RER C map
Beware of Pickpockets
Pickpockets are unfortunately very well implemented on the Parisian metro network. Around 100 new snatching cases are held by the police in Paris every day. That doesn’t mean that you should be worried nor avoid taking the metro, but you should be extremely careful, more than you usually are. Having a wallet or a phone stolen while traveling on a metro line in Paris without noticing it on the moment, is something that happens many times a day, so you should take your precautions to not be the next victim. The parisian police highly recommends to travel with anti-theft bags. Those bags are manufactured in a way that it makes it very different to open them quickly to take what is inside. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for the pickpockets to deal with those bags. Different sizes are available, from the backpacks (available here), to the handbags (here is how it looks like) or shoulder bags (example here).
RER C Overview
RER C crosses Paris from the north-west to the south. It connects the city of Pontoise in the north, to Versailles, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Dourdan-la-Forêt and Saint-Martin-d´Étampes in the south, through the city center of Paris.
Inaugurated in 1980, over 500 trains are running daily over the 187 kilometers of the line. Around 500,000 passengers also use the RER C every day.
Tourist attractions on RER C
RER C is known for serving some of the most beautiful monuments in Paris and around the city. It is the only line serving the Palace of Versailles, which is located 20 kilometers away from the city center of Paris. Many sites located around the river inside the boarders of the French capital are also accessible with RER C.
- You can visit the Palace of Versailles, which was the royal residency of Louis XVI, from Versailles-Château / Rive-Gauche station. It is located 500 meters away from the RER C station, a quick walk is therefore needed to get there.
- The Eiffel Tower is also served by RER C, with station Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel. The metro station is located on the Champ de Mars side, you will therefore need to cross the river to reach the Trocadéro square.
- Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the most beautiful gothic church building in the world, is served by station Saint-Michel – Notre-Dame.
Palace of Versailles
Visit Palace of Versailles for Free
Eiffel Tower
Notre-Dame Cathedral
RER C stations
As the RER C line is follows the river inside the boarders of Paris, it does not serve the exact centre of the city and the big interchange stations. However, many major tourist and transportation locations are situated on the line.
- Versailles – Château / Rive-Gauche station serves the beautiful Palace of Versailles. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes from the center of Paris.
- Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel station is located just next to the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars garden side.
- Invalides RER station serves the palace of Invalides, where the tomb of Napoléon is located, and the national Museum of Army.
- Saint-Michel – Notre-Dame station is located just next to Notre-Dame Cathedral. It is know for the terrorist attack which occured in 1995 where 8 people died and 80 were wounded.
- Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand station serves the French national library which holds the name of the former French president.
- Pont de Rungis – Aéroport d’Orly station is connected to a bus line which serves Orly airport in a few minutes.
Airports and Train Stations on RER C
- Orly airport is located 3 kilometers away from the station Pont de Rungis – Aéroport d’Orly. There is a bus connection from the RER C station to the airport. You can check here the different possibilities to reach Paris from Orly airport.
- Train station Gare d’Austerlitz, where you can take a train to the south-west of France, to Bordeaux in particular, is located on RER C line.
Orly Airport
Metro lines connected to RER C
- Metro 13 at Porte de Clichy.
- Metro 3 at Pereire – Levallois.
- Metro 1 at Neuilly – Porte Maillot.
- Metro 9 at Boulainvilliers.
- Metro 10 at Javel.
- Metro 6 at Champs de Mars – Tour Eiffel.
- Metro 8 and metro 13 at Invalides.
- Metro 4, metro 10 and RER B at Saint-Michel – Notre Dame.
- Metro 5 and metro 10 at Paris – Austerlitz.
- Metro 14 at Bibliothèque François Mitterrand.
RER C Ticket price
If you take the RER C within the borders of Paris, then the standard metro ticket price applies, €2.15. However, be careful, you will have to pay more if you travel outside of Paris. A ticket from Paris to the Palace of Versailles, for example, costs €4.15.
TIP : Use The 4 Day Paris All-Inclusive Pass and get FREE entrance to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Palace of Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe, 1 day hop-on, hop-off Paris bus tour, a Seine river cruise, a French wine tasting in the Louvre cellar and many other activities. You would pay much more if you would buy the tickets for those attractions separately.
RER C schedule
You can check the RER C line timetable on the site of Transilien.