On this page you will find the following information:

• General information about Metro, Bus and RER.
• How to get from the airports to Paris.
• Metro, RER and bus stops near la Sorbonne.
• Transportation between la Sorbonne and the University Residences.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT METRO, BUS AND RER.

The Metro, RER and Paris buses are run by the RATP, and you can find detailed information on their English Web page, and even more on their French Web page (www.ratp.fr). Here we will only summarise the essential information.

To travel on the RATP network, you must be in possession of a valid ticket at all times. This ticket must be validated in the turnstyles, found inside metro and RER stations. When boarding buses you must validate your ticket in a special machine, located near the driver in ordinary buses, or near the exit doors in double buses. There are sometimes controls, and if you do not have a validated ticket or a valid pass, you will be fined. Ordinary buses must be boarded in the front, double ones may be boarded through any door.

A single ticket can be used for the metro, RER and bus alike to any destination inside of Paris. For a journey within Paris, transfer is allowed between the metro and RER, but not on buses. So a single metro ticket will allow you to travel from

• any metro or RER station within Paris to any metro or RER station within Paris, or
• on any bus line within Paris (except for the PC line)

Types of tickets and some prices.

There are several types of tickets, and we will start with the ordinary metro ticket, which can be bought in any metro station, and sometimes in certain shops (usually tobacconists or newsagents; they display a special sign). A metro ticket costs 8F if you buy it individually. It is much more economical to buy a pack of 10 tickets ("carnet de tickets"), which costs 58F. Individual tickets can also be bought from the driver as you board the bus. Similarly, if you need a special ticket for the RER, then 10 individual tickets will be more expensive than a "carnet".

Another type of ticket is the "Carte Orange". This is a pass, which is valid for either a week (Carte Orange hebdomadaire) or a month (Carte Orange mensuelle). You choose a range (e.g., Zones 1-2), and the Carte Orange will allow you to travel using any means of public transportation within this area during a week (a month). We will give the information only about the weekly card, as you are unlikely to need the monthly one. Weekly Cartes Oranges are valid from Monday through Sunday, and can be bought from the Friday before to the Wednesday of the given week, in any metro or RER station. Price will of course depend on the range you choose. For zones 1-2 (Paris and near suburb), the weekly Carte Orange costs 85F. For zones 1-2-3 (Paris to Arcueil-Cachan or Bagneux), it costs 113F. There are two things you must pay attention to:

• The first time you buy a Carte Orange, they will give you a card, which you must fill out, and on which you need to put an ID picture. On the card, there is a sleeve where you put your Carte Orange. You will also need to write the number of your card on your Carte Orange stub. This is to prevent several people from using the same card, so the controllers are fairly strict on that. So you need to bring a (small) ID picture.
• You should not try to validate your Carte Orange in a bus, because it will erase the information on the magnetic strip. On ordinary buses, you show your card with the Carte Orange to the driver as you board, and on double buses you do nothing.

Times of operation

• Metro and RER start running early in the morning (5am, 5:30am); the last metro leaves the terminus at around 12:30am, the last RER leaves the center of Paris at around 12:40am.
• Ordinary buses run from 7:00am to 8:30pm, and do not run on Sundays and holidays. Lines 21, 27, 38, 63 (and many others) run until 12:30am and on Sundays and holidays.
• Night buses (called Noctambus) leave Châtelet every hour on the half hour (line J goes to Porte d'Orléans, line L goes to Bagneux). On Friday and Saturday nights, there are some additional night buses, e.g. to Porte d'Orléans.

