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keb0503 Mar 6th, 2005 06:26 PM

transportation for 2 weeks in paris
 
I will be in Paris for two weeks in June and am confused by all the metro pass choices I've read about. I arrive on a sat. evening and will leave on a sat. Which would be the best option?
Also should I bother with a museum pass when they need to be used on consecutive days? I'm concerned I may become museumed out if I have to visit within a set time.
Thank you!

Travelnut Mar 7th, 2005 04:30 AM

Get a carnet for Sat/Sun at your arrival.
Get a Carte Orange for Mon-Sun for the remaining 2 weeks (that is, a weekly ticket two times).

keb0503 Mar 7th, 2005 12:49 PM

thank you travelnut.
i looked on the metro website at prices and am stumped as to what zones i would need. it seems most museums and sights are within zone 3. and i could use the carnet tickets for montparnasse and other places outside, right? can i purchase these at charles du gaulle? i am going to take a shuttle into the city but would like to be up and running immediately. and my french is appalling so i'm hoping the airport staff speak english.
this is my first trip to france so i'm trying to get as organized as possible before i leave.

ira Mar 7th, 2005 12:53 PM

Dear keb,

We have been to Paris a number of times and have never used more than 1 carnet (10 tickets) per week for two people.

It is a very good town for walking.

((I))

Travelnut Mar 7th, 2005 01:24 PM

If you look at the Paris Metro map, all the 'beige' space from the river outwards is Zone 1. This will include all or nearly all sights that you would be interested in...

You would have to go to the train station at CDG to buy metro tickets or Carte Orange. It would be simpler to take the shuttle on to your hotel, get situated there, then go to nearest metro station and make your purchase. You can write down what you want if you like.

Many people speak English, but you will be better received if you attempt to at least say "polite words" before talking in English. Most guide books will cover a few basic phrases.

cmeyer54 Mar 7th, 2005 01:48 PM

The metro is definitely the easiest, most reliable, convenient way to get around Paris. We took it everywhere; (even to the airport for departure, Roland Garros stadium, Versaille, etc. Just grab a good map and ask somebody if you're going to add the suburban stops to the norm. Really a snap and stations are literally everywhere.

Patrick Mar 7th, 2005 01:52 PM

I'm with Ira. As many times as I've been to Paris, varying from 5 days to 2 weeks at a time, I've never used a transportation pass and never missed it. A pass would be a waste of money for me, as like ira, we don't use more than one carnet for a full week. The same is true for museum passes.

Flyboy Mar 7th, 2005 02:14 PM

I find that I'm using less and less metro tickets myself the more I go there, but in the earlier visits I was using quite a few. I think Travelnut makes a good suggestion for someone who has less familiarity with the city; at least for the first week.

As for museum passes, the other advantage is the ability to avoid sometime long lines. I'm not much of a museum person myself, but it makes some sense to group some of the included museums and monuments together for a couple of days to benefit from that aspect alone.


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