5

Hopefully a pretty straightforward question:

How long does it take to get from Gare du Nord to Versailles by public transport?

Quickest method would be best, and I'd assume that would be train but I'm not ruling out buses, etc.

Improve this question
3
  • 2
    I remember taking the metro and then RER line C and it took about 1 hour, I think. I never really tried it but I think you should forget about the bus if speed is the main criteria. Someone will probably post a more detailed study. Where do you want to go in Versailles? To the palace? This webpage might be useful. Also, be aware that Versailles is outside the city limits, you can't use the usual metro tickets. – Relaxed Nov 26 '13 at 10:54
  • Yeah, heading to see the palace. – dlanod Nov 26 '13 at 10:57
  • There is a RER station not far from the palace, it's very easy. – Relaxed Nov 26 '13 at 11:01
5

RATP trip planner gives 53mn at 10 o'clock, november 28th, 2013.

The route is:

On foot         walk to Gare du Nord – RER

                from Gare du Nord
RER  Ligne B    direction Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse
                up to Chatelet-Les Halles

On foot         connection

                from Chatelet-Les Halles
RER  Ligne A    direction Saint-Germain-en-Laye
                up to La Defense (Grande Arche)

On foot         connection

                from La Defense (Grande Arche)
SNCF 55         direction La Verriere
                up to Versailles-Chantiers

Versailles-Chantiers is about 1km south-east from Château de Versailles.

To Versailles-Château-Rive gauche, this is 1h06:

On foot         walk to Gare du Nord – RER

                from Gare du Nord
RER  Ligne B    direction Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse
                up to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame

On foot         connection

                from Saint-Michel Notre-Dame
RER  Ligne C    direction Versailles-Rive Gauche
                up to Versailles-Rive Gauche
Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    For the record we chose option B and it was very straightforward. Fewer changes leaves fewer chances for things to go wrong, plus it also saves you a few minutes walk. :) – dlanod Oct 31 '14 at 4:40
  • 1
    Versailles Chantiers is too far away for a casual walk, there is not much to see on the way if you take the straight road. It is better to take a bus from there to the castle (or, if you want to walk, go via the Cathédrale Saint-Louis) – WoJ Apr 10 '15 at 8:24
8

There are two main stations in Versaille, Versailles - Château - Rive-Gauche on the RER C, and Versailles - Rive Droite on regular suburban network. The Château stop is about a 5 minute walk to the entrance, which the Rive Droite one is closer to 10. There is also Versailles - Chantiers on the RER C and local lines, but that's the furthest.

I'd suggest you use this Rome2Rio query for a general idea, which should weight up the different walking options from the different stations. You're basically looking at about 50-60 minutes, depending on connections. Be aware that a regular Metro/RER ticket won't be valid as far out as Versailles, so you'll need to visit a ticket machine and buy a ticket for the journey - you can't just use a regular carnet one for example.

You can also use the RATP trip planner to check exact times, but you'll need to search for each of the 3 stations individually, then factor in the walking times by hand. You'll probably either want to take the RER B to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame and change to the RER C, or the RER E to Gare Saint-Lazare and change onto a local SNCF service to Versailles-Rive Droite. (Metro 4 to Montparnasse then local train to Versailles Chantiers suffers from poorer frequency, but is a tiny bit faster if it works out)

Improve this answer
1
  • 2
    @dlanod: using the RATP Trip planner, no need to do it in 3 parts: you just choose: "gare du nord" and "versailles", then when it asks further explanation : "Paris-Nord (Gare), Paris" for origin and "Versailles-Rive Gauche (RER), Versailles" for destination. And it gives all infos out. It takes 1h approximately (but this depends on the departure time). below will be the changes, and the map. You can also click "Show the detail of the route" to get further details of each parts of the trip. and in-between there are 2 "leave later" "arrive earlier" buttons to chose another departure/arrival time – Olivier Dulac Nov 26 '13 at 17:16
2

According to Rome2Rio 33 minutes.

Improve this answer
4
  • That's if you already have a ticket, know your way and all the connections work out perfectly. I wouldn't count on it, certainly not if I need to catch a train. (+1 for the very neat map and comparison) – Relaxed Nov 26 '13 at 11:02
  • @Annoyed I agree in general, however I kind of feel that in this case the estimate is quite accurate. Metro 4 has high frequency – user141 Nov 26 '13 at 11:30
  • 3
    the time doesn't take at all in accoutn the waiting time (one of the 33mn trip uses a RER line which has a frequency of 20mn...). The RATP site is much more precise (if no problem occurs on the lines, which unfortunately happens. I believe the RATP site adds a few minutes in between each "hop" to try to counter that) – Olivier Dulac Nov 26 '13 at 17:21
  • 1
    33 minutes? That's unrealistic. You'd have to know the way well, rush in the corridors, and be exactly on time for one of the few non-stop trains from Montparnasse (about one per hour off-peak, I think). And that gets you to Versailles Chantiers, which is about 10 minutes' walk further from the Palace than Rive Gauche. – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Nov 26 '13 at 22:24

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.