There has been a lot of mixed information on the board about obtaining the Carte Orange for the Metro/RER/Bus in Paris.

I had no problems obtaining a carte orange for me and my girlfriend (03/2004). Just bring a photo of yourself -- I got mine free at the AAA office back in the US. If you don't have one just go to the photo booths in the Metro (but it will cost you 2 Euros). They'll cut it out to fit it on the ID. Just make sure you write your Carte Orange ID # on the Orange ticket they give you. If you're riding the bus, just get on the bus, no need to show it to anybody and definitely don't stick your ticket into the bus' ticket machine or it will mess up your ticket. Inspectors may or may not be on your bus, if they are, that's the only time you need to show someone your pass. If you don't have it you'll get an infraction.

I'd skip purchasing the paris Visite pass.
Carte Orange is a weekly pass that works from Monday - Sunday. You just need to tell them what Zones you want to purchase it for. I got mine for Zones 1-4, that way I could go out to versailles on the RER without purchasing more tickets. I think it was 24 Euros for carte orange zones 1-4. If you get less zones it will be cheaper.

Topping for katk

I'm leaving for Europe in two days and would like to know if you can buy it before Monday morning. I read in a guidebook that it's only available for purchase Mon.-Wed. mornings, but then read on this board that you could buy it beforehand. Is that true?

According to the RATP site you can buy a Carte Orange for the following week beginning Friday.

Hello, sonicwave, We have purchased the Carte Orange in Paris several times without incident. However, on our last visit (2000) we were told curtly, "For Paris residents only." We went to 2 other ticket offices only to be told the same thing. Finally we found a station where we purchased the card with no problem. So, if you encounter a problem on your first attempt, try at the next metro station.

Last May we bought Carte Orange on a Monday morning at the Metro in the Gare St. Lazare with ease.

It was one of the best purchases we have made. We were there ten days and had to buy a Pass(sp?) Viste for the last two days. - bummer.

We should have just bought a carnet :-B

To the best of my knowledge, the Carte Orange itself never expires. So if you got the Carte Orange in 2001, that is still valid and there is no need to get another...the carte orange being the picture id.

The weekly ticket can be purchased in the machines found in most stations so I don't understand why one could have bought it easily a couple of years ago and is now having a problem. Once you have the ID card, use the machine to get the weekly ticket.

I imagine someone had a problem another time simply because they didn't bring along their original Carte Orange ID card, and wanted a whole new set. I suppose if you just tried to buy the coupon from the clerk, rather than a machine, that could have happened, also, although less likely if you showed them your card.

The Carte Orange is not a weekly pass. It is an ID card, and you can buy either a weekly or monthly pass coupon to insert in it.

Although Ed learned that it wouldn't pay to buy a Paris Visite for two days, one could have also just bought a Mobilis all-day pass for each of those days (or the carnet of single tickets), which still would have been cheaper than a Paris Visite for two days.

I'm not sure Sheryl realizes that you can buy it before Monday morning for that week's use, but it won't be good before Monday.

interested in the mobilis-all day pass-(I haven't seen much about that) vs the carnet. Where do you get it, price, is it zone specific, does it cover the same Metro?RER/bus and anything else we need to know! Thanks

katk-

The mobilis is zone specific. Here is the link to it (in French only). You can buy it at any metro station, RER station. If you don't read French, try www.freetranslation.com:
http://www.citefutee.com/informer/forfait1j.php

This page will explain a good bit..
http://www.gisparis.com/paris/paris_subway.htm