Hello All,

I will be arriving Weds. afternoon to Paris for vacation, departing Weds. morning to CDG.

So...what do I do about Metro tickets?

Do I buy the Carte Organge Weds. night (before midnight), for Weds. - Sunday, Zones 1-2? Then, what do I do about Monday - Weds., and my trip back to CDG airport?

Plus, I will visit Versailles...

Thank you all for answering my questions on a very popular Post topic.

try the following links:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...39&start=0

http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/paris_visite.php

A Carte Orange is valid from Monday to Sunday. It can be purchased up until Wednesday for the current week and starting Friday for the following week. Carte Orange cards are not sold on Thursday.

Public transit has become a significant daily expense for visitors to Paris. Use this chart to find the cheapest combination of transit tickets. Many travelers will find that passes do not save money.

ONE-WAY TICKET prices, in Euros
7.85...Metro + RER to CDG (Zone 5)
2.60...Metro + RER to Versailles Rive Gauche - Chateau (Zone 4)
1.40...Metro, inside Paris
1.05...Metro, inside Paris (in quantities of 10 -- "Carnet&quot

DAY PASS ("Mobilis&quot prices:
5.30...inside Paris only
8.80...as far as Versailles

MONDAY-SUNDAY PASS ("Carte Orange Hebdomadaire&quot prices:
15.40...inside Paris only
30.20...as far as CDG (covers Versailles)

Notes:

* "Paris Visite", the tourist-oriented 1- to 5-day pass, is NEVER the cheapest option. Use combinations of other tickets.

* Regardless of the number of zones purchased, the "Mobilis" 1-day pass is NOT valid for airport trips.

* RER tickets for trips beginning / ending in Paris also cover the Metro ride to / from the RER station.

* Bring a passport-size photo when buying your first "Carte Orange".

* Bring a pen whenever you buy a "Mobilis" or "Carte Orange". You must "validate" the ticket coupon by writing certain information on it.

* You can save a significant amount of money by grouping your trips into specific days.

* Discounts are available for certain classes of travelers (e.g. children), depending on the type of ticket.

* All of this information is available on the World-Wide Web, in English to boot. I won't give the URLs. Google is your friend.

* Many people -- including some users of this message board (do a search on the phrase "RER yuck&quot -- dismiss public transit as difficult, inconvenient, dangerous, etc. This is baloney.

Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA

Paris Visite is SOMETIMES the cheapest option if you want more Zones than 1&amp;2, and <u>especially</u> if you have kids 4-11.

Compare the prices of Mobilis and P.V. for Zones 1-3.

We'll be arriving on Tuesday and departing on following Thursday. I did all the math and decided the least expensive was to buy the RER-CDG tickets separately and buy 2 C.O. (z1-2) for the two partial weeks. I priced Mobilis, carnets, RER, zones 1-2, zones 1-5, etc. That was my conclusion. Adding an extra RER ticket to Versailles will still be cheapest.

&quot;Paris Visite is SOMETIMES the cheapest option if you want more Zones than 1&amp;2, and especially if you have kids 4-11.&quot;

I was waiting for this. This is the difference between glancing at an RATP brochure and actually thinking about one's travel habits. For some reason everyone loves to waste money on the Paris Visite pass!

Notice that I am recommending &quot;COMBINATIONS of other tickets&quot; over Paris Visite.

Outlying Places: One doesn't travel to Versailles or CDG (!) on every day of one's stay in Paris. It makes sense to buy one-way RER + Metro tickets for those long trips. For trips within Paris, a Zone 1-2 Carte Orange or a Carnet is perfect. If one uses Mobilis, it's one-way RER + Metro tickets for CDG, a Carnet for light travel days in Paris, Zone 1-2 Mobilis passes for heavy travel days in Paris, a Zone 4 Mobilis pass for Versailles excursion day.

Children: The children's Paris Visite pass is PERFECT for kids who love the Metro. They really must LOVE it, though, for they have to ride 10 to 16 times every day to make the pass pay! At 53 Euro cents per ride, the demi-tarif (half-price) 10-ticket Carnet is a much better option within Paris. One-way RER tickets are also half-price for children (note: the discount for airport trips works out to 30%; there seems to be a surcharge built-in).

The only gap is for children who are in their tenth or eleventh year. Conventional Metro and RER discounts apply to children under 10, whereas the Paris Visite discount continues through age 11. However, there's a very generous weekend/holiday 1-day pass for youths under 26, the Ticket &quot;Jeunes&quot; (3.20 to Zone 3 or 6.40 to Zone 5). Interesting question: can it be bought from the machines, or will an agent sell it to a foreigner? Proof of age is required, but nothing in the description limits this ticket to residents of France.

In general, Paris Visite remains a money grab.

Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA

Oops...I was being a little bit unfair to RATP there...used the wrong Paris Visite fare table...the correct answer is that a child under 10 would have to ride 9 times a day to make a 1-day children's Paris Visite pass pay, or 5 times a day to make the 5-day version pay. This is for trips within Paris of course. The comparison point is the demi-tarif (half-price) 10-ticket Carnet.

I was being a little bit unfair to RATP there...used the wrong Paris Visite fare table... <font color="BLUE">I guess that's what you get for glancing at an RATP brochure.</font>

You made a sweeping generalization when you said &quot;'Paris Visite', the tourist-oriented 1- to 5-day pass, is <b>NEVER</b> the cheapest option.&quot; That is simply wrong. The fact remains that IF your combination of tickets would make a Mobilis the preferred method, the P.V. is SOMETIMES cheaper.