I have been meaning to do a post on using the Paris bus system and Degas is inspiring me to get around to it...maybe tonight. We carry the Paris Mapguide, a pocket-sized bus guide "Le Bus: Repertoire des 80 Lignes," and a compass.

I do actually have a small guidebook of just the buslines which I bought in a parisian bookstore. It's by Leconte, an aqua cover, and is probably about 1/2 inch thick and about 6x4 inches or something. However, since all the bus lines are shown on the bus stop shelters, and because I do have the simple paper folkup map, I found I never really carried that around with me in Paris. I think I did keep it in my room for reference. It is actually the same maps you can print one by one from the RATP web site. I find it useful to just print those out for the couple of lines near where I'm staying that I think I'll use the most. They are very good if you aren't aware of them.

I think I had a compass once on a trip that I carried in my purse because it seemed like a good idea, but I never used it so have stopped carrying that. I just try to cut out all the extra "stuff" you tend to carry around. I have a good sense of direction, however, and know Paris fairly well also -- in most cities, I find tall landmarks good for direction (such as Montparnasse and the Eiffel towers).

We used the "Paris Practique" which we purchased in Paris at a newstand - pocket-size and street indexed. It was great - small, but easy to read and lists every street by arrondissement. It was wonderful for locating addresses (restaurants we were searching for, etc). I don't know if you can buy it from Amazon or not. But I think all the tobacs in Paris have copies.

I never brought along a compass until this last trip, when I found a little one less than 3/4" in diameter that fits on my watch band. My wife gave me a lot of ribbing, but quite often it came in handy. We ride the buses almost exclusively, and the key for doing that for me is the Paris Mapguide, because it tells you what bus line runs on a particular street. And surrounding each page, they list the lines at each quadrant, so you can follow along from one page to another. The problem with the system map, which you can get at any Metro or RER station, is that it not definitive enough as to streets. To look up a particular route, I go to Le Bus. The print in the pocket edition is pretty small, but you get a map with the route marked, plus a lot of other info in cluding transfer points to other lines. It is also helpful to identify where to get off the bus, which is a problem in itself.

I use the Paris Mapguide at home becausethe print is a bit larger than the book I take to Paris.

In Paris I use Paris Pratique par Arrondissement which is available nearly everywhere in Paris and also from Borders online here. It fits easily in my purse and doesn't have those nasty metal spiral bindings that tear the pages and get bent and poke things.

It includes bus and Metro routes although they are posted at the stations. It helps in planning to have them in the map.

It has all the streets . . . even the tiniest ones. If you're into planning walks, you might get the erasable highlighters and highlight your route. Later you can erase it and do another route. I use the pink ones so they really stand out on the map pages.

As mentioned above, the web site http://photos.pagesjaunes.fr/ has photos of nearly any address in Paris (or anyplace else in France).

Have a grand time.

Thanks for all the additional recommendations - so many great choices.

SalB - I am having a hard time finding Paris Pratique par Arrondissement on the Borders site - any hints???

Several version on this site:
http://www.ulyssesguides.com/

But evidently will be less expensive if bought in Paris.

Degas - what was the final decision and purchase??

there are many versions of small mapbooks of the arrondisements, all called some variation of Paris par Arrondisements, etc. they are all about the same, although size varies slightly and some typeface or maps are slightly easier to read than others. I have three, and they are all okay.

the easiest thing to do is buy one at a news kiosque or bookstore in Paris. Especially because they do vary some, you might prefer one style or layout to another. For example, some folks like Michelin or the Middleditch booklets but I do not like them that well, they would be several notches down on the list of my preferred mapbooks.

For some reason, the major US bookstores don't carry these that I've noticed (ie, Amazon, Barnes and Noble), except for the Michelin or Middleditch, altough I think a very specialized travel bookshop may. I know you can order them from online French bookstores, but the postage wouldn't be worth it.

Here is a travel bookstore in LA that sells it for $22:
http://www.travelbooks.com/

In Paris, they are about 5 euro. If I were you, I'd plan with a larger city map or guidebook (like Streetwise), and just pick up one of these in Paris. Or, you might browse the Middleditch or Michelin at Borders to see if you do like them. they are too big for me.