Each RER line has a :
- A letter (A) which is presented in a circle with the color of
the line (Sometimes the letter is followed by a number indicating
a branch of the main line)
- A color (for line A the color is red)
The Direction you should
take when you get on the RER is designated by :
- 1. The line letter
- 2. The terminal
destination of the train... which is NOT necessarily the destination of the
train. Read on...
Some trains have their terminus BEFORE
the END of the line. RER lines have information boards on the platform
that clearly show
WHICH STOPS a train will make. Only get on a train for which YOUR STOP is
indicated.
- So, if you get on at Gare du Nord (M11on the grid map below) and want to travel to
Charles de Gaulle Etoile (C3) you would take line B (blue)
(or the green line D)
direction Robinson
or St Rémy-lès-Chevreuse (heading South).
- You would change to line A at Chatelet-les-Halles and take Direction "St
Germain-en-Laye, Cergy or Poissy (3 branch lines of A)" and get off at
Charles de Gaulle (the second stop).
- Just to make things interesting for you... you could also do the
same trip on the metro
line 2 with no changes. Up to you to decide...
The FREQUENCY of the RER varies. More frequent IN PARIS, about
every 3 to 5 minutes to 15 to 30 minutes as you get towards the outskirts
of Ile de France.
Frequency is highest during morning (7h00 to 9h00) and evening (17h00 to
20h00) rush hours. A little less during daytime and the least at night and
on Sundays.
General running times are from 5h00 to 1h00 (that's 1am), some lines run all
night. Check times here
TICKET PRICES for the RER WITHIN PARIS are identical to the
Metro. In other words you can go direct from the Etoile to the Gare de
Lyon in a few minutes with
one metro ticket on the RER (you could even precede and/or prolong this
trip on the metro or even another RER line so long as you do NOT leave the
underground train system). If you go BEYOND PARIS "intra-muros"
then there are special rates on the RER. This obviously depends on how far
you intend to
travel. Automatic ticket machines or a ticket counter can give you the
exact price and sell you a ticket.
- 1 Metro/RER (within Paris) ticket costs 1.70€ (as
of Jan. 2013)
- The price of a pack of 10 Metro/RER tickets is 13.30€ (a savings of about 27% over buying single tickets)
Now you're ready to explore Paris and the Suburbs. Frankly the RER
coupled with the Metro is the quickest
way to get around.
P.S. Remember you can get a special Paris RER and Metro Pass called Paris
It is perfect for visiting Paris and its regions and gives you access
to the buses the Metro and the RER within Paris.
If you're looking for transport options to Charles de Gaulle or Orly
Airport and which RER stations they visit click here :
Airport Shuttle
|
