jangel49

Hello from sunny Vancouver, BC. I will be travelling to Paris in September, and have booked an apt. on Rue Mornay, 75004. I will be there 8 days.

Can anyone advise us regarding the best options for moving around Paris - apart from my feet that I expect to use a lot! I have read about the purchase of a carnet, also a Navigo card, but am somewhat confused about the options and advantages of one over the other. One of us is 60 , unsure if there is a discount for that age group.
Also, this may seem like a silly question, but here in Vancovuer you can use the same ticket for bus and skytrain (like a metro, only above ground). The ticket is good for 90 minutes. Is it the same in Paris?

I would also appreciate ideas for day trips outside of Paris - what are your favourites?

Thank you for your kind responses.

Jan

maitaitom

Mu suggestion for a day trip would be Reims. Check out the town, and tour a champagne cellar like Veuve Clicquot. I believe the high speed train can get you from Paris to Reims in just over an hour. Go to the TI and you can get a walking tour of the town and the cathedral. It's a nice change of pace, plus you get champagne!

maitaitom

"Mu suggestion"

That's the last time I let my pet cow type a response. She can't spell "My" or "Moo" correctly!

tuscanlifeedit

Getting around Paris is very easy. You can start with these two pages which will tell you most of what you need to know:

http://www.paris.org/Metro/

http://www.ratp.info/touristes/index...&rub=decouvrir

Mu suggestion (my cow is loose, too) for a day trip would be Chartres. Lovely place, great cathedral and charming old town and river.

TPAYT

There are so many day trips from Paris. Our favorite was Versailles. Yes, it's on alot of tourist lists, but for good reason. It's something we will never forget as it was a beautiful Sept. day and the gardens & Marie Antoinette's house were something to behold. The palace itself was unbelieveable.

Everytime we are in Paris we choose a different day trip, but our first trip to Versailles always stands out in my memory. We say we will go there again but are afraid it won't be as perfect as the first time and will dull our memories.

As far as Paris itself, we use the Metro, boats, etc. but find walking to be our usual way. Depending on where you are going,sometimes you walk more in the Metro tunnels than you would have on the streets. Get a good map.

Last Sept. in 10 days in Paris we only took 1 taxi(other than airport transfers) home from dinner. Used the Metro maybe 4 times and the boats twice. We probably walked 10 miles a day which was good after all that wonderful bread & pastries.

BatOBus is good on the river to get between the monuments, but remember it is a bus(get off & get on). I would definitely do a day or night river cruise with one of the informative "river cruises"---everyone has their favotite but our preference is Vendettes at the Pont Neuf.

We are also planning to be back in Paris in Sept. Maybe there will be a Fodorite GTG at that time.

Christina

Paris uses the same tickets for bus and metro, also. It's called T1 ticket. The metro isn't always below ground, either.

Royal

We are also going to Paris in September for 8 days and renting an apt on the Ile St. Louis. It will be our fourth trip.
Paris is the perfect city for walking. The location of the Ile makes walking to many of the top attractions very easy.

We have used the Metro and usually buy a carnet which is sufficient. Don't think we have ever taken a bus or taxi. As you are staying in the 4th you are in a good location to get around. We use the Paris Mapguide by Michael Middleditch which is very easy to carry.

On our first trip we went to Versailles which is beautiful and I would recommend it. This time we are going to do a day trip to Chartres.

As TPAYT mentioned maybe there will be a GTG.

jangel49

I'm definitely getting in the "mooood" reading your responses.
The joy of this forum is having many suggestions and thus the capacity to build a more enriched holiday.
I'm a champagne fan so Reims has my vote already. Glad to hear that a visit to Versailles is recommended by several of you. So many great choices. Now to consult with my travel partner...

Thanks to each of you. Wouldn't it be great to meet in Paris?


Jan

Jenn_Mitch

jangel49 - your trip to Paris sounds wonderful! We spent 7 days there Spring 08 and loved it!
We only used the metro and our feet and had no problems. We bought a carnet and used that between the two of us and except for our train tickets to Versailles did not spend anything more on transportation, even to and from the airport. The only side trip we took was to Versailles...there was so much in Paris to see that even that day was hard to spare - worth it, particularly for the gardens and the lovely walks.
Coming from Nova Scotia and not having much experience with subway systems, we found the Paris metro system complex, but very easy to understand and we travelled all over the city. We found it clean and safe, and the map (which we printed from a site prior to leaving) was all we needed to figure out where we needed to get on and off.
As TPAYT said above, the river cruise, particularly at night was truly memorable. We got on right near Tour Eiffel, and paid 11 euros each for an unforgettable view and experience of Paris.
Enjoy your trip!

