Message: hi, i am going to Paris in September (not first time) and have serious knee problems. i am looking for ideas to see new things without walking the whole day.
any one did the whole day cruis by canauxrama "The Banks of the River Marne".
when is it back in paris ? nice and interesting, or too long and boring ?
more ideas will be welcomed. skaf

One thing would be to take the bus instead of the Metro. We really enjoy them. Go to ratp.fr for various routes.

Good idea, Gretchen.

thanks. i have a hotel in good location for me. bus map. on http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/pivi/f_pivi.htm i can even plan it ahead.
still looking for ideas. of course i might learn to sit longer in cafes.
it's difficult to change your pace...

The bus would be better than metro, but be advised that many buses get extremely crowded during rush hours and it's not a pleasant experience. There are lots of those various bus tour things that could be relaxing -- Open Tour, and some by private companies like Cityrama and Paris Vision.

http://www.citefutee.com/orienter/bus.php

That's the URL for bus line searches. Take a look at line 69, then 42, 80, 92 and 96.

The best thing you can do is to get a copy of the Paris Mapguide by Michael Middleditch, which will show you bus routes on major streets.

One of my favourite bus lines in Paris is Nr. 63.
Takes you from Gare de Lyon via Saint Germain des Pres to the Trocadero and even slightly farther (Porte de la Muette).
Sightseeing for just one ticket.

I agree, during rush hours, the bus isn't as pleasant, but still more than the metro.

thanks all. as it is not my first visit i don't think i will do the regular tours again.
with the mini train is it possible to skip some of the walking in Montmartre, and still see much of the impressionist sites ?

RonZ - http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/pivi/f_pivi.htm. gives detailed direction for bus or metro between two addresses and is in English. i am sure i will do everything by bus.
as my stay is from Friday to Thursday i understand the carte orange wouldn't be practical, and i need ParisVisite or simmple carnee ? skaf

Skaf, don't dismiss RonZ's site out of hand. All you have to do is type a bus line number in the box (you don't have to understand French) and you will get a map of that bus line. If I were you, I would print up maps of the popular bus lines, as well as those that run by your hotel. As much as we may plan, believe me, there are always last-minute changes. Where is your hotel?

As far as the Carte Orange is concerned, it is hard to say if it would be worth it, BUT keep in mind that each time you get on a bus, you need a ticket, even if you are just transferring,. For you to come out even, at nearly €14, M-W you would have to take 5 trips a day. (I'm presuming Th is your departure date.) I do think the CO is incredibly handy--you never have to worry about having a ticket or going down to a Metro station to buy another carnet or wasting a ticket on a short trip.

For F-Sun, either carnets or a 3-day Paris Visite card at €18.25.

Another option would be a 5-day Paris Visite at €26.65, and carnet for W (if you plan to return to Paris, you could save the left-over tickets).

hi Sue, i am sure Ron's site must be correct as well. but i found all the plans and bus routs on the English site www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng.
my hotel is the Caron de Beaumarchais.
so i have the Marais, Islands an Saint germain near.
i will check before i go how to get to the Marmottan, rue Cler and other places i wasn't before. so with some planing i will be o.k

skaf is right about that...all this info is on the ratp site. Amazing how the French have all of this at your fingertips. The point I made earlier is that you need a good map to apply all of this and the Mapguide is one showing bus lines. Seeing where to get off the bus and where to find the right stops can be tricky, especially at points where a lot of lines converge.

skaf...you picked a great location. One way to get to Rue Cler is change from line 69 to 96 on the Rue de Rivoli. Some other points along that line are the Hotel de Ville, Samartaine [view from the roof], Louvre, Musee d' Orsay, Invalides and Champ de mars.

The buses are great. They are a little confusing because of the one way streets.(Several lines are on both sides of the river going and coming.)

The Carte Orange is great if you are arriving on Sunday or Monday and are planning on staying a week.

Well, I may be computer-challenged, but I couldn't find any bus routes on the English site. The map of the bus lines, yes, but not the specific bus routes, which I think are extremely helpful, especially when because of one-way streets you may need to go over a street to catch a return bus. Plus they show all the stops, so you can scope out the one before yours so you know to press the red button to ask for a stop.

Also, it looks to me as if you could catch bus 69 where rue du Temple meets Rivoli and go directly to rue Cler (stop St. Pierre du Gros Caillou).

Sue...that's what I meant to say...I had the numbers reversed...first you take 96 and then 69. The route link is on the ratp english site...click on cite futee. Loved your Paris report, by the way.

Thanks, Ron. I meant he could skip the 96 altogether.

Sue http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/index.htm. chose - maps. chose - bus lines ils-de-france. for specific bus routs with maps. or in the begining route finder for directions.
thank you all so much. Ron i printed the 69 line. will look if they have the Paris Mapguide in my country. all this planing gives weeks (months ?) of fun. shula

I'm not sure if this was mentioned on here as I read it quickly, but you were looking for a way around Montmartre and there is one special bus for that which would be convenient called the Montmartrobus.

It is a public bus that goes just around that area and there is a map of that route on the ratp web site also, this should be it:

http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Image...s_paris/18.pdf

That's why I couldn't find it on the English RATP site: I kept going to Cite Futee, which threw me back into French, instead of ParisVisite.

computer question: Why when I copy and paste skaf's URL does the / change to %20%? When I did that to Christina's, it pasted fine.