lecia11

I am going to London and Paris in May. This is my first time traveling abroad. I have a few questions that I was hoping someone here could help me answer. First, in London, I will be there for three days and nights days. Should I get a tube pass for those nights? Also, is it worth it to get a museum pass?

I will also be in Paris for three days and nights. I'm confused as to who to get to my hotel from the Eurostar. I'll be staying at the Husa Grand Hotel Montmartre at 2 Rue Calais. In Paris, I believe I will need to get a metro pass as well as a museum pass. I also saw a Paris Visite pass that gets you discounts in restaurants and such. Is that worth it? Sorry for all of the questions. I just want to get all of my ducks in a row before I go. I'm planning on purchases whatever passes I need before I go. Thanks for your help!

AisleSeat

Museums are free in London and the Paris Museum pass is a great deal because it puts you at the front of the line. You can get the Paris museum pass at the museums or at the larger Metro stations. No need to buy in advance. Take a look at a Paris map and figure out what sights you want to see. You can buy a pass or carnets of tickets in different numbers (5 tickets, 10 tickets etc.) and save money that way.

The London Tubes are fun but the busses are cheaper and you get to stay above ground and see the sights. Mapquest your hotel in Paris. I don't know where the Eurostar arrives but if it is Gare du Nord you will be pretty close.

ira

Hi L,

>... to get to my hotel from the Eurostar..<

Eurostar comes into Gare du Nord.

Go to www.ratp.fr
Enter the train station and your hotel's address.

It will give you directions by metro and/or bus.

rex

Hi.. and welcome to the Europe forum.

Please see http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34755343

Your question needs a title ("message header&quot that indicates your questions are about London and Paris. Please be kind enough to re-post.

Best wishes,

Rex

SuzieC

With 3 days in Paris, also you might want to just decide which museums you want to see. For example, I guess some people could spend HOURS in the Louvre (I did), the D'Orsay and the Pompidou...
I beleive a 3 day pass is about $60.
Entry into just a couple of museums won't be cost you that much. (The Carnavalet in the 3rd or 4th arron. is free. It is the "history" museum of Paris and a particular favorite of mine). I wonder if the lines will be all THAT long and tedious is February.
Because I recommend planning time for sitting in cafe's and walking around the streets of Paris with little dabs and pinches of museum-ing.

Ackislander

SuzieC is right. You can be so busy seeing the famous sights that you miss London and Paris.

The best advice we got for our first trip was: "If you do nothing but walk around the streets and eat in neighborhood restaurants, the trip will be worthwhile."

I second Aisleseat's recommendation to take busses in London after a sample trip on the Tube. The same thing is true of Paris. The Metro is a great way to get from one part of Paris to the other, but you SEE the city from the bus.

Your first trip won't be your last. You are going at a wonderful time of year.

janisj

The Paris museum pass is changed to 2, 4 and 6 day versions (as of March 1) - so you <i>might</i> consider a 2 day pass. But unless you are going to a lot of museums just paying the entrance fees will be cheaper. You won't be there long enough to go to more than a handful of the covered sites.

The Pass will let you skip the lines - but except for the Musee d' Orsay you won't find massive lines most anywhere. And you can buy a ticket to the d'Orsay ahead of time from the museum kiosk or other places and not have to wait in line.

And almost all museums and galleries in London are free,

Robespierre

The Tube and M&eacute;tro are good ways to get across town, but the buses in both cities are easier to travel on, more scenic, and in London much cheaper.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34739639

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34630342

On March 1, the Paris Museum Pass will be available in 2-, 4-, and 6-day versions. IIRC, the 2-day is 36&euro;, which would be hard to amortize.

Robespierre

lecia11, The easiest way to get to your hotel will be city bus N&deg; 54.

When you come off the Eurostar platform at Gare du Nord into the main terminal, turn left and walk all the way to the far (east) end and go out the front door. Your bus stop is right in front, as shown here:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...;loc=quartiers

Ride the bus to Blanche (the 8th stop), then walk down Rue Blanche to Rue de Calais, as shown on this map:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...;loc=quartiers

lecia11

Thank you so much for the info! What great information. And I've definitely decided to use buses both in London and Paris so I can actually see as I'm going from place to place.

sandypaws3

Definitely get at least a 2 day museum pass in Paris. It allows you to pop into any of the smaller museums, not to mention museums have the best bathrooms, which can be a problem in Paris. The Eurostar arrives at Gare de Nord. Since you have luggage, I'd suggest taking a taxi to your hotel. It should be a very inexpensive taxi ride, and it's the easiest way to go. We only paid about 11 euros to the 6th arrondissement, and you're much closer than that. Before you go to the taxi rank, though, you can purchase Mobilis passes. They're daily passes, at the cost of around 5 euros each, which allow unlimited travel on bus and metro. You can also wait and purchase them at any large metro station. Normally, I wouldn't say that the Paris Visite is worth it, but it's only a little more expensive than 3 Mobilis passes, and you do get a few discounts on it, not to mention having to carry only one card Three Mobilis passes, at 5 euros each, 15 euros, and a 3 day Paris Visite is 18.25 euros for Zones 1 to 3, and that's all you should need. Have a great trip!

