cindyjo

Can we buy at CDG? Where? We don't have a chip and pin card so need a real human to sell one to us. Thanks.

Sarastro

Magnetic strip credit cards are accepted for RER/metro ticket purchase at the kiosks found at Roissypol and the station in Terminal 2.

You can buy Navigo Decouverte cards and passes at CDG. You will need a 25mm X 30mm (passport sized) picture of yourself for the card.

hpeabody

I recently purchased my Navigo Decouverte pass in the Saint-Michel metro station. but really easy to buy in most metro stations in case you are not easily able to find a place in the airport. I am not sure the Navigo Decouverte will cover transportation into Paris from the airport if that is what you are thinking. Remember that the Navigo Decouverte runs from Monday through Sunday. The picture actually needs to be smaller than typical passport size, but you certainly can make your own in advance. I brought several cut to different sizes and had the person helping me choose which one fit best. I was really happy with how the Navigo Decouverte pass worked out for me. Ahhhhhhhhh, I miss Paris

AWE8

I'm not 100% on whether you can buy it at CDG but you can buy it at pretty much all metro stations so I would imagine CDG is the same since they have the RER there. You do need a passport-sized picture of yourself (they put it on the Navigo card) so you'll have to either bring one or find a photo booth at CDG to get pictures taken. Again, most metro stations have photo booths in case you end up purchasing from there instead.

As for the real human issue, most metro stations have a person sitting behind that glass booth there whose job is to help. I pretty much just walked up and said i need a Navigo card for two weeks because I'm a tourist and said I have no idea what to do. He just came out of the booth and did the entire thing for me - including helping me punch various buttons in the photo kiosk to take pics and putting money into the card. CDG might be more busy so you might not get that level of help but on the other hand, I would expect the staff there to be able to speak English for sure.

Christina

You can buy it at CDG and you can use it to take the RER into Paris from CDG, assuming you buy one for five zones. However, it wouldn't make any economic sense to do that just for that one trip if you really only need one for central Paris as the price is 35 euro for 5 zones vs. 20 euro for the 2 zone one, which is what most tourists need.

There really wouldn't be any point of going all the way to the RER station to buy that at CDG if you didn't intend to take the RER, and if you did, a single ticket would usually be more cost effective for that one trip.

It is true you can't use it for the Orlyval navette, and the Mobilis daily metro/RER pass won't cover going to CDG even if you buy that one for 5 zones, but the Navigo does. Depending where you are going, the Roissybus or Air France bus may be possible, also (and I prefer them). The AF bus goes to Porte Maillot which is in the 17th (I think that is where OP is going but might remember wrong).

cindyjo

Thank you for all of your replies.

I think we are planning on taking the roissybus from cdg. We are arriving early on a monday am and thought it would be convenient to buy the navigo pass at cdg. We arrive at terminal 2A. From what i have read the roissy bus has a pickup there.
I am reassured that we might be able to use a swipe card for a pass in Terminal2. We leave on the 22nd and realize i have focused on the big picture aand need to pick it up on the details!
Christina, how do you possibly remember where we all are going (you are right - the 17th is our destination).