How to:Metropass in France and bus in London...Italy?
May 31st, 2005, 09:50 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
How to:Metropass in France and bus in London...Italy?
Greetings:
I'm back seeking information for our UK, France, Italy honeymoon.
1)A coworker suggested that we get a metropass for/during our trip in Paris, which would include free admission to some of the museums and would go out to Versailles. Anyone have the where, how and how much on this? Is there anything similar in London and Rome (subway w/ discounts on mesuems or shows)?
2.) I was also was told that the hop on-off double-decker bus is the way to go in London. What's the where, how and how much on this?
3.) Anyone have any similar suggestions for Rome. I'd like to do these buses on day 1 in each city and then venture out and/or re-visit some of the places seen on the bus.
Thanks!
I'm back seeking information for our UK, France, Italy honeymoon.
1)A coworker suggested that we get a metropass for/during our trip in Paris, which would include free admission to some of the museums and would go out to Versailles. Anyone have the where, how and how much on this? Is there anything similar in London and Rome (subway w/ discounts on mesuems or shows)?
2.) I was also was told that the hop on-off double-decker bus is the way to go in London. What's the where, how and how much on this?
3.) Anyone have any similar suggestions for Rome. I'd like to do these buses on day 1 in each city and then venture out and/or re-visit some of the places seen on the bus.
Thanks!
May 31st, 2005, 09:56 AM
#2
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
1)
London and Paris have several transport passes, but none that include museum fees. What days of the week do you arrive and depart each city? How much public transit will you use per day?
2)
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34535187
http://www.bigbus.co.uk
http://www.theoriginaltour.com
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568214
http://www.paris-opentour.com/index_eng.htm
3)
http://infopoint.atac.roma.it/
London and Paris have several transport passes, but none that include museum fees. What days of the week do you arrive and depart each city? How much public transit will you use per day?
2)
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34535187
http://www.bigbus.co.uk
http://www.theoriginaltour.com
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568214
http://www.paris-opentour.com/index_eng.htm
3)
http://infopoint.atac.roma.it/
May 31st, 2005, 12:24 PM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hmm, but 2 people in my office said that they used a museum metropass (or "Museo-pass"
for admission to the museums and that there is a list of museums on/with the metropass route so that you'll know where to go. Perhaps I'm calling it the wrong thing?? I know that it is a train and not a bus.
for admission to the museums and that there is a list of museums on/with the metropass route so that you'll know where to go. Perhaps I'm calling it the wrong thing?? I know that it is a train and not a bus.
May 31st, 2005, 12:56 PM
#4
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In Paris, you can get a <i>Carte Musée</i> valid for entrance to 70 museums and art galleries.
<b>http://ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/Actuas/m&m/musetmonument.htm</b>
It is sold at Métro stations and many other places. The transport you choose depends on what days you arrive and leave, where you will visit, and how many times you will use it.
The London Pass is sold in conjunction with a Transport for London Visitor Travelcard (but there are better transit pass deals).
<b>http://www.londonpass.com/index_transport.asp</b>
<b>http://ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/Actuas/m&m/musetmonument.htm</b>
It is sold at Métro stations and many other places. The transport you choose depends on what days you arrive and leave, where you will visit, and how many times you will use it.
The London Pass is sold in conjunction with a Transport for London Visitor Travelcard (but there are better transit pass deals).
<b>http://www.londonpass.com/index_transport.asp</b>
May 31st, 2005, 01:26 PM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There is a Carte Paris Visite that gives discounts on some museums and works as a transportation card, but other than that there's no combination museum-transport card of any kind that I'm aware of. And you wouldn't take trains to get to most of the museums, unless you're counting the métro as trains.
Research the links Robespierre gave you and you should find what you need. It will be dependent on what days you'll be there and how much you think you're going to be using the métro and RER.
The museum pass is a separate entity and can be purchased at most large métro stops and at the musuems listed on it.
Research the links Robespierre gave you and you should find what you need. It will be dependent on what days you'll be there and how much you think you're going to be using the métro and RER.
The museum pass is a separate entity and can be purchased at most large métro stops and at the musuems listed on it.
