Based on the number of times you take the metro every day you are in Paris, it is quite easy to calculate whether the monthly fee would be worth it or not. In many cases, even if you are only in town for two weeks, it is worth it to pay for a full month -- as long as your trip corresponds to a calendar month.

Forgive me for being so daft, but I'm a little confused. I think the CO would be a good option for us. Do we need to get the Navigo card first? Is that what you use the passport photo for? Do you get the Navigo card in the same place as the CO?

Navigo Decouverte is just an electronic way of using a <i>Carte Orange</i>.

Instead of the old ID card and weekly ticket, you buy a new ID card for 5&euro; (photo required) and a weekly &quot;load&quot; of your pass. Navigo can be bought at RATP ticket windows or retailers.

I agree on poster about carnets--you don't save quite as much perhaps but a lot less hassle--no photo, also available at tabacs, etc. But, I tend to stay mostly in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th and try to do a lot of walking mixed with the metro for longer distances and with the buses which I think are great, particularly for those of us who can be stair-challenged from time to time.

I'll buy a C.O. pass even if it costs a little more b/c I hate dealing with 10 tiny tickets, and trying to keep up with used vs. new, since you can't throw them away until you've exit the metro system.

The Navigo Decouverte is two parts, an ID card w/photo, and a plastic electronic pass-card.

For what its worth from a first time Paris visitor: we purcahsed the zone 1-6 Navigo at CDG for our Saturday-Saturday visit and thought it was worth its weight in gold.

Nelson: Can I please ask where exactly in CDG did you buy the Navigo?

I'm not Nelson but I imagine you can only buy them at the two RER stations at CDG. (one is inside Terminal 2, the other is a 'stand alone' building not far from Terminal 3).

See www.easycdg.com for some maps...

Exactly correct Travelnut. We purchased ours in the Terminal 2 RER station. We were forewarned and came equipped with the necessary photo. We did however, get into the wrong line for a minute.

The reason we loved it was from the moment it kicked in we never spent one second dealing with travel issues. We simply boarded a train when and where we felt like it, and got off when and where we felt like it. This offered welcome spontaneity to the trip.

We purchased the Navigo shortly after getting the 6-day museum pass (at Terminal 2C), which we also loved.

I am Nelson and I approve of this message. :)

You're funny Nelson! Totally off topic, but did you feel the 6 day museum pass was worth it? Did it pay for itself or was it more a convenience thing? Do you remember how much it was? Did you also buy that at the RER at CDG?

<i>For what its worth from a first time Paris visitor: we purcahsed the zone 1-6 Navigo at CDG for our Saturday-Saturday visit and thought it was worth its weight in gold.</i>

If you can't get two airport runs* out of it, a 6-zone (37,20&euro;) is somewhat more expensive than a 2-zone (16,80&euro;) and single CDG transfers (8.40&euro;x2).

* Or one airport transfer plus a Versailles or Disneyland r/t

Sorry, I'm so stupid about this....So FIRST you buy the Navigo, then a CO or they are one in the same?

GiuliaPiranio, We definitely felt the museum pass was worth it, both convenience and cost. Note that in many (but not all) venues you can bypass the ticket line and directly enter the museum. We saved 1/2 hour at the Musee D'Orsay alone because of that.

In addition we then felt like we had the freedom to pop into something for a short time (an hour or two) without further concern about the cost. Examples of this are the Pantheon and the Cluny. The pass also covers Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame tower tour, St. Chappelle, etc. etc. Full list is here:
http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/musees_liste_nom.php

That said, it is not cheap at 60 EU, so you would have to judge if it is worth it for you. We purchased it not at the RER station but at either Terminal 2C or 2D, I don't recall which. There is a small tourist information kiosk, absolutely no line, we just walked up and bought the pass. It took less than 5 minutes plus the 5 minutes or so it took to walk there. This was a Saturday afternoon.
http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/pa...ointvente_id=3

The pass comes attached to a handout that lists the opening hours of all the sites in once convenient place, so you can be sure you are not heading to one on the day they are closed. We started the clock running on our passes on Sunday. Note that you can control that depending on when you fill in the date.

For our Navigo we did get one airport run plus a Versailles R/T, so presumably we came out ahead. But the convenience was also worth something. Regarding Navigo / CO difference, from my standpoint I just purchased a single card, call it what you will. The card itself costs 5 EU, then you load the value onto the card (This, I think, is the Navigo / CO technicality). This can be recharged when it expires. This all happens at one simple transaction so from a casual tourist perspective you get a card that magically allows you to enter any Metro or RER in Paris. You don't even take the card out of your wallet or purse, just touch it to the entrance turnstile.

I must say Paris was never on my &quot;bucket list&quot;. Going there was my wife's idea. (I had a business trip to the UK and was able to get her a ticket using FF miles). But, wow, I really fell for the place. It exceeded any expectations. Now I'd love to go back.

Guilia - see this site:
http://parisbytrain.com/carte-orange/

<i>So FIRST you buy the Navigo, then a CO or they are one in the same? </i>

You buy the <i>Navigo D&eacute;couverte</i> and paste your photo on it. Then you load it with a CO's worth of transit. The CO doesn't physically exist in this scheme.

(You can still buy CO tickets, but points of sale are gradually dwindling, and without the ID card, you're technically in violation of RATP rules.)

Nelson: That's so funny, my husband and I were luke warm on Paris too, I never thought we would end up going the first time, let alone planning a return visit. We had a change of planes in Paris in route to Italy so we just made it a long 7 day layover and that was it, we totally fell in love. It's one of the most incredible cities we've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. I'm really looking forward to returning.

Thanks for the info on the Navigo/CO, I think I finally understand!

I found one online source for <i>Carte Orange</i>. This one plugs into a USB port:

http://www.amazon.com/LaCie-Carte-Or.../dp/B000BDG3HK

See also: usbwine.com

Many thanks for the reference to the Mobilis pass! For some reason, there's no info on that on the English RATP pages, you have to use the French... I'll be in Paris for three full days plus two travel days, so I'm figuring two Mobilis (one day I'll stay close to &quot;home&quot; in the Marais) and a few single tickets. (This isn't my first visit, so I won't be doing the standard sites.)

BTW, has anyone tried using the RATP &quot;search for a route&quot; function? It insists there's no way to get from the Saint Paul metro station to the Gare du Nord.

Maybe you tried it during off hours?

M1 to Ch&acirc;telet
RER B to GdN

- or -

Bus 96 to Palais de Justice
Bus 38 to GdN

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