, RER, bus, Tramway and trains except the line Orlyval, all zones 22.80 euros ,the same for the month is 75.20 euros. There is a newer pass Navigo Easy to travel in metro, RER lines inside Paris, bus lines in the region of Ïle de France, OrlyBus , RoissyBus, tramways and the cable car of Montmartre to charge on the card according to section travel.
To Versailles zone 4 is 3.65 euros, and to Disneyland Paris is zone 5 RER A 8.40 euros. The touristic Paris Visite Pass never used it. You can buy for one day on zones 1-3 for 12 euros. Again, these are today’s prices they have change a lot over the years and bound to change again by Jan 1 2021.
To book trains, and I am a grand voyageur member is the old SNCF voyages now oui.SNCF webpage: https://en.oui.sncf/en/
To come to Versailles take the metro to pont-Sévres on line 9 in Paris and take the bus No 171 leaving you right in front of castle! The RER C trains from Paris takes you to Versailles rive gauche château station as well as regular trains takes you from Saint Lazare to station rive droite (my old station) and Montparnasse to station Chantiers. From the airports there is no direct line, you need to come to Paris then Versailles.
The bus lines are my favorite when not using the car in Paris. The lines are numbered from 20 to 199. To understand the number we go to a nice definition: The first number correspond to a quartier or neighborhood of Paris such as the lines Saint-Lazare/Opéra for the lines 20 to 29 , and Gare de l’Est for the lines 30 to 49. The second number corresponds to the periphery neighborhoods ; for example the west or ouest for the 3 ,and the southeast or sud-est for the 7. The lines 20 to 99 are the ones inside the city of Paris and the near periphery. The bus lines 100 to 199 are for the suburbs of Paris and some like the lines 102, 109, 111, 132 , and 169 entered a bit inside Paris.
The above list could not be all inclusive but gives you a general details of ways into and out of the city. If any doubts you can ask me and will gladly help out. As for me, I have been using public transports in Paris since 1990, all modes at all times and days; whether on business or personal. After a few years, I have become accustomed to do public transports on business trips still need to do in the area and on personal trips I use my car. Yes ,you can drive in Paris.... if used to do so in big cities of course if your experience is from smaller towns than Paris might seems overwhelming at first.
Hope it helps your travels in the region of Ïle de France, my old home region in my belle France. Travel is easy on normal days, nowdays are not normal so plan ahead and have alternative plans. Hope you have enjoy the post.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 