May 31st, 2005, 01:54 PM
#6
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 328
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi:
I can only vouch for London & Paris and we obtained seperate passes for the Museums & Metro.
For London it was the 'London Pass' for museums (www.londonpass.com) & its available in 1-2-3-6 day increments and there is a visttor travel card option for the metro.
For Paris its the Carte Musee (http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/A...etmonument.htm) in 1-3-5 day increments and Paris Visite (www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/paris_visite.php) for metro 1-2-3-5 day increments.
I've liked keeping the Museum & Metro passes seperate, so say a 3-day museum pass & a 5-day metro pass so there is extra time to explore.
BTW - for Paris & London I purchased the tickets in advance via RailEurope (www.raileurope.com), but you can get them cheaper once you hit town, which is what I did for Budapest & Vienna.
Hope this helps.
Z
I can only vouch for London & Paris and we obtained seperate passes for the Museums & Metro.
For London it was the 'London Pass' for museums (www.londonpass.com) & its available in 1-2-3-6 day increments and there is a visttor travel card option for the metro.
For Paris its the Carte Musee (http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/A...etmonument.htm) in 1-3-5 day increments and Paris Visite (www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/paris_visite.php) for metro 1-2-3-5 day increments.
I've liked keeping the Museum & Metro passes seperate, so say a 3-day museum pass & a 5-day metro pass so there is extra time to explore.
BTW - for Paris & London I purchased the tickets in advance via RailEurope (www.raileurope.com), but you can get them cheaper once you hit town, which is what I did for Budapest & Vienna.
Hope this helps.
Z
May 31st, 2005, 05:24 PM
#10
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Because it's a rip-off. The daily cost of a 1, 2, 3, or 5-day card is €8.35, €6.85, €6.08, or €5.33, respectively.
A daily <i>Mobilis</i> card is €5.30
If your schedule permits it, you can buy a <i>Carte Orange</i>, which brings your daily cost for 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 days down to €5.13, €3.85, €3.08, €2.57, or €2.20
I know, I know, you get all those nifty coupons with a <i>PV</i>. But unless you use almost all of them you're still behind. They're mostly one-and-a-halfers.
There is only <u>one</u> good reason I can think of to buy a <i>Paris Visite</i>, and that's if you have a layover involving one or more airports. In this case, the <i>PV</i> will get you into town, all around, and to your outbound flight for €16.75 - and that's only €1.05 more than the RER fare.
A daily <i>Mobilis</i> card is €5.30
If your schedule permits it, you can buy a <i>Carte Orange</i>, which brings your daily cost for 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 days down to €5.13, €3.85, €3.08, €2.57, or €2.20
I know, I know, you get all those nifty coupons with a <i>PV</i>. But unless you use almost all of them you're still behind. They're mostly one-and-a-halfers.
There is only <u>one</u> good reason I can think of to buy a <i>Paris Visite</i>, and that's if you have a layover involving one or more airports. In this case, the <i>PV</i> will get you into town, all around, and to your outbound flight for €16.75 - and that's only €1.05 more than the RER fare.
May 31st, 2005, 06:02 PM
#11
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,873
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Also - it probably isn't a good idea to buy the London Pass either. Almost all major museums and galleries in London are free. Sure - you can get some benefit from the Pass, but for most people there are waaaaaaay more free sites than one could ever get to in a short vacation. The few "musts" that are covered by the London Pass (St Paul's, the Tower) don't cost as much as the Pass does.
And the travel option does not save much, if any, money. There are many travel passes/discounts that are better buys and only available after you are in London.
And the travel option does not save much, if any, money. There are many travel passes/discounts that are better buys and only available after you are in London.
May 31st, 2005, 08:57 PM
#13
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
> Because it's a rip-off.
Ummmh, OK. Paying that extra €0,03 per day for the convenience of only having to deal with one card vs. 5 cards, plus getting zones 1-3 with Paris Visite vs. zones 1-2 with Mobilis doesn't exactly qualify as a "rip-off" in my book. But then maybe I'm just too frivolous with my money.
