RER tickets in Paris. RER in Paris. High-speed electric trains RER

To enlarge the RER diagram, click on the image below:

RER (French Réseau Express Regional) is a system of high-speed commuter trains with a length of 587 km, to some extent analogous Russian electric trains. It is with the help of the RER that you can get from the airport to Paris and back, as well as quickly and easily get to Disneyland and Versailles.

A to E: RER directions

The RER system consists of five main areas. Each line is named by a letter of the alphabet (A, B, C, D, E) and has its own color:

Line A
Starts from Gare de Lyon, then crosses the La Défense quarter and Place des Stars. In the opposite direction it splits into two branches: to Disneyland and to Boissy-Saint-Léger.
Line B
IN southwest direction connects to one of the two airports, Orly, and also passes through Gare du Nord, Boulevard Saint Michel and the famous Notre Dame. In the direction from north to east it is divided into two branches: to Mitri and to CDG airport(Charles de Gaulle).
Line C
It runs from north to south and is rightfully considered the most confusing RER line, as it has many branches and intersections. It is important for tourists to know that it is the road that leads to the Austerlitz train station, Versailles (Parc et château de Versailles) and Orly airport.
Line D
It also goes from north to south. Within Paris, the RER stops at Gare de Lyon and Gare du Nord. There are transfers on lines A and B.
Line E
It starts in the north of the capital, then goes east and south to the suburbs. The line continues to be completed.

Basic RER tariffs

The main thing you need to know about RER tickets is that their cost depends on the zones, of which there are five in Paris. Zone 1 is the city itself, zones 2 and 3 are the surrounding area, zone 4 is Versailles and Orly airport, and zone 5 is CDG airport and Disneyland. The sixth zone borders other regions of France.

So, let's look at the main tariffs for the RER.

Firstly, you can buy regular ticket, which is valid for all types of transport. It costs 1.70 euros and is valid in zones 1-3. Tickets to the suburbs are more expensive and are purchased specifically for the RER.

Secondly, this carne(French carnet) - a “book” of 10 tickets. Such a set costs much less than individual tickets, and will cost more than 12 euros for an adult fare and 6 euros for a child’s fare.

Thirdly, if you plan to travel a lot, it makes sense to purchase a Paris Pass or Paris Visite, which includes not only the cost of trips by metro and RER, but also entry tickets to more than 50 museums in Paris. Here tariff plan Paris Visite cards:

1 day: 9.30 euros in zones 1-3 or 19.60 euros in zones 1-6;
2 days: 15.20 euros in zones 1-3 or 29.90 euros in zones 1-6;
3 days: 20.70 euros in zones 1-3 or 41.90 euros in zones 1-6.

RER and metro: what is the difference

The route of these trains runs both outside the city and within it, which is why some people confuse the RER with the metro. In fact, these are completely different things.

First of all, the RER electric train system covers large area than the metro: not only almost the whole of Paris, but also its surroundings, for example, Ile-de-France, as well as the two main airports. The RER has more than 250 stations, of which only 33 are located within the city.

In addition, metro stations are more frequent and shorter, whereas the RER is still just trains. You can only get confused in the center, where the metro network overlaps the RER network, and some stations are combined.

RER - very comfortable view transport, as it will take you not only to any area of the capital, but also to the airport, Disneyland and the suburbs. In addition, using the RER is no more difficult than using the regular metro.

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You can buy a ticket for the RER from a special machine, which is located at each station. Most often, several of them are installed for the convenience of users.

Purchase instructions:

1) Select “buy tickets or coupons”
Acheter des tickets, coupons.

2) Then choose to purchase a ticket for the Ile-de-France region
Billets Ile-de-France, RATR, SNCF
Autres coupons, Aeroports

3) The menu shows what you can buy

1. One ticket for the Ile-de-France region from this current station
2. Set (carnet) of 10 tickets, departure from the current station
3. Set of 10 tickets + metro, bus, tram
4. Ticket to Charles de Gaulle airport
5. Carnet to Charles de Gaulle airport
And some other tickets

4) If you need to go somewhere once, then it is best to choose the first option
Billets Region Ile de France – Au départ de cette gare

Examples:

Versailles-Rive Gauche-Château - palace and parks of Versailles.
Marne-la-Vallee - Disneyland
Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 Terminal - Charles de Gaulle Airport, Terminal 2. From the same station there are buses to Parc Asterix.
Antony - RER station from which you need to change to the OrlyVal light rail metro to get to Orly Airport
Malmaison is the palace of Empress Josephine.
Plaine Stade de France - stadium of the Stade de France.