MelissaMorgan

A carnet is a packet of single use tickets. The Navigo card is for the week. I think that no matter what day you buy it, it expires at the end of the day Sunday. I think we figured out that if you're going to use it more than 7 round trips, it was more economical to buy the Navigo. If it's hot, then I think the Navigo is the way to go. Walking in Paris is divine but sometimes you just want to hop on the metro for 3 stops to get somewhere faster.

As for day trips, just do a little research before you go to make sure its open! Some places are closed Monday. Some are closed seasonally.

Enjoy Paris!

MelissaMorgan

OH! And if you can find it, treat yourself to a Paris map book. I bought a very thin one (maybe 50 pages and soft covered) at Barnes & Noble before I left and it is well worn and ragged from how much I used it. It had a map of the metro and RER, maps by arrondisement, and a street index for every street in the city.

Sarastro

My apologies to those who have previously listed a destination on my list but here are my suggestions for day trips from Paris:

<b>Giverny</b>
http://giverny.org/gardens/

Open daily except Mondays from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm from April 1st to October 31st
__________

<b>Vaux-le-Vicomte</b>
http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/

Open from March 15th to November 9th from 10.00 am to 06.00 pm, last admission at 5.30 pm
RER D to Melun
Shuttle (3.50€) or taxi (15€ to 19€) from Melun station
Entrance: from 14€

__________

<b>Chantilly</b>
http://www.chateaudechantilly.com/
__________

<b>Fontainebleau</b>
http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/

Closed on Tuesdays, January 1st, May 1st, and December 25th

Take SNCF train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon in the direction of Montargis Sens and disembark at Gare de Fontainebleau Avon
Fare 9.40€
En route time 1+02
http://www.transilien.com

From Gare de Fontainebleau-Avon, take Aérial bus line A to Château
Fare: 1.40€
Buses every 15 mintues.

Entrance fee: 8€
Students: 6€
Free entry the first Sunday of each month
Entrance plus one hour guided tour (in French only): 11€

__________

<b>Provins</b>
http://www.provins.net/

Low Season
Open from January 2nd to March 21st and from November 3rd to December 31th 2008:
Weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Weekends & public holidays from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
High Season
From March 22nd to November 2nd :
Daily from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m..
General closure December 25th and January 1st

__________

<b>Versailles</b>
http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

RER C: direction Versailles-Rive-Gauche-château
Gare Montparnasse: SNCF train serving Versailles-Chantiers
Gare Saint-Lazare: SNCF train direction Versailles-rive-droite

__________

<b>Chartres</b>
http://sacred-destinations.com/franc...-cathedral.htm
http://www.mymaze.de/chartres_technisch_e.htm
http://www.chartres-tourisme.com/
__________

avalon

On rue Mornay, are you staying at vrbo 24464? The transportation options from there are excellent.While we do a lot of walking , we also use the bus a lot!Depending on your days, you will need a carnet and a Navigo good from Monday thru Sunday. A single ticket from the carnet is good for bus transfers . The tickets you buy ON the bus are not good for transfers.

There's and excelent book called One Hour From Paris by Annabel Simms, that might be useful in planning day trips.

ira

Hi J,

We have never needed more than one carnet pp per week.

The tickets are good on both bus and Metro.

Infinite use on the metro.

I think that you are allowed one transfer, going in the same direction, on the bus.

Enjoy your visit.

jangel49

Avalon:
Yes, we are! Do you know it? This is assuming my money transfer two days ago was successful.
We arrive on a Thursday, leave for Spain on the following Friday. Will definitely get a carnet.
Thanks for the book suggestion.
We arrive at Gare Nord (from Netherlands). Any idea how long it will take to get to the apt?

Sarastro: thanks! Now to choose.

MelissaMorgan: great suggestions. Thanks.

I so appreciate all the hints and help from everyone.

Jan

Nikki

I have stayed in that apartment and will be staying there again in November. Great choice.

You use the same ticket for the bus and the metro. However, if you buy the ticket in the metro, you can use it to transfer between buses. For some reason the tickets you buy on the bus can not be used for transfers.

I have only ever bought carnets. I have never found that I take the bus or metro so many times in a day that anything else was necessary.