Metro and RER train tickets - Paris
 

The Fodors Destination Guide on this Web site mentions a weekly train ticket for EUR21.65, good in 4 zones. It seems that Versailles is included but I'm wondering if CDG Airport falls within the zone. Does anyone know? We're visiting Paris in June, arriving at CDG, and planning to take the RER into Paris. This seems like a particularly good deal if it includes the airport. If it does, I want to buy such a ticket when I first arrive. I'm also wondering if there is a children's discount. If any knows or can direct me to a good source, please advise. Thanks.

Charles de Gaulle is in zone 5, see http://www.citefutee.com/informer/grand_public.php - the "Visualiser vos zones" chapter.
A weekly carte orange for 1-5 zones costs 27.65 euro, see http://www.gisparis.com/paris/paris_subway.htm

If your time in Paris falls *mostly* on the right days of the week, a Carte Orange metro & bus pass for each person in your family will be the cheapest way to have unlimited rides. If you will arrive and leave in the middle of the week, it won't be your best choice. The passes are good Monday-Sunday. A pass for zones 1-2 costs 13.75 euros. But if you take 15 rides the pass will pay for itself, so you don't have to use it for all seven days for it to be a bargain. Bring extra passport-sized photos of each person. Or cut the heads out of any existing "ordinary" photos you have. Note: Information on the Carte Orange is only available on the French language version of the RATP Web site.

A Paris Visite pass is good for 1, 2, 3, or 5 consecutive days. There is a lower price for children, but it's pretty expensive to begin with. You can see for yourself by visiting www.ratp.fr, clicking on "English," then on the words "Paris Viste," and finally on the Paris Visite pass icon in the lower left-hand corner.

A carnet of 10 tickets for zones 1-2 costs 9.60. Your family can share the tickets and you can keep buying more carnets as needed. (This may be your best choice if you're only going to take a couple of rides a day.)

Except for getting to and from the airport, going to Versailles, and going to Disneyland (if that's on your agenda), I expect most of what you'll want to see lies within zones 1-2. If you're planning on hopping on and off the Metro and/or the bus several times a day, then buy the Carte Orange for zones 1-2 and buy carnets to share with the members of your family for any overlapping days for which you don't have a Carte Orange. A carnet of ten tickets costs 9.60 euros. Then I would simply buy extensions for those trips that take you beyond zones 1-2. Why pay extra for more zones on days you won't be traveling that far?

I just visited the second site recommended by MiriamC. I'm glad she posted her note because that site is the first one I've seen that gives information about the Carte Orange in English. I also learned there that carnets are half price for children.

Myriam and Tim: Thanks so much for your suggestions. I think I have all the information I need now. There are so many choices! Now I just need to "run the numbers." Merci!

we have just returned from paris,we bought a carte orange from the kiosk at rer station at cdg no problem ,have a passport size photo ready,it was a god send fantastic value we were on and of the metro or train all week,and yes we did go to versailles[zone 5 ] .i believe there will be a strike on tuesday that will cripple 80% of all flights into france.have a great time.