Who knows what is the current price of a 5-zone weekly pass with a Carte Orange? I'm trying to figure out our best deal for our Paris plans..Thanks janeos

And should we buy all the zones (5-8) for our 9 night visit to Paris?

Never mind how much it costs until we figure out what you need. Your optimum choice depends on several factors.

What dates do you arrive and depart, and how? By plane, train, or automobile? Will you ride the RER trains from and to airports?

Do you plan to go to Versailles and/or Disneyland? Or anywhere else outside the 20 <i>arrondissements</i> of Paris central zone?

Unless you're staying in one of the outer zones, I can't imagine why you'd buy all zones. I rarely find myself going to any of the outer districts.

Carte Orange weekly for zones 1 and 2 only is 16 euro. For zones 1 though 5 it is 31.50

Couple arrive Wednesday CDG, leave following Wednesday. So 5 zone CO would be good CDG on RER to midtown and for Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun travel within Paris. Then need carnet for Mon, Tues,; and finally each a single on RER back to CDG. Alternative is CO for zones 1 &amp; 2, one carnet, and 2 singles back and forth to CDG on RER. Just not absolutely sure we'll stick to zones 1 &amp; 2 during days in Paris...

A 5-zone CO doesn't make sense with only one airport trip that week.

A 2-zone @ 16&euro; and a single RER ticket from CDG @ 8,10&euro; would cost about 8&euro; less.

Unless, of course, you're going to Disneyland (Zone 5) or Versailles (Zone 4) or somesuch.

But I think you understand the principles very well. All the tariffs are at http://www.ratp.info/informer/tarif.php

I can't speak about how you enjoy Paris, but with that schedule I'd only buy carnets as I would not be getting my money's worth by Carte Orange (just four days). Some days we never ride the Metro or busses.

1 Wednesday
2 Thursday
3 Friday
4 Saturday
5 Sunday

If you ride the bus or M&eacute;tro more than 14 times in those 5 days, the <i>Carte Orange</i> wins. (14 x 1.09&euro; = 15.26&euro

And if you use RATP more than 5 times on either Monday or Tuesday, a <i>Mobilis</i> for that day would be more economical than single tickets. We use the bus a lot, and each stage would require a ticket - so we always get at least day passes.

Last year we were in Paris 10 days. We bought Carte Orange for the full week during that time and used carnets otherwise. Because we had the Carte we took transportation more than we usually would, but when we added it up, we had basically still only broken even compared to if we had used carnet tickets. Actually if we hadn't bought the Carte Orange we would have saved money because we simply wouldn't have bothered taking busses or metro for some of the short trips we did take.

But as I say, it's all about how you visit Paris. This year for our ten days, I doubt that we'll bother.

If you plan to get around Paris a lot during the first part of your stay, it might be just worth it to buy a Zone 1-2 Carte Orange as soon as you arrive. To break even, you'd have to take 3 trips per day for 5 days (including the Wednesday of your arrival). Note that the latest you can buy a Carte Orange for the week in progress is Wednesday (your arrival day). Since there are no transfers between metro and bus with a single ticket in a carnet, I could see that you might use 3-4 tickets per day each at the start of your visit. (Note: This assumes that you're not going to take the Hop-on Hop-Off bus during your first few days. If you do this, the bus will get you around town for most of what you want to accomplish and a Carte Orange would be a waste.)

For your second week, though, I'd recommend that you skip the Carte Orange and just buy carnets of tickets. You only have 3 days, one of which seems to be simply your trip back to CDG.

Paris is a very walkable city and much more compact than you would expect. Many of the museums and typical tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other, if you don't mind walking 15-20-30 minutes at a time. And, of course, wandering through the neighbourhoods, stopping for coffee at cafes, strolling through parks and crossing back forth over the Seine on the bridges is more than half of what Paris is about. My husband and I find that, on a typical Saturday when we have planned a museum visit, some window shopping and lunch, we only use 2-3 tickets per person. It's rare that we use 4 or more. (We live here, though, so we're not trying to cram everything into a week.) If you plan your itinerary so that you focus on things to see in adjacent arrondissements, I would also imagine that you'd only use 2-3 tickets per day.