Sandy

Robespierre

If you're going to be in Paris three nights, you'll be there on four days.

If your arrival day is Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, you should (probably, see below) buy a <i>Carte Orange</i> pass for 15.70&euro; - it will cover all four days, which a <i>Paris Visite</i> or three <i>Mobilis</i> will not.

If you arrive any other day, you will need either single tickets or daily passes for each day. If you're under 26, you can buy a <i>Ticket Jeunes</i> for the weekend days - they're cheaper than <i>Mobilis</i> (about the cost of three single tickets).

A case can be made for a <i>Paris Visite</i> for three days if you can get away with single tickets for the fourth day. But if you can use single tickets for <i>two</i> days, it doesn't make much sense unless you can take advantage of the twofers.

twk

I would concur that the Paris Visite pass is not usually the BEST buy on a euro for euro basis, but from a convenience standpoint, it can be worthwhile. IMO, you want to have some kind of pass for unlimited use because that will encourage you to make good use of the Metro and take a trip on a whim across town. When your counting tickets in your carnet, that might keep you from making that spur of the moment trip.

lecia11

So if I purchase a Paris Visite pass, I'm covered for the time I'm there, right? I arrive in Paris on a Sunday. Since I have luggage, I think I should take a taxi to my hotel room. Luckily, I have two bus lines right by my hotel, so it should be pretty easy for me to get to the museums and such. Okay, I'll purchase the Paris Visite and a two-day museum pass. Sound good? I'm feeling much better about my first-time travel to Europe with such great advice. Thanks, everyone!

Robespierre

&quot;So if I purchase a Paris Visite pass, I'm covered for the time I'm there, right?&quot;

No. You'll be there part of four days. The PV only covers three.

A PV costs 18.25&euro;, but a Carte Orange is only 15.70&euro;, so there's no good reason to buy a PV.

I would use single tickets or a <i>Mobilis</i> on Sunday, and a <i>Carte Orange</i> for Monday-Wednesday

- or -

if you aren't going to move around much on Sunday and Wednesday, I'd use single tickets for those days and (probably) <i>Mobilis</i> cards for Monday and Tuesday.

In any case, the <i>Paris Visite</i> is the most expensive choice.

If you can carry your luggage unassisted, there's no reason you can't use the bus.

sandypaws3

I agree, Robespierre, a Mobilis for the first day and a Carte Orange for the next 3 days is the best choice. I didn't notice that it was 4 days, not 3 days

lecia11,
Don't forget that you need a small photo for the Carte Orange. An extra passport photo works fine -- anyway, that's what we used.

Sandy

PalQ

For the best Eurostar Paris-London fares you should book early or you could pay tons more on the spot. three good sources:
www.eurostar.co.uk for fares in British pounds
www.sncf.com for fares in euros, but may have to pick up in Paris
or Raileurope in US - they often have cheaper prices for some weird reason than the European sites - $90 round trips or one ways available on many trains - I always recommend Budget Europe for expert eurostar guidance (800-441-2387) and they don't charge some of RailEurope's handling fees though they work thru them. anyway be sure to book Eurostars in advance as cheaper tickets, like on airlines, are often in limited supply - can reserve up to nine months in advance.
The Paris Visite is a waste of money for what most folks end up doing - either Carte Orange or usually for a few days regular carnets (tickets sold in groups of ten at a cheaper price) fill the bill. Museum passes now are for a minimum of three days and you probably have to do 2 or 3 museums a day. city museums are often free; most museums on Sunday are half price - discounts for those under 26 or over 59 too. In London a three day TravelCard will be a good investment - buy it at tube stations.

Robespierre

The French Eurostar site is showing round-trips from Paris to London for as little as 70&euro;. That's $83 and change. Note the restrictions.

http://www.eurostar.com/FR/fr/leisur...on_ashford.jsp

PalQ

the key with any posted price is of course if it's available for the date you want - Robespierre - if going from London to Paris how would you get the 70 euro ticket delivered to you - do they sent to US or can you print it out yourself or must you pick up in Paris? thanks.

twk

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the OP will not be able to buy the Carte Orange until Monday, and will then have to supply a photo when purchasing the Carte Orange? If that's correct, seems to me that it might be worth 2.50 euros not to have to deal with Metro ticket agents (not the most friendly folks I ran into in Paris) more than once, and not to have to fool with the photo at all (which you don't with the Paris Visite). Of course, I'm in a business where time is money, so maybe I overvalue the convenience angle, and I could be all wrong about the photo, but that was what I understood when I went to Paris.