mike

I understand you (maybe) have to be a city resident to get the card, yada,yada,yada...<BR>Anyone have a problem? My French is really basic. Wish me luck. M.

Jennifer

Hi Mike,<BR><BR>I just returned from Paris late last night. I didn't have a single problem with getting a Carte d'Orange for myself or my children! Just to save some time (in case the photo machines didn't work -- it happened to me once in London), I brought passport sized photos. I simply asked for three passes and was given them!<BR><BR>Jennifer

Gretchen

It is no problem to get them, charge to your credit card if you want. They do not sell them past Wednesday for the current week of use--Monday to Sunday midnight.

Maurice

They also sell a 5-day Metro pass and such; no photo required. I believe it was about $22 or so each.

Jennifer

Maurice,<BR><BR>How many zones was your five-day pass good for? My (weekly) carte d'orange pass was just about half of the price that you paid!<BR><BR>Jennifer

CJ

I had a Carte Orange card years ago when I was a student in Paris. Can someone tell me the current price? Is it worth it to buy a carte orange for a 2 week trip? Or should I buy a weekly pass? Or should I just buy a carnets of tickets?

Jennifer

Hi CJ,<BR><BR>A carte d'Orange is a weekly pass. If you want one for both weeks, you simply buy a new one at the beginning of the second week!<BR><BR>Whether or not the pass is a good buy totally depends on how often you use the Metro. If you only occasionally use it, then obviously a carnet of 10 tickets would be best. But, if you're going to be hopping on and off several times a day, obviously a pass would be best.<BR><BR>And the answer isn't the same for everyone!<BR><BR>I just paid cash and unfortunately don't remember the current price. Darn...sorry about that, but I know that it was definitely less than $22.<BR><BR>Jennifer

Randall Smith

Hello,<BR><BR>You may check out all RATP the ticket prices at the url listed at the end of this post. <BR><BR>The Carte Orange hebdomadaire (weekly) for zones 1 and 2, whiches usually all that yuo will need is listed at 13,25 Euro.<BR><BR>http://www.citefutee.com/informer/index.php<BR><BR>Ciao,<BR><BR>RJS

Claudia

I just went to the CiteFutee website and unfortunately, my command of French is pitiful. Does anyone know if children (my son is 15) are charged a different rate - either for the Carte Orange or even a carnet?

Melissa

I would also bring a passport-sized photo from home next time. They have booths in the station so you can take a picture on the spot, and the clerk will hand you a scissors (if you ask) to cut to the appropriate size, but what a hassle! I don't speak any French, by the way. No problem.

Sue

CJ, actually the Carte Orange consists of two parts: a grey folder with your pix on an orange card and a dated yellow "coupon" good for a week that looks like a Metro ticket. The second week, you just buy a new coupon to reuse in your grey folder.

andi

Last summer, we used carte orage passes for a week. I brought passport sized photos but had no need for them till the last day of our trip. We managed using the metro (6-8 times a day I think) with just the metro ticket until the last day when we were stopped by Metro secutity and he asked to see the wallet sized pass. We honestly were confused and I quickly realized that that was the purpose of the passport photos I'd been carrying around. He was very pleasant and gave us the cards right on the spot. He mentioned that they are typically for French citizens but didn't seem to mind us using them too. The official carte orange cards were nifty souvenirs for my scrapbook too! <BR>

Andi

By the way, you can buy the carte orange metro ticket from the ticket machine - in English. That's probably why we didn't understand the purpose of the passport photo since we didn't actually talk to a person.

marciab

No problem whatsoever buying a Carte Orange weekly pass. It was 13,25 Euro, best purchase I made that week. I paid with a credit card, AND the nice man even showed me how to put it together after he figured out I did not know what I was doing. A passport photo is too big. Find (or take) a snapshot where your head is about 1/2 to 3/4 inches high, and cut out the head.<BR><BR>Here are the instructions I found before my trip regarding carnets and Carte Orange: "You can purchase one at a time, or as a "carnet" - a pack of ten sold at a discount (10 for 9.60 euros) , good for metro and buses. If you're going to be in Paris for many days, get a Carte Orange (cart oh-rahnge) with a coupon semaine (coo-pohn suh-men)- it costs 13.25 euro and gives you unlimited use of the Metro and buses for 1 week - Monday through Sunday. It's sold at Metro station booths until Wed - not after that. You'll be given a small ticket, a card, and a plastic holder. You'll also need a small ID photo about 1" square. I'd suggest bringing photos with you so you don't have to search for a photo machine - nothing fancy - just your face on a small 1" photo - use a Polaroid. Fill out the back of the card, attach the photo to the card, seal it in the plastic holder, write the number of the card on the ticket and store the ticket in the plastic holder. Use the ticket in the turnstile machines in the Metro. On the buses just open the folder to show the card. This is especially good in bad weather or when you're tired - you can hop on and off buses all day."

marciab

<BR>I might add that the above advice probably came from Elaine who posts on this board. I got a lot of good advice from Elaine before I made my trip. She has a file on both London and Paris that she will send you if you ask for it. You could save yourself many, many hours of internet research if you just take advantage of Elaine's efforts.<BR><BR>Thanks again, Elaine.

Christina

The Carte Orange isn't itself a weekly pass, it's the ID card and you can buy either a weekly coupon or monthly. (In fact, some people still use that term to refer to only the monthly pass as that's what it used to be years ago). I guess the person asking about it for two weeks meant is it cheaper to buy a monthly pass for 2 wks, and it is not -- a monthly CO costs slightly more than 3 wks of weekly coupons. <BR><BR>You must get the ID card, you aren't supposed to just buy coupons from a machine without getting the pass card as it must have your photo and an ID no. so it can't be used by different people. I think you could probably be fined if you did that, if a metro official want to.<BR><BR>As far as I know, there is no youth discount on Carte Oranges (I think because they are meant for adult commuters to a large extent). I think there are special youth passes for other purposes that Parisians get, some good for a whole year, but I don't know the details as I haven't had to (for those less than age 26). There are youth discounts on carnets of 10 tickets, they are only 4.65 euro instead of 9.3, which is a very good deal. However, I believe the age cutoff is 12, as it is for the Paris Visite.<BR><BR>I've never had a problem getting a Carte Orange but I speak French pretty well and don't hesitate at all or have to ask questions about the procedures, I know exactly what to ask for. I have seen tourists having problems getting it (and heard of it more from a few folks), it does happen, but I think usually not if you are polite.