Hi Travellers
I will be in Paris for a week doing the usual sightseeing things but am confused by the choice of card. I understand Paris Visite gets entry to museums as well a transport but does the Carte Orange and if they both do roughly the same, how do I choose?
thanks
Edgie

I always buy Carte Orange and then pay for whatever museums I go to separately. I had planned to go to several museums this last trip...a few days ago...and went to none. But, I used my Carte Orange almost every day. Happy Travels!

What days of the week does your trip occur on? How often do you plan on using public transportation?

Paris Visite is the most expensive way to buy transportation passes for Paris @ 8.50 euro per day.

A better way is to buy the Carte Orange, but you must keep in mind that the CO is only good for Monday through Sunday, it is not a pass that starts with your 1st day of use. It can be bought Sunday through Wednesday at many locations for 16,50 euro , and is a great value if you use the metro or buses more than a couple of times a day.

The mobilis pass is a daily pass for unlimited metro and bus rides during 1 day and costs 5,60 euro per day.
For occasional use, buy a carnet(book) of 10 t tickets for individual rides. The carnet is 11,10 euro, or individual tickets for 1,50.

Barb

DH & I just got back from Paris last month. We were there from Thursday to Thursady so Carte Orange was out for us.

We bought museum passes and ended up using 4 carnets for the week. We really got our money's worth with the museum passes.

I don't know if it's still true or done but about 4 years ago, I got into a bit of a verbal disagreement with a metro clerk who claimed (ha ha) she wasnlt allowed to sell me a mobilis passs and insisted I was only allowed to buy a Paris Visite...after a discussion, she finally made a face and sold me the mobilis ticket (and made a comment under her breath..too bad she didn't know I understand some French)...

Also from time to time, there has been a question of whether Carte Orange was allowed to be bought by foreigners (for the longest while the RATP English web site never mentioned CO) and from time to time some clerk in some metro station would refuse to sell a non resident of Ile de France (the region where Paris and its immediate suburbs are Located) claiming the CO is subsidized for residents only (or French people only or eu people only) whatever and try to push off on them Paris Visite.

CO, of course, is being phased out in favor of a new type ticket similar to the oyster cards in London where you don't insert the ticket but touch the card to a reader on the turstile...I believe they are called navigo tickets...at first the threat was to only sell navigo to French citizens as they tickets would have to be mailed to their homes...but there is now information about a navigo junior (navigo discover or something like that) which will be made available to everybody...I haven't checked the RATP web site in a while and odn't know if it is now listed on the English language web site but in the near future, carte orange will cease to exist.

It's called a Navigo Decouverte and is available to anyone.

depending on the days your week covers, it is probably the best option. I never buy the museum pass either. I don't want to spend 2 or 3 consecutive days visiting museums just to save a bit of money. I know people will tell you it saves waiting in line. I've not waited in any line for years. Go into the Carousel de Louvre shopping center, buy your ticket from the machine and enter thru the nearby entrance. Pick up an individual ticket for the D'Orsay or L' Orangerie at any FNAC store and no waiting.

It might be a good value if you really plan to spend all your time indoors at museums, but Paris has so many other things to offer. Several of the free museums are among the best..Petit Palais is my favorite

The Carte Orange is not 'ceasing', just the paper ticket version to utilize it. The Carte Orange is the pass that you load onto the electronic pass called the "Navigo Decouverte". (the "Navigo" is only for French residents, as you have to apply for it).

Do you still need to bring little photographs for the Carte Orange?

As far as I know, photos are still on Carte Orange. I was just there a few days ago and used my old Carte Orange with a photo on it.
Two years ago, I took my mom into the metro station and had her take a photo for her Carte Orange.
Some turnstiles have been replaced in the metro and don't take the Carte Orange coupon. But, there will be at least one that does. I experienced this a few days ago when a French friend and I went into the metro. He had the new Navigo pass and I the Carte Orange. We had to use different turnstiles. Happy Travels!

You do need a small photo to place on the ID card portion of the Navigo Decouverte. The paper Carte Orange are being phased out so are not even available at some stations. You can still use an old one if you still have one. The chipped Navigo is so much easier to use. I don't even have to take it out of my fabric handbag, just press the handbag up to the reader

Ok I'm really confused with all this info. I'll be in paris for 2 weeks and i would like to know what would be best for me to buy? where would I buy the carte orange and how does it work? is that an unlimited weekly pass? am I allowerd to buy or is it only for residents of Paris?

well, I think a Carte Orange is ceasing in the sense that that name refers to the actual orange card with your photo and ID number, that's where the name came from. So the Navigo may have pricing where you can buy the same time period for the same price, but I wouldn't call a Navigo a Carte Orange. Although I do think they are kind of using similar terms in some of their ads (RATP) -- like now you can put your Carte Orange on your Navigo, or something.