More about buses

Parisian and suburban buses are easy to travel with. Each stop has its name written on it, and within the bus you have a map of the itinerary of the bus with all stops indicated, as well as the name of the streets. With the proper attention, you will be able to get out at the right place. In case of doubt, you can also ask your fellow passengers. To get the bus to stop at your stop, you will need to press a button before the bus reaches your stop (a red light saying "arret demande" will then light up in front).
Ordinary buses are boarded in front, and you need to either validate your ticket, or show your Carte Orange (or pass) to the driver as you board. Double buses can be boarded through any exit door, and you must validate your ticket at the machine near the door (do nothing if you have a Carte Orange or a pass). The exit doors do not automatically open, you need sometimes to push on a button to get them to open. These buttons are located either outside near the door when you want to get in, or inside near the exit when you want to get out.

More about the RER

Please keep your ticket until the end of your journey: you will need it to get out of the RER system (i.e., for a transfer towards the metro, or for exiting). RER trains do not stop at all the stations and the lines often branch. On the platform, hanging above eye-level, there are some electronic signs with the list of all stations. The lighted dots in front of the station names tell you at which stations the next train will stop.

HOW TO GET FROM CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT TO PARIS

You can also consult the "Aéroport de Paris" Website at www.adp.fr. There are several ways of reaching Paris from Charles de Gaulle airport. Sometimes Charles de Gaulle is referred to as "Roissy", which is the name of the town nearby. First note that there are two main terminals in Charles de Gaulle (on your airplane ticket it will be written CDG1 or CDG2), and they are quite distant from each other. There is also a third teminal, called T9, at which most charter flights land. There is a free shuttle between the terminals, and T9 and CDG1 are within walking distance.

By taxi. It will cost you between 200F and 300F, depending on the time and the day, and on your destination (evening and holidays are more expensive).

By Airport Shuttle.These are mini-vans running between Paris and Charles de Gaulle Airport, from 6am till 8pm. The cost is 89F per person for 2 or more persons, and 120F for a single person (45F for a child). You should reserve in advance, either through the Web (www.airportshuttle.fr), or by e-mail (ashuttle@club-internet.fr), or by phone (33 1 45 38 55 72). It is recommended to reserve at least 2 days in advance. Once you arrive at the airport, before collecting your luggage, you should phone them at 0800 50 56 10 (free number), and tell them you arrived. They will give you instructions on where to go to be picked up. You can also use this shuttle for your return flight.
Other shuttles of that type are: PariShuttle (www.Parishuttle.com, Parishuttle@aol.com), Paris Airports Service (www.magic.fr/pas, pas@magic.fr).

By RER. There are two RER stations (Charles de Gaulle 1, and Charles de Gaulle 2), from which you can reach Paris (and also Cachan or Bagneux). The ticket to Paris costs 49F (to Cachan or Bagneux a little more).
There is a free shuttle between terminals CDG1 or T9 and the RER station CDG1. The RER station CDG2 is within the terminal, however as this is a large terminal (with Halls A through F), there are free shuttles between the terminal and the RER station CDG2. The RER operates between 5am and midnight approximately, with a train every 15 minutes.
When you reach the RER station, you need to buy a ticket to your final destination. There are some machines but usually they do not work, so the only solution is to queue and buy your ticket at the booth. This ticket is also valid on the metro system, so you can tranfer between the RER and the metro. Count about an hour to reach the center of Paris.

By RoissyBus. RoissyBus is a bus between Charles de Gaulle airport and Opéra, which runs from 6am to 11pm, every 15 minutes. The ticket costs 48F. It leaves you near the Opéra metro station (more precisely, on rue Scribe), and is also very close to bus stops 21, 27, 68 (which go to the Sorbonne, Place d'Italie, Porte de Gentilly and Porte d'Orléans). Here is where you should board the bus:
CDG2: from Hall A or C go to gate 10 of Hall A; from Hall B or D, go to gate 12 of Hall D; from Hall F, go to gate 0.08 (arrival level). T9: in front of the terminal. CDG1: gate 30, arrival level.
This information may be out of date or inaccurate, and you should preferably consult the signs. Keywords to look for are: Opéra, Roissybus.