Ummmh, OK. Paying that extra €0,03 per day for the convenience of only having to deal with one card vs. 5 cards, plus getting zones 1-3 with Paris Visite vs. zones 1-2 with Mobilis doesn't exactly qualify as a "rip-off" in my book. But then maybe I'm just too frivolous with my money.
Jun 1st, 2005, 03:03 AM
#14
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi RK,
All of the times we have visited Paris we have never had to buy more than 2 carnet (10 metro tickets 10E) for two people for a week.
The museum pass gets you past the very long lines to the shorter line of pass holders.
All of the times we have visited Paris we have never had to buy more than 2 carnet (10 metro tickets 10E) for two people for a week.
The museum pass gets you past the very long lines to the shorter line of pass holders.
Jun 1st, 2005, 06:46 AM
#15
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 328
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi:
I have to agree with Topcat, as I've always known that I paid a premium for getting the museum & metro passes in advance (in fact a 'double premium', as I ordered them via RailEurope).
But since my trips were for 'vacation' I wanted to use my time in these cities getting to see what I wanted to see, and I viewed the cost delta between -
a) the cheapest local fare (but standing in linueps while on 'vacation' to buy it) -VS-
b) paying a premium but getting the pass prior to leaving
... to be money well spent.
And many people must feel this way because RailEurope does a good business. I've used RailEurope's services 3 times now, while I've vowed everytime to never use them again because its cheaper to buy the stuff once in Europe. When it comes down to actually booking the trip I keep going back to them because I look at how much I'm spending to get to London-Paris-etc and then view that premium as a minor cost to arrive with the 'passes in hand'.
Just my opinion though.
Z
I have to agree with Topcat, as I've always known that I paid a premium for getting the museum & metro passes in advance (in fact a 'double premium', as I ordered them via RailEurope).
But since my trips were for 'vacation' I wanted to use my time in these cities getting to see what I wanted to see, and I viewed the cost delta between -
a) the cheapest local fare (but standing in linueps while on 'vacation' to buy it) -VS-
b) paying a premium but getting the pass prior to leaving
... to be money well spent.
And many people must feel this way because RailEurope does a good business. I've used RailEurope's services 3 times now, while I've vowed everytime to never use them again because its cheaper to buy the stuff once in Europe. When it comes down to actually booking the trip I keep going back to them because I look at how much I'm spending to get to London-Paris-etc and then view that premium as a minor cost to arrive with the 'passes in hand'.
Just my opinion though.
Z
Jun 1st, 2005, 08:08 AM
#16
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
topcat - your example, although gallantly contrived, smacks marginally of <i>reductio ad absurdum</i>. Because although it is technically correct, it doesn't happen often enough to matter.
First of all, it requires that you need <u>exactly</u> five days of RATP transport that overlap a weekend in a specific way. Any less than five is always cheaper with a daily <i>Mobilis</i> and/or a <i>Carte Orange</i>. And if you need to extend for one of those 5 days (<i>e.g.</i>, to Versailles or Disneyland), a 4- or 5-zone <i>Mobilis</i> for that one day wins, because with a <i>PV</i> you have to buy an entire ticket to the outlying zone.
If all five of your travel days happen to fall within a calendar week (Mon-Fri, Tue-Sat or Wed-Sun), your total cost will be €15.40 for a single <i>Carte Orange</i>. If you arrive on a Sunday, then a <i>Mobilis</i> for that day plus a <i>CO</i> adds up to €20.70
If your itinerary is Thu-Mon, Fri-Tue, or Sat-Wed, then <i>Paris Visite</i> isn't a lousy idea, (as long as you don't need the flexibility of <i>Mobilis</i
. But it <u>is</u> a lousy idea if you are under 26, because a <i>Ticket Jeunes</i> for Saturday and Sunday can be bought for €3.20 per day.
TravelMaster - you will likely need to wait for a train anyway, so the time spent buying tickets isn't usually wasted. If and only if you miss a train because you're buying tickets have you lost a few minutes of your precious vacation time. It usually takes me less than a minute to get what I need, as all the RATP products are sold in machines. I don't think I've ever missed the next train because I was buying tickets.