Not sure if anyone commented on the OP's idea that you get entry to museums with a Paris Visite. No, you do not, it's just a transportation pass. You have to buy a museum pass separately, but it has nothing to do with it.

AyQuehago,

The Carte Orange is an unlimited weekly pass good Monday-Sunday (not any seven-day period). You load it on a passe Navigo Decouverte, the electronic card for visitors (one-time fee of €5).

For a list of all your tranport options with links to detailed information on each one, go here: http://tinyurl.com/3bwnp3.

oh, possibly that comment on the museums was because I think there are a very few discounts with the Paris Visite, such as perhaps reduced entry at a few obscure museums or one free entry with someone else or something. But you don't just get entry to all museums with it.

I think I have read some bad guidebook or somewhere making some statement that the Paris Visite included the museum pass, and it does not, so suspect that's where the idea came from.

TimS--

The URL you posted does not mention loading the equivalent of a "coupon mensuel" (monthly pass) onto the Navigo Decouverte. Is that still available? We will be in Paris for precisely the month of May (actually, arriving one day early to avoid any May 1 closings) and would like to buy monthly transport passes. We still have our old Cartes Oranges and could buy the ticket-style coupon mensuel to use with them if that option is available, but the Navigo Decouverte with a month's pass is not.

You can load the equivalent of a month on the navigo.

Thanks Travellers for your info. Wasn't aware of the Navigo so that will keep me busy checking it out as well
cheers
Edgie

So many people get confused on what a Paris Viste pass gets them. It is mainly an expensive option for transport. There is not one thing that they offer discount -wise that makes it worth the cost.

Bal du Moulin Rouge:
A red Moulin Rouge porcelain ashtray will be offered.

Chez Clément:
This charming chain of restaurants combines great food with a relaxing atmosphere and a warm welcome from smiling staff. 1 welcome cocktail or 1 crème brulée for every meal that includes at least a main dish.

Disneyland Resort Paris:
Come and experience all the magic of Disneyland Resort Paris - even more exciting this year.Beware: two separate offers on two separate checkbooks!
1 - 10% off your bill at the table of restaurants inside Disneyland Resort Paris.

2 - 20% of the Collector's Pin Set, one strap and four exclusive Disneyland pins.

Wine Museum:
1 free ticket for every adult ticket bought.

Montmartrain:
Come and discover Montmartre aboard a little road train. The guided tour starts from Place Pigalle, taking you through this picturesque district, right to the Sacré Coeur.
One child or one adult free for every adult ticket purchased.

Montparnasse Tower:
A panoramic view over Paris from the 56th to the 59th floors. The Montparnasse Tower dominates the Paris skyline at 209m, giving the best view over all the Paris monuments, fastest lift in Europe: 38 seconds.
35% percent discount on adult tickets only.

Galeries Lafayettes:
Symbol of Paris fashion throughout the world
- A 10% discount card and an elegant shopping bag will be offered to you at the Welcome desk.
(except on food, services, books, music items and items marked with a red spot and other current promotions. One bag per person for 30,49 euros minimum purchase.)

Roof of the Grande Arche:
A unique monument. One hectare between Heaven and Hell. Panoramic lifts give an incredible, legendary view over Paris.
1 free ticket for every adult ticket bought.

I was just looking at Expedia Activities page and they are listing a 5-day Visite pass for $45.07. That's dollars, not Euros (28.40). That works out to $9.01 or 5.68 Euros per day. That is certainly not as good as the Carte Orange - which works out to $5.21 -3.30 Euros, but certainly not the 8.50 Euros mentioned above. Also, with the Visite, you don't need to spend the $8.00 for the extra passport photos to use with the pass. That seems to make the difference - in American Dollars - $6.81 vs. $9.01 per day for a five day visite pass.
UNLESS - you are arriving say on a friday or saturday and want unlimited use of the metro and buses starting immediately. The Carte Orange won't work out as well if you arrive say saturday morning in Paris and will be there for 5 days. Then, it appears as though the Visite would actually be about the same price, or cheaper. Two one-day Mobilis @ 5.6 euro per, plus the 16.50 for the carte orange for M,T and W would equal 27.7 Euro, plus the cost of a photo, assuming you can get one there for less than 60 centimes.

I guess it is necessary to continually bring up the Visite v. Carte Orange debate!