By Air France coaches. Air France runs coaches between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris. There are two lines, line 2 and line 4.
  - Line 2 "Étoile-Porte Maillot-Roissy CDG". Runs from 5:50 am till 11:00pm, every ten minutes. One way costs 60F. The stop at Étoile is located 1, avenue Carnot; the stop at Porte Maillot is on rue Gouvion Saint Cyr.
  - Line 4 "Montparnasse-Gare de Lyon-Roissy CDG". Runs from 7am till 9pm, every 30 minutes. One way costs 70F. The stop at Montparnasse is located on rue du Commandant Mouchotte, and the one in Gare de Lyon on Boulevard Diderot (probably near the station).
      The stops in CDG2 are in C exit 2 (for halls A,C), in B exit 1 (B and D), 0.07 for F; in CDG1 at exit 34. But preferably consult the signs.

HOW TO GET FROM ORLY AIRPORT TO PARIS

There are several ways of getting from Orly airport to Paris. In Orly there are two terminals, Sud and Ouest. International flights arrive in Orly Sud, and domestic flights in Orly Ouest. You can also consult the "Aéroport de Paris" Website at www.adp.fr.

By Taxi. It will cost you between 150F and 200F to reach the center of Paris.

By Airport Shuttle.These are mini-vans running between Paris and Orly Airport, from 6am till 8pm. The cost is 89F per person for 2 or more persons, and 120F for a single person (45F for a child). You should reserve in advance, either through the Web (go to www.airportshuttle.fr), or by e-mail (ashuttle@club-internet.fr, or by phone (33 1 45 38 55 72). It is recommended to reserve at least 2 days in advance. Once you arrive at the airport, before collecting your luggage, you should phone them at 0800 50 56 10 (free number), and tell them you arrived. They will give you instructions on where to go to be picked up. You can also you this shuttle for your return flight.
Other shuttles of that type are: PariShuttle (www.Parishuttle.com,Parishuttle@aol.com), Paris Airports Service (www.magic.fr/pas, pas@magic.fr).

By RER B. This service runs from 7am till 11pm, approximately every 15 minutes. One way costs 57F.
You first need to take "Orlyval", which will bring you to the RER stop Antony. From there you can reach easily Cachan (station Bagneux or Arcueil-Cachan), Cité Universitaire and la Sorbonne (station Luxembourg). You take Orlyval at exit W (Orly Sud) or K (Orly Ouest).

By RER C. This service runs from around 6am till around 11pm. One way costs 32.50F.
You first take an ADP shuttle (Orly Sud: Exit G, platform 1) which brings you to the RER stop Pont de Rungis-Aéroport d'Orly. From there you reach easily Saint-Michel. From Saint-Michel, you can transfer to the line B of the RER, or walk (uphill) to la Sorbonne.

By OrlyBus. These are buses, which run from 6am till 11pm, every 12 minutes. They bring you to Place Denfert-Rochereau. From there you can take the RER to either la Sorbonne, or to the University residences. There are also two metro lines. One way costs 35F. In Orly, you should board the bus in Orly at:
Orly Sud: Exit H, platform 4; Orly Ouest: Exit J, arrival level.
But this information may be out of date, and you should preferably consult the signs. Keywords to look for are: Denfert-Rochereau, Orlybus.

By Air France coaches. Air France runs coaches between Orly Airport and Montparnasse or Invalides. These run from 5:45am till 11pm, every 12 minutes. One way costs 45F. They can be boarded at:
Orly Sud: Exit K, platform 6; Orly Ouest: Exit D, arrival level.(But preferably follow the signs)
The Montparnasse stop is on rue du Commandant Mouchotte, and the Invalides stop is at the Air France Terminal on the "Esplanade des Invalides". From there you can take the RER line C.

By JetBus. These are buses which run between Orly Airport and the metro stop Villejuif-Claude Aragon (from which there is a direct line to "Place d'Italie", "Les Gobelins", "Place Monge" and "Jussieu"). They run every 15 minutes, from 6am till 10:15pm. One way costs 26.50F. They can be boarded at:
Orly Sud: Exit H, platform 2; Orly Ouest: Exit C, arrival level.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEAR LA SORBONNE.

