uscTrojans

I have read from other posts that the Carte Orange can only be purchased from Friday to Wednesday for the week. For example, to be used on the upcoming Sunday, it can be purchased on the Friday before the Sunday until Wednesday of that week.

If I am to arrive in Paris on Friday, much too late to meet the Wednesday deadline for that week...what is the best option for public transportation (in terms of cost savings)? A carnet, mobil, or the visitor's visite for 3 days until we can use the Carte on Monday. We will in Paris from 9/16-9/23. And we need a zone 5 pass since we are staying next to Disneyland. Thanks all!!!!

tod

Referring to my Travel Guide the Carte Orange is a ONE MONTH card for all zones. My travel agent has given me a Carte Paris Visite which they tell me covers 3 zones and is for a week, so I will just buy a ticket for the RER from CDG(zone 5) to Gare de Noord when I land. Lets hope you (and I) get some expert advice from someone who really knows.

Margie

Tod: The carte orange is a 7 day pass, you choose the number of zones you want it to cover and it's priced accordingly. Despite what you will might hear about the pass being available only to Parisian's, anyone can buy a Carte Orange. You will need a small, passport style photo to attach to the pass (about 1 1/8" in height). You can bring one from home or buy one at the metro station (providing you are at a station with a working photo booth).
The Carte Orange passes are valid for unlimited rides on the RATP system.

uscTrojans, I'll let someone with a bit more knowledge address which ticket for you to use for Friday - Sunday. Will you be commuting to Paris on those days or will you be spending time at Disney?

melissa19

i'm pretty sure the carte orange can be purchased as a weekly OR a monthly pass.

others here will give you more specifics, but probably using a carnet (individual tickets) over the weekend would be best.

have fun on your trip!

tod

Thanks Margie - My Paris Eyewitness Travel Guide is pretty old now but it definitely states on page.366 that the C/Orange is for a month so its either changed or is a typo.
If I use my Paris Visite card from CDG into Paris is it possible just to pay a supplement? If so, would I pay it when I get on or off the metro?

jody

My Eyewitness is 2003..and it says CO is good for 1 week or 1 month! Actually the Carte Orange itself does not expire..you buy a weekly coupon to go with it..or monthly.

tod

Hi Jody - Mine is really old 1993!
Looks like the travel system changed since then as they refer to the one week card as Carte Hebdomadaire which gives unlimited travel in zones 1 & 2.
I can't bare to part with this book as its crammed full of info I used over the years but if things have changed that much looks like I'm in for a new book!

jody

I finally broke down and bought the 2003..my 1993 was sending me to places at the wrong times and the wrong days!!

missypie

It might be a good idea to really study this one. I assume you'll be commuting into Paris some - but not all days - and going to Disneyland on some days? The week pass costs more, the more zones you add. YOu might be better off buying a few zone 5 tickets to get you into Paris, then a carnet of one zome tickets for travel from point to point within Paris. Don't know which would be better financially-you'd have to do some math.

MaureenB

You need fellow fodorite robespierre for this one. Hopefully he/she will see this and chime in. But if you search Carte Orange here, you will find earlier posts with all the specifics about this pass.

Travelnut

A 3-day Paris Visite pass for zones 1-5 costs 37.35€ and will cover CDG - this is your best choice.

A Mobilis 1-day pass for zones 1-5 costs 12.10€ (3 passes 36.30&euro but does -not- cover CDG.

A carnet of tickets for zones 1-5 costs 49.60€ and will cover CDG.

Tariffs can be found on the French versions of www.ratp.fr and www.transilien.com

Travelnut

To complete the information, a Carte Orange (weekly/hebdomadaire) for zones 1-5 costs 30.90€ (for Monday-Sunday use).

A C.O. for only Paris (zones 1-2) costs 15.70€, and a carnet for zones 1-2 costs 10.70€; it is possible that you might use up a full carnet, in which case it would be better to have bought the 5-zone C.O.(and less bother, as well).

uscTrojans

Thanks for all the help. I will be traveling to Paris daily from Friday to Sunday. We will not be going to disneyland...the reason we are staying out there is because a friend has a time-share there and we are styaing for a really GOOD deal.

Robespierre

The <i>Paris Visite</i> is <b>not</b> your best choice.

Buy two weekly <i>Carte Orange</i> coupons for 30.90&euro; on Friday. One will get you from CDG to Paris and back and forth to Disneyland for three days; the other will cover your commuting Monday through Thursday and back to CDG on Friday.

Be careful not to mix them up, because once you have used one on Friday-Sunday, it won't work the following week!

<i><b>Attention, un coupon utilis&eacute; pr&eacute;matur&eacute;ment n'est plus valable pour la semaine ou pour lequel il a &eacute;t&eacute; d&eacute;livr&eacute;.</b></i>

Christina

The Eyewitness Paris guidebook has had erroneous information regarding transportation passes for years. It's really one section they did a terrible job on, as the information is fully public on the internet and they couldn't even get it right.

uscTrojans

Robespierre,

So we can buy a carte orange on friday and use it for the weekend and will not have any trouble? I know it wouldn't be a problem for the upcoming week. Thanks

tod

Thank you one and all for setting the recored straight.I bought the Paris Viste thinking I would arrive well armed but only found out afterwards it is 3 zones only for the week which I will use up for sure.
For the second week of my stay things will be rectified!

Robespierre

From your wine question, it appears that you are in college. If you are under 26 years of age, then do this:

On Friday, buy a one-day <i>Paris Visite</i>. This will get you from CDG to Paris to Disneyland.

On Saturday and Sunday, buy a 5-zone <i>Ticket Jeunes</i> for each day.

Total: 29.55&euro;

For Monday through Friday, CO 1-5.

Travelnut

Robes - if you buy a C.O. on Friday, you can use it <i>that day</i>? I thought Wednesday was the last day you could buy a C.O. for the current week.

uscTrojans

Thanks Robespierre,

But unfortunately, others in my party are over 26. Would their best bet is to buy two Carte Orange, one for the weekend and one for the following week?

I too was under the impression that it would not work for that week if purchased after wednesday. Thanks