The RER Line C5 suburban train runs from central Paris directly to the Versailles-Rive Gauche station, from which it's a 10-minute walk, or a shorter shuttle bus ride, to the Château de Versailles (map).

Here are tips for riding the RER.

Catch the RER Line C5 train in Paris at the Javel, Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel, Pont de l'Alma, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay, St-Michel-Notre Dame, or Gare d'Austerlitz RER stations, and make sure you're on a train going to "Versailles R.G."

The RER makes it easy for you: all RER trains have a four-letter code, and all trains going to Versailles start with the letter "V." More...

Trains run about every 15 minutes, and the trip takes just over 30 minutes.

Remember to keep your RER ticket until you are outside your arrival station—you will need your ticket to exit the station.

You can also take a regular SNCF train from the Gare St-Lazare to Versailles, at a similar cost, and with a similar travel time, to the Versailles-Rive Droite station. Or, from the Gare Montparnasse the train runs to Versailles-Chantiers. It is a somewhat longer walk from either of these stations to the Château (15-20 minutes), so if you have access to the RER Line C to Versailles-Rive Gauche, that is your best bet.

Here's how to get around within the vast confines of the huge Château de Versailles.