First of all, it requires that you need <u>exactly</u> five days of RATP transport that overlap a weekend in a specific way. Any less than five is always cheaper with a daily <i>Mobilis</i> and/or a <i>Carte Orange</i>. And if you need to extend for one of those 5 days (<i>e.g.</i>, to Versailles or Disneyland), a 4- or 5-zone <i>Mobilis</i> for that one day wins, because with a <i>PV</i> you have to buy an entire ticket to the outlying zone.
If all five of your travel days happen to fall within a calendar week (Mon-Fri, Tue-Sat or Wed-Sun), your total cost will be €15.40 for a single <i>Carte Orange</i>. If you arrive on a Sunday, then a <i>Mobilis</i> for that day plus a <i>CO</i> adds up to €20.70
If your itinerary is Thu-Mon, Fri-Tue, or Sat-Wed, then <i>Paris Visite</i> isn't a lousy idea, (as long as you don't need the flexibility of <i>Mobilis</i
. But it <u>is</u> a lousy idea if you are under 26, because a <i>Ticket Jeunes</i> for Saturday and Sunday can be bought for €3.20 per day.TravelMaster - you will likely need to wait for a train anyway, so the time spent buying tickets isn't usually wasted. If and only if you miss a train because you're buying tickets have you lost a few minutes of your precious vacation time. It usually takes me less than a minute to get what I need, as all the RATP products are sold in machines. I don't think I've ever missed the next train because I was buying tickets.
Jun 1st, 2005, 10:08 AM
#17
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
a. I do need exactly five days
b. The PV is not, AFAIK, limited to a specific sequence of days, but is rather for any five consecutive days. My itinerary does happen to be Friday through Tuesday.
c. I do not plan any trips outside zone 3
d. 26 is a long past age for me
No contrivance, just an observation of the facts as they apply to my particular circumstances. Quibbling over a few cents (or even a few euro) and calling it a "rip-off" is, IMHO, a bit of an exaggeration.
b. The PV is not, AFAIK, limited to a specific sequence of days, but is rather for any five consecutive days. My itinerary does happen to be Friday through Tuesday.
c. I do not plan any trips outside zone 3
d. 26 is a long past age for me
No contrivance, just an observation of the facts as they apply to my particular circumstances. Quibbling over a few cents (or even a few euro) and calling it a "rip-off" is, IMHO, a bit of an exaggeration.
Jun 1st, 2005, 12:43 PM
#18
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
a. I do need exactly five days <b>Good. You beat the odds.</b>
b. The PV is not, AFAIK, limited to a specific sequence of days, but is rather for any five consecutive days. <b>Never said it was.</b> My itinerary does happen to be Friday through Tuesday. <b>Fine. In your case, it's a wash.</b>
c. I do not plan any trips outside zone 3 <b>Great. My advice applies to those who do.</b>
d. 26 is a long past age for me <b>My comments are addressed to R_Ktravelers or anyone else who may qualify.</b>
No contrivance, just an observation of the facts as they apply to my particular circumstances. <b>Your particular circumstances are accounted for in my hypothetical. Quoting me, "If your itinerary is Thu-Mon, Fri-Tue, or Sat-Wed, then Paris Visite <u>isn't</u> a lousy idea, (as long as you don't need the flexibility of Mobilis)." That makes only three out of seven five-day itineraries that there isn't something cheaper.</b>
Quibbling over a few cents (or even a few euro) and calling it a "rip-off" is, IMHO, a bit of an exaggeration. <b>If it's matter of a few cents, you have my total agreement. But if it's several Euro (in the case of the 1,2,3-day cards) with no particular benefit, it begins to smell bad. And if you call the €10 difference between a <i>Carte Orange</i> and a <i>Paris Visite</i> "a few Euro" then we have to agree to disagree.
