There is no direct train from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Versailles. The cheapest way is the RER B into central Paris, then a change to the RER C out to Versailles Château Rive-Gauche, the station closest to the Palace. That takes about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 and costs roughly €11 to €12 on a single ticket. If you are carrying luggage or want the fastest door-to-door option, a pre-booked private transfer covers the 45 km in about 50 minutes. One thing to settle before anything else: the Palace is closed on Mondays, so plan your day around that.

Here is how the main options compare in 2026:

  • RER B + RER C: about 1h20 to 1h30, around €11 to €12. Cheapest, but one change and a short walk in central Paris.
  • Private transfer: about 50 minutes door to door, fixed price agreed in advance, no changes with luggage.
  • Taxi: about 50 to 60 minutes, metered, roughly €94 to €112 depending on traffic.

Why there is no direct train from CDG to Versailles

CDG sits northeast of Paris, in Roissy-en-France. Versailles lies southwest of the city, about 45 km away on the far side of the region. The RER B serves the airport and runs north to south through the centre; the RER C, which serves Versailles, follows the Seine and heads out to the west. The two lines never meet at the airport, so every rail route has to pass through central Paris and needs at least one change. There is also no dedicated airport-to-Versailles shuttle bus. That is why a trip that looks short on a map takes well over an hour on the train.

What is the cheapest way to get from CDG to Versailles?

Public transport, by a wide margin. Take the RER B from either airport station, Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1 or Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV, toward Paris. Stay on it as far as Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame, then change to the RER C signed for Versailles Château Rive-Gauche. Check the destination board carefully: not every RER C train ends at Château Rive-Gauche, and you want that stop specifically. It leaves you about a 10-minute walk from the Palace gates, whereas Versailles-Chantiers and Versailles Rive-Droite drop you further out across town.

The whole trip is covered by one Île-de-France ticket for zones 1 to 5, around €11 to €12 as of 2026. Buy it from the machines at the airport station before you board, and keep it until you exit, because the RER barriers check it on the way out as well as in. If you already hold a Navigo travel pass that covers the zones, it works for the full route. Trains leave the airport every 20 minutes or so, and the ride runs about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 once you count the change. For the airport leg, the official guidance on catching the RER B is on Paris Aéroport's RER B page, and live RER C times are on Transilien. Our Paris airport train guide covers RER B tickets and service quirks in more detail.

Is a private transfer or taxi worth it?

If you are heading to Versailles straight off a flight with luggage, the change at Saint-Michel is the weak point: stairs, crowds, and nowhere convenient to leave bags once you reach the town. There is no large left-luggage facility at the Palace, so plan around whatever you are carrying. Two door-to-door options remove that problem.

A private transfer is the most predictable. You book ahead through a service such as GetTransfer.com, a driver meets you in the arrivals hall, and the fare is agreed before you ride, so traffic does not change what you pay. Door to door it runs about 50 minutes in light conditions, with no line changes and space for suitcases. It tends to make sense for families, for early or late arrivals, and whenever an hour of hauling bags across Paris is worth more to you than the saving on a train ticket.

A taxi works on demand, but the meter sets the fare, since CDG to Versailles is not one of the fixed-price airport routes (those flat fares only cover trips between an airport and central Paris). Our Paris airport taxi guide lists a typical CDG to Versailles fare of about €94 to €112, with a ride of 50 to 60 minutes. For how booking a private car works and what it includes, see our Paris airport transfers page.

When is the Palace open, and the Monday trap

This is the detail that catches the most first-time visitors: the Palace of Versailles is closed every Monday, along with 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Arrive on a Monday expecting the State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors, and you will find the Palace shut. The Estate grounds and gardens stay open daily and are free to walk on most days, so a Monday is not wasted, but it is the wrong day for the Palace itself.

In the high season, 1 April to 31 October, the Palace opens 9:00 to 18:30 with last entry at 18:00, and the gardens open from 7:00. In the low season, 1 November to 31 March, the Palace runs 9:00 to 17:30 with last entry at 17:00. The quietest days are Tuesday to Thursday, and the calmest months are April to May and September to October. The gardens are free to enter on most days, though Versailles charges for them on the summer dates when the Musical Fountains shows run, so check the calendar if a fountain display is what you came for. Timed-entry tickets sell out on busy summer dates, so book ahead rather than turning up at the gate. You can confirm the current calendar and buy entry on the official Château de Versailles visit page, and guided tours or skip-the-line slots can be arranged through GetExperience.com if you would rather have your time and a guide set in advance.

How much time should you allow?

Plan the travel and the visit as one block. The train alone is about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 each way, and the Palace with its gardens realistically needs 3 to 4 hours to see without rushing. Add the entry queue if you have not booked a timed slot. Coming straight from the airport, that fills a full day, so landing and trying to fly out the same evening leaves very little margin. If you only have a few hours, make the State Apartments and the gardens the priority; the Trianon palaces and Marie-Antoinette's Estate, which open from midday, are the easiest parts to skip on a tight schedule.

If your flight arrives in the morning and you want Versailles that day, a private transfer buys back the most time and spares you moving luggage through two RER lines. If you are on a budget with light bags, the RER route is perfectly fine, just start early and keep clear of Monday. Families lining up the region's big day trips often pair Versailles with a separate visit to Disneyland Paris, and our CDG to Disneyland guide covers that route.

The short version: the RER B plus RER C is the cheapest way at around €11 to €12 and roughly an hour and a half, a private transfer is fastest and easiest with luggage at about 50 minutes, and a taxi sits between them on price. Whichever you pick, choose a day other than Monday and book your Palace entry ahead in summer, and the trip from CDG to Versailles is straightforward.