Not to disagree with anything KateW has said, I might add that there are definitely circumstances where numerous tickets come into play:

Riding the <i>Balabus</i> up and down the river on a summer Sunday afternoon can consume a half-dozen or more.

A trip to Sacr&eacute; Coeur can use 5 if you include the to/from, <i>Montmartrobus</i>, and <i>funiculaire</i> both ways.

Buses are preferable to M&eacute;tro in most circumstances from a number of points of view, and (as has been pointed out before) they require one ticket per stage.

Walking for more than ten minutes is, in my opinion, a waste of your precious time in the city - so unless you like to just walk to soak in the ambiance, jump on a bus and ride (and sit down) even for a few blocks at a time.

Using a <i>Carte Orange</i> for a full 7-day week lowers the break-even to about two trips a day. Unless your hotel is within a 10-minute walk of <u>all</u> the things you want to see, buying a ride is a necessity.

Afterthought: if you have a <i>Carte Orange</i> and plan to ride the Batobus on the river, your pass gives you a preferential rate (4&euro; off a 1-day, etc.) Does not apply to <i>Mobilis</i>.

&quot;Walking for more than ten minutes is, in my opinion, a waste of your precious time in the city - so unless you like to just walk to soak in the ambiance. . . &quot;

That's what I mean about the difference in the way you enjoy Paris. I would never call walking in Paris a waste of time -- thankfully that's one place I'm never in a big rush to get from one place to anothr. Perhaps it would be different on a first trip if your goal is to check off a big list of &quot;must sees&quot;. &quot;Walking to soak in the ambiance&quot; is my greatest joy in Paris and I can do it for hours.

This seems to be a perennial debate and I think Patrick has hit it bang on - it depends on your style. When I first started visiting Paris and every penny counted I would actually sit down and tote up trip by trip fares and compare to the cost of a CO. After many visits, I have come to the point that I do buy a zone 1-2 Carte Orange if I will be there (and saying in town) all or most of the time of its validity, and use a carnet to fill in days on either side. Most often I at least break even on cost, but also find it very convenient. For first time visitors it is also a nice little souvenir.
Another thing I have learned is the joys of the bus system. Not only does it make your CO more &quot;worth it&quot; but it is a great way to get between places while seeing some sights in transit. More than once we have jumped off a bus when we saw something en route that was interesting. Metro is great for crosstown treks, but the bus can be fun. Check out http://goparis.about.com/od/transpor...nd_Buses_7.htm

Thanks everyone. I think we'll do the zone 1-2 CO, one carnet, and 2 singles back and forth on RER to CDG. The one thing none of you factored in is the ineffable cachet of pulling out your well-used Carte Orange and feeling like you are an habitue of Paris rather than a tourist. Thanks again Janeos

If you live in a hotel, you're probably a tourist (although you might also be a traveler or a well-heeled resident).

I avoid ineffable cachet like <i>la peste</i>.

Touche.

Could I jump into the dicussion and also ask advice on this same topic? I have never been to paris, and am a bit confused about the carte, carnet, mobilis and which you can use for all travel (bus, train, boat) and which you can use for multiple transfers?
My husband and I will be in Paris for a full 4.5 days and four nights. We do like to walk, but we have no problem jumping on transportation if it means we can get around to more places.

We plan on taking the train (or maybe bus??) from CDG to Paris. Our hotel is across from the Louvre. We do plan to make 1 day trip to Versailles but I think most of the things we want to do sound like they are in district 1 &amp; 2.
Any recommendations?

Here is an article titled &quot;Which M&eacute;tro pass should I buy&quot; which covers the basics: tinyurl.com/lqu4m

None of the passes are valid for water transport, but a <i>Carte Orange</i> qualifies you for a 4&euro; discount on a Batobus.com day pass.

If your 4.5 days begin on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, then a 5-Zone <i>Carte Orange</i> is the deal for you: back and forth to the airport and Versailles will practically break even - the bus and M&eacute;tro is gravy.

If you hit town later in the week, something else might work better. What are your dates?

If I may join.... My wife and I will arrive at CDG on a Sunday a take a train to LUX on the Friday....What do you think would work best for us. We will walk but want to move about also...Thanks for sharring all of your info.