We are going to Paris in Sept (22 to 30) Our questions are. 1, Is there a ticket we can buy for public transportation that covers all forms of transportation to get everywhere around Paris and to the airport?.

2, Do you think renting an apartment while in Paris for 900 Euros would give us a better experience then a hotel room for the same price in the same area? (5th or 6th)

Hi S,

We buy the carnet of 10 metro tickets - good for bus and metro - for about 11 E.

We have never used more than one carnet pp/wk.

Re Apt v hotel:

Do you like to make your own bed?
Do you like to make your own bkfst?

Thank you for the reply. The carnet will get us to the airport as well?
We want to go out in the morning to a real french bakery for coffee and pastries and who cares if the bed isn't made heck, we're on vacation!

Actually if there are only two of you and for 7 days I'd probably go with the hotel.

Apartments are nice for a number of reasons, but when we rent one we do sort of miss the interaction with hotel staff, and even fellow guests - that can be fun in and of itself.

Our first little Paris hotel - well, I'll never forget how friendly the owners and front desk people were. They directed us to our favorite restaurants.

When we went back to Paris we rented an apartment because we had our kids with us, but we still stopped in to say hi to the staff and it was the same people! And still friendly!

Metro tickets are good on the metro and the bus. There are passes available but for most people they are not worth it. As ira said, a carnet of 10 tickets is the best buy. If you need more you can always get another one. You will want to walk more than you think you will.

You need a seperate ticket from the airport. It's about 8€. It will get you into the city from the airport, and allow you to change to a different metro line if you need to to get where you are going.

Since this is your first time I would go with the hotel. I've stayed in an apartment and loved it, but I'd been to Paris seeral times before I did it. It is nice the first time to have the hotel staff to ask questions of, etc. The 5th and 6th are my favorite areas to stay in.

Get a Carte Orange (available at any Metro station). It is good for UNLIMITED one week's travel on the metro and bus (zones 1-3), but it is good for MONDAY-SUNDAY. You'll have a few days at the front end before Monday, and you can get a carnet of tickets for then (or just buy individually; figure out how many tickets you'll need).

To save time getting your Carte Orange, bring along some very small (about 2 x 3 centimeters) head and shoulders pictures of yourselves; these will be inserted into the ID cart of the Carte Orange. (Otherwise, you can get pictures made in the photo machines in the metro stations).

You'll need to buy a separate ticket for the RER out to CDG; that's beyond zone 3.

Get a Carte Orange (available at any Metro station). It is good for UNLIMITED one week's travel on the metro and bus (zones 1-3), but it is good for MONDAY-SUNDAY. You'll have a few days at the front end before Monday, and you can get a carnet of tickets for then (or just buy individually; figure out how many tickets you'll need).

To save time getting your Carte Orange, bring along some very small (about 2 x 3 centimeters) head and shoulders pictures of yourselves; these will be inserted into the ID card of the Carte Orange. (Otherwise, you can get pictures made in the photo machines in the metro stations).

You'll need to buy a separate ticket for the RER out to CDG; that's beyond zone 3.

For ground transportation and since arrv on a Friday, we're getting the Paris Visite, good for 5 days, including zone 5 from CDG. You can order online. We will take the RER B line to one block from our hotel (in the 6th Arr.)
First time Paris? Stay in a hotel, I'd advise, we love the 5th, 6th Arr. best.

Regarding the comparison of apartment to hotel, I'm not sure what "do you like to make your own breakfast?" has to do with it. Whenever we stay in a hotel in Paris we avoid the hotel's breakfast. Why sit in a tiny room with a bunch of other Americans paying a lot for the generic bread, croissant, and coffee when you can get out and have better at a sidewalk cafe for less money? If you're in an apartment you can do the same thing -- although it is nice to have your own OJ or whatever in a refrig.

That said, I'd think for a first time visit, I'd probably stay at a hotel -- with someone to answer the many questions you're bound to have.

Thank you all for the advice. I think a Hotel will be the best idea for us on our first visit to Paris like you have said. The staff can suggest to us places to eat and how to get around the city.