6) And select the final station. There is usually one train station and one RER station in the suburb, but it is better to check the information on the map. You can download the RER map from the link on the official website.

7) Then you need to choose a tariff; there are two options: for an adult and for a child under 10 years old.
Plain Tariff -full tariff; T. réduit, cartes de réduction, 10 ans - ticket for children under 10 years old.
After this, the cost of the ticket will be visible and you can buy it.

You must keep your ticket with you throughout your trip. Validators are located both at the entrance and at the exit
It is best to buy two tickets in both directions at once; very often at a station near which famous attractions are located, there is a long queue at the machines
Kiosks most often accept either coins or cards; it is very difficult to find one that accepts paper money, so it is better to stock up on change in advance.
It is best to study all the information yourself and buy a ticket yourself, rather than relying on the help of people near the terminal. Very often there are scammers who charge an inflated amount and sell tickets to the wrong destination. It will be difficult for a person who is faced with buying a ticket for the first time to detect fraud.

Under the short abbreviation RER Paris lies a high-speed system public transport. This is something between the light metro and commuter trains. RER trains in Paris serve more than 2 million people every day.

Place of RER in the transport system

High-speed trains connect Paris with its suburbs. The RER provides access to airports and major attractions in the vicinity of the French capital. For example, high speed trains go from Paris to Disneyland, to Charles de Gaulle airport, to Versailles.

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This transport system Construction began in 1961, and the first trains were launched in 1969. But in the center of Paris, the eastern and western sections of Line A were connected only in 1977. Currently, the RER scheme includes 5 lines and 257 stations, 33 of which are located within the city.

The metro and RER are part of the unified transport system in Paris. The metro card includes and commuter service. All RER lines in Paris have several junction stations where you can change to the subway. It is worth noting that high-speed trains run faster than underground trains. This is because the RER lines are more direct and the stations are located at a greater distance from each other than in the metro.

The Paris RER A line runs from northeast to southwest through La Défense, Place Charles de Gaulle and Gare le Lyone. It is marked in red in the diagram. After passing Vincennes in the east, the line splits into two branches: one goes to Boissy-Saint-Léger, and the other goes to Disneyland and then to Chessy.

Paris Metro

Line B travels from northeast to southwest through Notre-Dame and Gare du Nord. It can be distinguished by the blue color in the diagram. In the north, the line passes through the city of Saint-Denis in the suburbs of Paris and bifurcates into two branches. One leads to Charles de Gaulle airport, and the other to Mitry. Heading south, you can reach another airport - Orly. To do this, you need to get to Antoni station and change to the automatic metro.

Line C runs from north to south and is highlighted in yellow. It has a non-standard configuration, forming a closed circle in the center. Within the city, the line runs along the Seine embankment, repeating its outline. The line passes through Les Invalides and the Gare d'Austerlitz. Moving south you can reach Versailles and Gare d'Austerlitz.

Line D also stretched along the meridian. It is green in the diagram. This line passes through two stations:

Gare du Nord in Paris
in Paris

The lilac line E is the smallest. It serves the north-east direction of Paris and passes through the Saint-Lazare train station.

Fare payment

The first problem that every Parisian RER guest faces is how to buy a ticket. This is not difficult: they are sold at ticket offices and terminals located at the entrance to the station. When entering, it must be inserted into the turnstile. You must keep your RER ticket until the end of your trip, as you will need it when transferring and exiting.

Paris metro map

The fare depends on the distance of the trip. There are 6 zones in total. Within the city limits, a single ticket is valid for all types of transport. Its price is 1.70 euros. It is valid on the RER, on buses and trams, and on the metro in Paris. In this case, all transfers must be made within 1.5 hours.
Those who want to save money should purchase a book of 10 tickets at once. It costs 12 euros for adults and half that for children. The Paris Pass and Paris Visite cards have been developed especially for tourists, which include not only payment for public transport, but also free access to museums.

For example, a 1-day Paris Pass for zones 1-3 costs 9.30 euros, and for zones 1-6 it costs 19.60 euros.