1 - Métro. There are two metro stops nearby: Saint-Michel (on line 4), and Cluny-La Sorbonne (on line 10). To reach the Sorbonne, you take "Boulevard Saint Michel uphill" (odd numbers on your left), until you reach "Place de la Sorbonne", where you go left, then straight to the big building in front of you: this is la Sorbonne.
2 - RER. The closest RER stop is "Luxembourg", however "Saint-Michel" is not far either. From Saint Michel station, take the Boulevard Saint Michel (left of the big fountain) and follow the instructions given above. From Luxembourg, go down "Boulevard Saint Michel" (odd numbers on your right), until you reach "Place de la Sorbonne", where you go right, then straight to the big building in front of you: this is la Sorbonne.
3 - Buses. Many buses stop nearby: 63, 86, 87 (get off at "Cluny"); 21, 27, 38 (get off at "Les Écoles"). Take the Boulevard Saint Michel uphill and follow the instructions given in 1. We recommend that, as you get off buses 63, 86, 87, you take a look at the area map at the stop, which will tell you where to board the bus in the other direction.

TO GET TO CITÉ UNIVERSITAIRE, AND FROM CITÉ UNIVERSITAIRE TO LA SORBONNE.

The easiest way to get to Cité Universitaire from the airports is to take the RER B, in the direction of "Robinson/Saint Rémy les Chevreuses", and get off at "Cité Universitaire." The RER stop is opposite the main entrance of the Cité Universitaire.
To get there from la Sorbonne, you have several options. Either the RER B, as above. There are also several bus lines: the 21 takes you to Porte de Gentilly, the 38 takes you to Porte d'Orléans. There is also a direct metro line from Saint-Michel to Porte d'Orléans. If you miss the last RER or metro, there are also night buses every hour on the half hour (Noctambus line J).

To go from Cité Universitaire to la Sorbonne, you can take the RER B (direction Charles de Gaulle/Mitry-Claye), and get off at Luxembourg. From there it is a 5 minutes walk to la Sorbonne, downhill on the Boulevard Saint-Michel. You can also get off at Saint-Michel, but it is then a 10 minute walk uphill.
There are also two bus lines (21 starting at Porte de Gentilly and 38 starting at Porte d'Orléans, get off at "Les Écoles"), and a direct metro line from Porte d'Orléans to Saint-Michel.

See also some information about check-in and location of the houses within the Cité Universitaire, by clicking here.

TO GET TO CACHAN, AND FROM CACHAN TO LA SORBONNE.

The only (reasonnable) public transportation between Cachan and Paris is by the RER B (direction "Robinson/Saint Rémy les Chevreuses" to go South, and Charles de Gaulle/Mitry-Claye to go North). There are two RER stations near the residence: "Bagneux" and "Arcueil-Cachan", and it is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Bagneux RER station to the residence. Between the Arcueil-Cachan RER station and the residence, you also have a bus (line 187, runs in the evenings and on Sundays). To reach the residence, take the bus 187 in the direction "Charcot-Zola", get off at "Division Leclerc-Camille Desmoulins"; this is directly opposite the entrance 60 rue Camille Desmoulins, where you have the "Porterie". To get to the RER, take the bus 187 in the direction "Porte d'Orléans", and get off at "Arcueil-Cachan RER". You can find detailed instructions on check-in and itineraries by clicking here.
The last RER train from Châtelet to Bagneux leaves at around 12:45 am, and there are also night buses every hour (on the half hour; Noctambus line L). The cost of an RER ticket to Bagneux is 9.50F; we recommend that you buy a "carnet de tickets", which has 10 tickets and costs 76F. The "Carte Orange hebdomaire Zones 1-2-3" costs 113F, see above for information about Cartes Oranges.

Updated on July 3, 2000.