To Orange or not & 3 or 5 day pass?
 

Hi all :o)

I've lingered here a while just soaking in all the great info and recommendations. I've learned a lot and appreciate all your expertise.

My boyfriend and I are leaving for Paris next Wednesday for 6 (actually only 5 sightseeing) days & I have always assumed we would buy a Carte Orange and a 5 day museum pass. I'm starting to rethink this though.

I'm not sure we can even buy a Carte Orange since we will be arriving Thur morning? Should we just buy a Carte of 10? Do these get you on the buses and RER as well? After all the research I have done I can't believe I don't know this but...alas, I don't.

Also, do you think that we could realistically get by with a 3 day museum pass? We want to hit all the biggies plus Versaille but also want to meander into the smaller ones if the desires hits us?

I appreciate any and all advice, tips recommdations & information. It's our first trip to Europe and we are extremely excited.

Thanks!
Lisa~

Hi there - I'm doing a similar trip in May for 1 week - and also plan on buying a Carte Orange and 5 day Museum pass. From what I understand - the Carte Orange is only good from Monday to Monday - and they do not sell them after Wednesday. So a carnet of 10 tix would work better for you.

As for the Museum Pass, we are getting the 5-day also - this will be perfect for us b/c my husband is a huge art history buff and it seems like a good deal since it also includes Versailles and other popular sites that us first-timers would do anyway. Hope this helps - hopefully someone with first-hand knowledge can chime in as well. :)

I believe the Carte Orange runs Monday-Sunday night, so in your case, it wouldn't be practical (plus I think they stop selling them after Wednesday?) Suggest sticking to the carnets of 10.

OK, so your carte orange question has been answered.

And I truly think only you can answer the museum pass question.

My husband and I just don't "do" museums, so for three days, that was plenty of museum exposure for us.

But, of course, there are others who could spend a month in the Louvre alone and not be satisfied.

So, consider what you mean by "hitting the biggies". Also, consider that Versaille will take at least most of a day, if not the whole day. That really leaves you two days of museums in Paris. Make a list of the ones that you "must see" and the ones that you'd "like to see if you can". Can you fit the "must-sees" into 2 days? Or, are there few enough "must-sees" and "probably-will-sees" that even if you paid for 2-3 out of pocket it would be less than the difference of 3 to 5 days on the museum pass?

We really all have different museum interests, so it's difficult to advise. But if you really love museums and would enjoy the freedom to pop in and out as you desire without considering cost, the 5 day pass might make sens.

From experience, I would recommend getting a three-day pass. We bought a five-day and realized that we would have been better off with a three. Five straight days--even for museum lovers, which we also are--might be overkill! You can always buy a one-day pass later on.

yeah, the carnet of 10 tickets would probably be fine. You can use them on the bus (but one ticket per trip, no transfers) and the RER, but only the RER within the first two zones in central Paris. In central Paris, the RER uses and operates just like the metro, pretty much.

If you really think you are going to be using public transporation a lot in a certain day, buy a single day Mobilis pass -- that is for unlimited travel on metro/bus/RER. I buy them frequently and like them a lot. They are about 5 euro for zones 1-2, so if you think you'll take at least five trips a day, get one of those. You don't need a photo for them, either.

I suspect you may not need a 5-day museum pass. Those passes are really good for the major museums where lines are long, but they aren't that cheap, costing about 15 euro per day. There are only a couple museums that are really expensive (about 7-8 euro), like the Louvre. Besides, the smaller, minor museums aren't likely to have line problems.

Lisa-

I think jenifer gives you a good idea on whether you should get a 3-day or 5-day pass. In case you are not 100% sure what the pass covers, here is the website:

http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/A...etmonument.htm

HowardR mentions that you can buy a 3-day pass and if that isn't enough, get a 1-day pass. However, the cost of a 5-day pass (€54) = 3-day pass (€36) + 1-day pass (€18)

Christina makes a good point about the limited number of times you'll encounter lines at museums and other sites included in the pass. We only encountered lines to bypass four times--Louvre, d'Orsay, Versailles and Ste. Chapelle.

The pass is also nice if you just happen by a museum and you can pop in for just a look--or a rest stop.

I have read that a photograph is required for the Carte Orange. Is this true?

virginia- Yes.

excuse my ignorance but how does one get the photos - do we bring them or can we get them there?

I advised everyone to take a color copy of your passport, and cut out the photo (and the "USA" at the top of that). Then, someone said that it is illegal to make a color copy of a US passport. If you have a color copier at home, I'd still do that. Or, if you have an extra copy of your passport photo, take that. Or just cut your face out of a photograph...honestly, the space for the photo is about 1 inch x 1 1/2 inch. The photo is no big deal at all.

It's illegal to make a copy of a passport, period, but everyone does it because it makes it easier to replace the passport if it is stolen.

You don't need to bring a photo, however; most Métro stations have photo booths where you can get four color photos of the appropriate size taken on the spot in two minutes for about four euro.

It is not illegal to make a copy of a passport, period. The State Dept. web site even recommends you do it.

The museum passes can be bought at the metro stations, right? Regardless of whether it's for 1/3/5 days?

Copying of passports is prohibited by 18 USC 1543, if the intend is to pass the copy as a real passport. Photocopies of _portions_ of the passport are tolerated for purposes of replacement, but that's not quite the same thing (it's hard to use two sheets of black-and-white photocopy paper as a passport--although if you attempt to do so, you're violating 18 USC 1543).

Tiger_Lily,

Yes, but not neccessarily at smaller stations. Try the larger ones, where a number of lines cross.

Thanks, elberko.
Just wanted to confirm. =)