RER train lines (R?seau Express R?gional d'?le-de-France - Regional High Speed Network of Ile-de-France) pass under the entire city and connect Paris with the surrounding historical Ile-de-France. RER trains in Paris are very reminiscent of domestic ones suburban electric trains

, only much cleaner and more comfortable. Outside of Paris, they run on the surface like ordinary trains, and only inside the city limits they dive underground. And they dive very deep. Unlike the conventional metro, which runs just below the foundations and, as a result, repeats the entire Parisian topography, the RER lines in Paris are laid at a depth of up to 100 meters. They are no longer hampered by city communications, so the crossings have become direct and the distance has been shortened.

There are a total of 257 stations in the RER system. Only 33 of them are located in Paris. In several places there are transfer terminals from metro stations to RER stations. In many cases, traveling around Paris is much faster and more profitable on these trains. First of all, these are transfers from airports and. Trains to Versailles and Disneyland are no less popular. The interior of the RER train going to Versailles is painted in the style of this museum.

The RER includes 5 lines: Line A.

Gare de Lyon – Place des Stars – La Défense quarter. In the opposite direction, the line bifurcates into two directions - Chessy (this is where Disneyland is located) and Boissy-Saint-Léger. Line B.

The mini-metro is connected to Orly airport at Anthony station, then passes through the university town, Boulevard Saint-Michel, Notre Dame, Gare du Nord, Saint-Denis, and then bifurcates towards Charles de Gaulle airport and the suburb of Mitry. Line S.

The most confusing one. It has two internal circuits and many branches. It is important for tourists to remember that Versailles, Orly airport, Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois, Austerlitz station and the Orsay museum lie on it. Line D.

Within the city limits it stops at the Northern and Lyon stations and transfers to lines A and D. Line E.

It goes from the Saint-Lazare train station outside the city. Construction of the line has not been completed.
The difficulty of using this transport is whether trains of different lines arrive on the same platform, with different terminal stations on the same line, stopping at all stations, or not. Requires constant attention to electronic scoreboard and signs so as not to end up in, for example, Versailles, in Dourdan.

There are several unusual nuances for our tourists when using the RER. Firstly, there is no need to throw away your ticket until you reach the surface - there are turnstiles at the exit as well. Secondly, the doors do not open automatically, but only by pressing a button next to it. Thirdly, there are no fewer scammers in Paris than in Moscow, and selling counterfeit tickets is their profitable business. Buy train tickets only at ticket offices or ticket machines.

There are 33 RER stations in Paris. Considering that there are 257 stations in total, this number cannot be underestimated. Fewer stops mean getting around Paris faster. Within the city limits, you can transfer from the metro to the RER train using all routes, including a one-time ticket ticket+. The transfer will be convenient, since the RER lines also run underground. A one-time ticket must be kept from the beginning of the trip until the end. At the exit, the ticket will need to be passed through a turnstile, which reads the information.

If you are going outside of Paris, then you need to use either a Navigo travel pass, which is valid for all destinations without exception, or purchase separate ticket Ticket desination. Young people can also benefit discount ticket. I have laid out the information about tickets and travel cards very briefly and clearly; I will not repeat myself.

RER is a high-speed commuter train. There are 5 lines in total.

Line A originates from the Gare de Lyon, crossing the La Défense quarter and Place des Stars. IN reverse direction this line splits into two branches: to Disneyland and to Boissy-Saint-Léger.
Line B, following a south-westerly direction, it passes through Orly airport and Gare du Nord, Boulevard San Michel and Cathedral Notre Dame. Running from north to east, this line diverges into two branches: to Mitry and to Charles de Gaulle airport.
Line C laid from north to south, it has gained fame as the most confusing line of the RER, due to the fact that it consists of many branches and intersections. Travelers will find it helpful to know that it leads to Versailles, Gare d'Austerlitz and Orly Airport.
Line D also runs from north to south. Within the city, RER trains stop at Lyon and Northern stations, where transfer areas are equipped for lines A and B.
Line E It starts in the north of the capital, then goes east and south, to the suburban areas. Line E continues to be completed.

Taking advantage by land transport You need to remember that the doors do not always open automatically, so you need to follow the information board and when approaching the desired station, press the special button at the doors of the train.

Within the first transport zone, that is, within Paris, travel is carried out at the fare ticket+ = 1.90 per 90 minutes. To the suburbs of Paris, buy an Origin destination ticket.

RER circuit in Paris

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