cozart

I'm taking my fiancee to Paris for our honeymoon in July and i'm curious about train travel. we plan on spending a day and a half going around the Normandy area so i'm wondering if it would be better (meaning cheaper) to just get a round-trip ticket from Paris to Bayeux and then get the Paris Visite card for travel around Paris, or if i should get a France Eurail pass.

all of the numbers on the various train websites are just getting confusing so i was wondering if anyone has any advice on this.

also, is it better to order the Paris Visite and Museum passes before we go, or just wait til we get there?

PalQ

Museum passes better deal bought at the museums themselves. Paris Visite is more expensive than local options. If going round trip to Normandy only pt-pt tickets by far you best bet. Pass is too expensive for your plans.

Robespierre

For more on alternatives to the Paris Visite card, search this site for "carte orange" or RATP.

p.s. There are a handful of circumstances that make the PV the cheapest option. Compare the prices and zones covered at

http://www.ratp.info/informer/tarif.php

...with particular regard to Carte Orange, Mobilis, and Paris Visite. In most cases, you will only need Zones 1-2.

ira

Hi cozart,

FYI

Enter your itinerary at www.railsaver.com before buying passes.

Be sure to click "only if it saves me money".

cozart

wow, the Carte Orange is significantly cheaper. thanks for pointing me to that.

what about museum passes? are there any cheaper alternatives to that?

finally, for our travel to bayeux, what is the difference between 1st and 2nd class train travel?

StCirq

Use the www.sncf.com site for pt-pt tickets in France. You don't want a railpass to get to Bayeux and back.

There's no cheaper alternative to the Museum Pass - just don't spend extra to buy it before you get there.

Ronda

The museum pass is great simply because it allows you to skip the long lines at museums. We buy ours at a smaller museum or monument such as the Arch de Triomphe where the lines to purchase tickets are short. At the Orsay and Louvre there are separate entrances for pass holders and you get to skip the line.

The musuem pass is good for a lots of places and you will receive a small brochure with a list when you purchase your pass. We buy the 3 day pass and hit as many museums as we can in those 3 days.

Dave_in_Paris

Honeymoon in Bayeux? Hmmm... It's a great base for visiting the World War II invasion beaches, and you definitely should not miss the tapestry. But for a honeymoon in Normandy, you ought to be staying in Honfleur!

cozart

Dave,

we're only spending one night in Bayeux. the rest of our time in France we are spending in Paris. both of our grandfathers came in on d-day so that's why we're going to go up there for a night.

Dave_in_Paris

It's admirable to make the journey. Frequently when we propose out-of- Paris trips to visitors they choose to remain in Paris -- perfectly understandable given all that is here. But those who do venture into greater France almost always are delighted that they did. Did you know that Michelin published a "historical" map of the Normandy theater shortly after the war ended? It has been reproduced, and it's a great resource while on the coast visiting the invasion beaches. The Paris tourist office did sell them. I will repost in a day to two to let you know whether they are still being sold there. We were in Honfleur for the 60th annniversary of the landings last year. That town was liberated by the British without fighting. It's always very touching to see the veterans returning, and believe me, what your grandfathers did is not forgotten by the French!

Dave

Robespierre

Battle of Normandy is Michelin map no. 102, can be bought from amazon.com for $9.71

ragingpolack

For our honeymoon trip to Paris, we did a daytrip out to Bayeux on the rail, buying a round trip the day of the visit. Once in Bayeux, we checked out the Tapestry, the Cathedral then hooked up with a Normandy travel bus that took us to the beaches and the cemetary. It didn't feel rushed and we were able to do it easily in a day.
Carte Orange and Museum pass rock!

cozart

so what is the difference between 1st and 2nd class train travel. is 1st class worth it even though the travel time is only 2 hrs?

Robespierre

Darling, First Class travel is always worth the difference. If you have all the money you will ever need.

It's your honeymoon! Go nuts.

Dave_in_Paris

First class may be worth it in a high-peak travel time, like the Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend. Otherwise, no. Also, the more interesting people are always in second class!

PalQ

As regards first class in France. I regularly commute from Paris to Les Aubrais and often the second class car is jammed full - have to have someone move their jackets, etc. to find the isolated seat whilst first class is nearly always a fourth full - i have two seats to myself, a window and an aisle to chose from. so there is a big difference but second class will get you there as well.

Dave_in_Paris

Second-call train places can be reserved. If you do that, you'll rarely need to scramble for a seat. The only caveat is, don't show up at the last minute! (Or even the last five minutes!) In that case, some hopeful traveler who didn't reserve may have claimed your seat in the hope you weren't going to show up. I have rarely seen anyone who did that refuse to move when the "rightful renter" of the seat came along, however.

Dave