This may be a stupid question, but I usually walk all over Paris and don%26#39;t really know the answer. This year when we come to Paris, we will be bringing friends that have never been, and cannot walk everywhere like we can. I noticed on one of my tours of the day, we need to take the metro a few stops and it is actually the RER line (the one that goes to Versailles). My question is... is it the same price to ride the RER or is it more expensive than a regular subway ride? We need to catch the RER at St. Michel and ride to the Invalides stop. Can someone tell me how much this would cost? Do either of these stations have elevators or escalier roulant? (did I spell that right :)
Thank you for any advice.
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I don%26#39;t know which stations have escalators or elevators, but I do know you use the same ticket for the metro and the RER within Paris, completely interchangeable. The city bus, too, actually easier for people with limited mobility.
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We did exactly the same journey several times last month as like you on this occasion we were with friends. Generally we try to walk everywhere.
The RER you will find is usually fairly close to the surface and often has just stairs and if I remember correctly (it was only 3 weeks ago but age creeps up on you!) the two stops you are using do not have escalators.The trains are not far below ground here.Unless your friends have very limited mobility it should not be a problem though.
On the RER you need to concentrate a bit more on checking you are taking the train in the right direction. It is not particularly difficult but it is not signposted as simply as the Metro.
Also if you are using an RER/Metro interchange station you can find that some of them have extremely long distances to walk between services. (Montparnasse for instance).
If that is a problem maybe a local T/A poster could advise if you know you need a specific interchange.
Neal
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Make sure you have the correct tickets. On what was possibly an oversight due to sheer excitement, we attempted to go to La Defense yesterday with a ticket we had purchased as a book of 10.
Apparently you cannot go to La Defense on the RER with these tickets, the zone stops at Charles de Gaulle. We were fined 25 euros for making a mistake and taking the RER one stop too far. When is was pointed out what we had done (it wasnt made clear in any literature, french nor english) we offered to simply go back to CDG Etoile with our ticket. Apparently we could not do this and the jobsworth inspectors demanded 25 euros each, before we bargained them down to 25 euros for us both (slightly corrupt from the outset).
To make it even worse, using the Metro to get to La Defense on the yellow line is fine.
We left Paris on a sour note as this was our last day before the train back to London.
Whats even worse is that i work for Transport for London and know fully well that you would only ever be charged the top up fare for making this mistake on the underground. ESPECIALLY if you%26#39;re a tourist.
Rant over.
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If you could walk to the Odeon metro stop or just up to rue Des Ecoles(NE corner), Bus 63 picks up there and drops off at Invalides. It also continues to Trocadero to Port Le Muette in the 16th. My favorite bus line! One ticket and right through the 6th.
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You can use the same tickets on the RER as on the Metro, but you will need to check that your ticket is good for the zones you travel through. The normal tickets are good for zones 1-2, AND the entire metro network (even if that stretches into zone 3 sometimes - like La Défense).
www.ratp.info/orienter/plan_plan_zone_pdf.php
Note that this map only shows the RER lines and stations.
As you can see, both Saint-Michel Notre-Dame and Invalides are in zone 1, so you can use a regular ticket (€1.50, or €1.11 if you buy a carnet).
It is well known that the RATP inspectors know no mercy - although it appears they%26#39;ve given one of the previous posters a break (only to be called %26quot;corrupt%26quot;...)
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so how do i know when to take the rer and when to take the metro?
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hannymom: which ever route has the fewest stops and or correspondances. if one RER will get you there, go for it. ie Notre Dame to the Eiffel tower. or if you have to take 2 metros and change lets say AT Chatelet (notorious for its blocks of walking between metros). go another way.
i would like to reinterate using the bus. there are lots of routes that from one side of the city to the next. Yes they take longer but you get to see and hear the city. Much better for the non-walkers.
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thank you, flashby, that makes sense. but are the rer stations and metro in the same place? also, do you use the same ticket for the bus as you would the metro?
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;so how do i know when to take the rer and when to take the metro?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
It will depend on where you%26#39;re going. You take the mode of transportation that getts you there quickest. Basically, the regular METRO is an inter-city mode of transportation, that with a few exteptions, primarily serves the confines of the City of Paris. The RER is primarily a mode of surburban transportation that serves the Greater Île de France....and in doing so, has numerous stations within and across Paris for this purpose.
For intra-city transportation, within the City of Paris (use the Périphérique--the %26#39;ring road%26#39;--that runs all around Paris as your %26#39;rough guide%26#39;) you can condsider the regular Metro as the %26#39;..local..%26#39; and the RER as the %26#39;..express..%26#39;, making fewer stops.....and so long as your destination is WITHIN the City of Paris, BOTH systems are completely interchangeable and transferable for the SAME ticket...or with the same Zone 1-2 transportation pass.
Simply looking at a Metro/RER system map will usually tell you which is the fastest and most direct route from wherever you are, to wherever you want to go.
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## When is was pointed out what we had done (it wasnt made clear in any literature, french nor english) ##
I%26#39;m sorry, but it /is/ made amply clear in RATP literature. For instance, it is made clear above the turnstiles that give access to the RER platforms : %26quot;ATTENTION RER TARIFICATION SPECIALE%26quot;.
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