I know these questions have been asked many times so please bear with me. My friend and I (both single females) travel to Paris arriving 2/16 – 2/23 through CDG. Were staying in the 17th arrod at Hotel Darcet (near Place de Clichy) and I’d like to know the following:

1.) What is the easiest way to get to our hotel from the airport? Can we get a shuttle/bus @ CDG or is it imperative we make reservations before hand? B.t.w, I travel light, she does not.
2.) We arrive wed and leave the following wed. Budget wise, does it make more sense to get a Carte Orange or not?
3.) Were also visiting Versailles and Louviers, are they covered in the CO area 1-2? Or should we just get a CO 1-2 and pay for tkts to those areas separately?
4.) Can anyone give me info on the surrounding area of our hotel? Is there any nightlife/restaurants/theatres near by? Is it a safe area?
5.) Should we get a museum card? What perks aside from moving ahead of lines does it come with? Any extras included for the museums that otherwise you’d have to pay addtl for?
6.) How late does the metro run? Is it safe to use at nite?
7.) any suggestions for a rainy day? Any city tours/river cruise recommendations that won't break our budget?

Any info or tips I’d really appreciate. Thanks a bunch! eskwinkla

Hi
Transit passes are worth it if you will be taking X number of rides every day, and no one except you knows that answer.
When I go to Paris some days I take that X number of rides, but often I don't because I end up doing a lot of walking, and for many distances it's just as efficient and more interesting imo to walk as it is to find the nearest metro station, walk the stairs and corridors underground, wait a couple of minutes for the train,ride the train, go above ground, and probably walk another block or two or three to my destination.

I have been to Paris many times, I have never bought a transit pass, only carnets, which are discounted bunches of 10 metro tickets. If I could have done better financially by buying the pass, it comes down to just a few euro over the whole trip.
FOr metro and transit info, go to
www.ratp.fr

Museum cards yes, do allow you to skip the long ticket-buyers' lines at the Orsay and Louvre museums, and if you go to many of the museums included in the pass you will ultimately save money.
Whether or not you are planning to go to that many of the museums during the life of the pass is up to you. You couldn't possible get to all of them.

I have a long file on Paris; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

eskwinkla, most of the questions you're asking could be answered by reading a basic Paris guidebook. Fodor's has a great one. (That and Elaine's file.)

We stayed at a hotel near Place de Clichy and liked that area. It is not where most people stay, but it's very easy to connect on the metro to any other place in the city. Lots of times we walked; it's not THAT far away from all the action (Louvre, department stores on Blvd. Haussman, etc). It's very safe but you don't want to hang out in the area around the Metro stop Pigalle. It's seedy.

To answer some of your questions:
*You don't receive any extras that you would otherwise have to pay for with a museum pass. Just avoiding lines makes it worthwhile!
*What to do on rainy day? Museums, of course! (Speaking from experience, don't go to Versailles on a rainy day.)
*You'd have to buy two separate Carte Oranges, since you'll be there for part of two weeks. Like Elaine, I recommend getting the 10-ticket carnet, which the two of you can share.

I would recommend:
Rough Guides Paris
Access Paris
Streetwise Map- Paris.

weatherunderground.com Paris..for up to date weather info.

Museums, churches, stores, shops, plenty of places to run into out of the rain.
We used the museum passes, I recommend them.
http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/A...etmonument.htm
On this site you will also see what museums and monuments are covered by the pass.
A ride on the Seine:
http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm

Get out to a book store right away and start reading!!
Have a good time~

We always take a cab from CDG to our hotel.

topping

My first tip would be to click on DESTINATIONS at the top of the screen, then chose PARIS. Amazing how much of what you are asking is covered by Fodors. Just what you'd expect from a travel site.