Wondering how to get to Versailles from Paris? It’s easy — and you have your choice of method. Maybe more than you’d think!
Versailles, and its famous palace, aren’t far from Paris: only nine miles, and just beyond the city’s southwestern suburbs.
Method #1: RER
The easiest, and most popular, way of getting Paris to Versailles is via RER.
The RER (that’s the Réseau Express Régional) is Paris’s suburban train network. RER trains stop less frequently within Paris than the métro, but extend into the surrounding region much more deeply. If you took the train from Charles de Gaulle to the Gare du Nord when you first arrived in Paris, you took the RER.
There are 5 RER lines: A, B, C, D, and E. To get to Versailles, you’ll take RER C to Versailles Château-Rive Gauche. The RER C makes several stops in Paris, including Gare Austerlitz, St-Michel-Notre Dame, and Musée d’Orsay — you can board the RER C at any one of these. A one-way ticket is now €2.50, though you’ll want to be sure to get the return ticket in Paris to avoid lines at Versailles Château-Rive Gauche on the way back.
Total travel time via the RER C to Versailles-Château Rive Gauche is 39 minutes. From there, it’s about a 10-minute walk.
Method #2: Transilien Line L or N
The Transilien is a separate rail network — unlike the RER, its lines terminate in Paris, rather than cross through it, like the RER does. The Versailles-Rive Droite stop is served by Transilien’s Line L, which originates in Paris at Gare St-Lazare. Though it’s a farther walk — about 20 minutes — to the palace and the ride is a little longer, this might be the better choice if you’re starting off near St-Lazare.
Total travel time by Line L from St-Lazare to Versailles-Rive Droite is around 42 minutes.
The third train station in Versailles, Versailles-Chantiers, can be accessed via Transilien’s Line N, which originates at Montparnasse. It’s also about a 20-minute walk to the palace, though your total travel time might be faster if you’re near Montparnasse.
Total travel time by Line N from Montparnasse to Versailles-Chantiers is about 20 minutes — it’s super quick because of all these stations, Montparnasse is the one closest to Versailles.
Both of these journeys, under the new fare scheme, will be €2.50 one way or €5 return.
Method #3: Bus!
You can take a bus to Versailles! Personally, I love buses! It’s like a sight-seeing tour but basically free.
There are a bunch of ways to do it — one way is to leave from Musée d’Orsay on bus 72 to Parc St-Cloud, stopping at Pont de Saint-Cloud – Albert Kahn, then taking the 467 to Pont de Sevres and getting off at the last stop. From there, you’ll take the 171 to the Château de Versailles.
Total travel time: 1 hour, 43 minutes.
Method #4: Uber
You can take an Uber right from Paris to Versailles, which may very well be the best bet if you’re traveling with a bunch of people/want the easiest possible option. The average fare is €32 and the average travel time is about 40 minutes, depending on time of day.
Method #5: Walk/bike
It can be done! And there’s quite a lot of green space along the way. Beginning in the Bois de Boulogne, you can pass through the Parc de St-Cloud, cross the Seine at the Pont de Saint Cloud, and then make your way through the Forêt domaniale de Fausses-Reposes. Cyclists should make the 10.5-mile trip in 80 minutes, while it’ll be more like 3 hours for walkers — note that this distance is calculated from Paris’s western edge, so factor in some extra miles if you’re starting from central Paris.