Amy

Need Carte Orange experts on this one.<BR><BR>We will be returning to Paris for the umpteenth time for four 1/2 days before we head west to Brittany and Normandy. Our dates of arrival finally coincide with days where it might be economically reasonable to buy a Carte Orange.<BR><BR>Since we were thinking of doing three daytrips from Paris this time (Auvers-sur-Oise, etc.), I'm considering buying either the 1-8 zone pass or the 1-5. Since we're talking up to $22 extra dollars per person here, I need some basic information from anyone in the know.<BR><BR>Zone 5 would cover Auvers-sur-Oise, CDG, Versailles is we wanted to go tour the gardens (have always visited in winter so that would be a treat). Including this zone would be $13 more per person than the 1-2 zone pass.<BR><BR>On the zone map I downloaded from the RER/SNCF site on the web, certain towns are starred at the end of the run. The one that has my interest is Vernon. These starred towns are all outside the zones, with the message "gares hors zone tarifaire." My basis French says that means "Stations except tariff zone."<BR><BR>I need a translation for my translation. Does this mean these towns, although outside the "zones" are included anyway, or does this mean "ignore these--you can't get there with your card"?<BR><BR><BR>

Parisian

The comment for Vernon means that this city is too far from Paris to belong to the suburban area of Paris. To get to Vernon, you have to buy a "regular" train ticket. You cannot use the Carte Orange. The price is 10.5 Euro to get there (21 for the full trip)

Beth

Last summer we went to both Giverny and Auvers. We bought regular train tickets for each because they were not included in our Paris Visite travel pass. I know the tickets combined didn't cost us $22; for one set we even got a discount on the second ticket.

Christina

"hors" also means outside -- I've seen that note and as I recall it is referring to stations that are outside the regular RER zones and outside the Carte Orange zones. So they aren't even in zone 8, they are just part of the suburban rail line and you have to pay separately for them. I've been to Auvers and I'm not sure if it has that note or not as I didn't have a pass so just bought a ticket for that trip, which wasn't expensive. I would only buy the 5-zone pass, if that. There is almost nothing in zones 6-8 anyone but a commuter would go to. <BR><BR>They include some towns on the zone map that you can easily get to from an RER end point on a suburban lightrail train line that you can get at an RER rail stop. I know Auvers is that way, and it looks like a RER line on their zone map, but it's not really, I don't think. On the other hand, you can tell Vernon isn't even on the map, there is an arrow pointing the way it is, I think they just mean you can get on a train to go there from that RER endpoint. <BR><BR>SNCF sells a special ticket to go to Auvers (by RER to Pontoise and then a transfer to Auvers) that includes the price of the chateau almost free, as I recall, so I'm not sure you'd really gain anything by using a Carte Orange instead of buying a ticket. I think they may have a special deal for Versailles, also.

amy

Thanks, Christina. Precisely what I needed to know!