RER from CDG to St. Michel
 

I've read all the postings about taking the RER from CDG into Paris. Since we're arriving on a Saturday, I'll buy a carnet of tickets. What I couldn't figure out on the RATF site was the price (or extra price) of single tickets between the airport and St. Michel. Could someone clue me in? <BR><BR>Also, has someone purchased a Carte Orange recently? I read that they were no longer available for tourists. Are they really worthwhile? It seems like you'd miss alot if you're underground the city rather than experiencing it while walking.

7.6euros or so for RER to Paris; buy the ticket at the station; the RER stops at Gare du Nord, St Michel, Luxembourg, and a couple of other stops further south. If you need to connect with a metro, your RER ticket still works throughout Paris until you actually go outside.<BR><BR>I usually buy carnets, simply because I don't seem to use the metro more than once or twice a day (some days, not at all) in a week.

YOu can probably have hundreds of different possible RER tickets depending on exact trip, so there isn't really a std price for a single RER ticket. YOu just have to specifically buy one for that distance, tell the clerk where you want to go to make sure you get the right one. That carnet of regular metro tickets won't work for that particular trip, which I guess you know as those tickets are only for zones 1-2. <BR><BR>It depends how much you travel on the metro and bus as to whether they are worthwhile, there's no pat answer. I do it a lot because I don't just concentrate on the main sites right in the center and I don't stay there either, but for a lot of tourists, it's probably not necessary. I got one last summer but that's the last time I was there, but I wouldn't believe whatever source you are getting that from. Mainly because it would take a lot of time and labor to regulate that, making everyone show proof of local residency, and there would be no way to regulate it for buying replacement tickets from vending machines. Also, I imagine a lot of non-Parisian tourists might not be crazy about that, either. RATP and other officials do not encourage tourists to buy cartes orange, of course, but I don't think there are any real regulations on purchase.<BR><BR>I don't know of any metro system that only sells pass tickets based on residency, but there might be some, I'd be interested in hearing of any. I just recently bought weekly metro passes in Prague that are terrific bargains, cheaper than Paris. I live in Wash DC and anybody can buy the various passes here (which aren't such a great deal, anyway).<BR><BR>Now there are some longer-term and special situation passes RATP sells for which you do need a special card that you must get from your local mayor, as I understand it, for low income or elderly persons, things like that. I also think there are some really long term passes for students, etc, but it wouldn't make sense to buy them if you didn't live there.<BR><BR>I don't always buy a carte orange when I'm in Paris, either, even though I know the system -- I often just buy carnets and supplement with Mobilis passes on days I plan on using it a lot.

Carte Orange is ostensibly for residents, and is still included on the French language version of RATP website. We used them April 2001, gonna try again in October. I still have our photo/id cards, and I think you can get the ticket portion out of a machine, but I've never had a problem receiving this pass in the past.

Thanks Christina. I'm in DC too and I don't know of any special metro deal here except the $5 all day pass. Since we get in on a Saturday, I can always make a decision by Monday.

I bought a carte orange in April. There is nothing on the RATP site that says they are for natives only. If you don't already have the "Carte Orange" folder, don't forget a 1x1 picture. They are also good for buses, which I use a lot--once to go only two stops, but I had been shopping for water and it was heavy! I also think buses are a fun way to see the city and not be underground.