I travel with my wife and three boys. I could easily afford to throw €50 down the drain, but why should I?</b>
b. The PV is not, AFAIK, limited to a specific sequence of days, but is rather for any five consecutive days. <b>Never said it was.</b> My itinerary does happen to be Friday through Tuesday. <b>Fine. In your case, it's a wash.</b>
c. I do not plan any trips outside zone 3 <b>Great. My advice applies to those who do.</b>
d. 26 is a long past age for me
<b>My comments are addressed to R_Ktravelers or anyone else who may qualify.</b>No contrivance, just an observation of the facts as they apply to my particular circumstances. <b>Your particular circumstances are accounted for in my hypothetical. Quoting me, "If your itinerary is Thu-Mon, Fri-Tue, or Sat-Wed, then Paris Visite <u>isn't</u> a lousy idea, (as long as you don't need the flexibility of Mobilis)." That makes only three out of seven five-day itineraries that there isn't something cheaper.</b>
Quibbling over a few cents (or even a few euro) and calling it a "rip-off" is, IMHO, a bit of an exaggeration. <b>If it's matter of a few cents, you have my total agreement. But if it's several Euro (in the case of the 1,2,3-day cards) with no particular benefit, it begins to smell bad. And if you call the €10 difference between a <i>Carte Orange</i> and a <i>Paris Visite</i> "a few Euro" then we have to agree to disagree.
I travel with my wife and three boys. I could easily afford to throw €50 down the drain, but why should I?</b>
Jun 1st, 2005, 03:33 PM
#20
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 328
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After making my posting this morning, I asked my wife for input (as she's the real 'finance' person in the family, the one who actually has the MBA).
She related our trip to Paris in April to the trip she made to London last summer to visit a friend from university. Because she was visiting a friend, she didn't book all of the metro & museum tickets in advance - when arriving in London after 16 hours of travel and holding a 'wad' of currency she was unfamiliar with she had to find where to get the train, where to buy tickets, etc while suffering from jetlag. But when we arrived in Paris, while we still were jetlagged, we still had a 'wad' of currency we were unfamiliar with & this time didn't speak the language nor have a friend to call locally if we ran into problems - she liked the fact that we already had the metro & meseum tickets and didn't have to searchout where to get a better deal.
As she aptly put it, if I'd have asked her a month before we left for Paris if a $50us 'premium' was worth it to have the tickets purchased in advance she would have said no ... but if I'd have asked her the morning we arrived in Paris, 16 hours after we'd after we'd left the house (& 3am according to our 'body clocks') she'd have gladly paid more than a $50 'premium'.
BTW - when I was in Budapest in 2003 they didn't have an option to prepurchase the metro/mesuem pass so I bought it at the airport upon arrival. The pass was 14,000ft but I was unfamilliar with Hungarian currency, so when I took out the cash from the ATM at the airport I had wanted the equivalent of $200ud but I took out the equivalent of $2,000us. So when I paid for the pass I put 140,000ft on the counter, fortunatly the agent realized my error, took the top bill pushed the rest back to me & gave me change plus the passes - a less trustworthy agent could have made a nice profit that day at my expense.
Just my experiences ...
She related our trip to Paris in April to the trip she made to London last summer to visit a friend from university. Because she was visiting a friend, she didn't book all of the metro & museum tickets in advance - when arriving in London after 16 hours of travel and holding a 'wad' of currency she was unfamiliar with she had to find where to get the train, where to buy tickets, etc while suffering from jetlag. But when we arrived in Paris, while we still were jetlagged, we still had a 'wad' of currency we were unfamiliar with & this time didn't speak the language nor have a friend to call locally if we ran into problems - she liked the fact that we already had the metro & meseum tickets and didn't have to searchout where to get a better deal.
As she aptly put it, if I'd have asked her a month before we left for Paris if a $50us 'premium' was worth it to have the tickets purchased in advance she would have said no ... but if I'd have asked her the morning we arrived in Paris, 16 hours after we'd after we'd left the house (& 3am according to our 'body clocks') she'd have gladly paid more than a $50 'premium'.
BTW - when I was in Budapest in 2003 they didn't have an option to prepurchase the metro/mesuem pass so I bought it at the airport upon arrival. The pass was 14,000ft but I was unfamilliar with Hungarian currency, so when I took out the cash from the ATM at the airport I had wanted the equivalent of $200ud but I took out the equivalent of $2,000us. So when I paid for the pass I put 140,000ft on the counter, fortunatly the agent realized my error, took the top bill pushed the rest back to me & gave me change plus the passes - a less trustworthy agent could have made a nice profit that day at my expense.
Just my experiences ...
