what metro pass in Paris?
 

Can't decide which metro pass to buy. The 5 day works perfectly. Zones 1-3 $48.99, or Zones 1-6 $83.79. We are headed to Versailles one day. If I buy the less expensive do I need to buy a one day zone 1-6 for $29.98 or is there something less expensive I can add to my zone 1-3 for the day. Not much difference in price otherwise. Might as well buy the 5 day, zone 1-6

The best multi-day pass is the Navigo Decouverte with the Carte Orange option (currently it's the only option). Valid from Monday to Sunday, a zone 1-6 pass costs 37.20€

Many people will need no more than a book of 10 tickets at 11.60€. For the day you want to visit Versailles, I recommend a Mobilis pass; unlimited travel for one day at 12.90€ (zone 1-5).

For many people, a combination carnet (book of 10 single rides) and Mobilis tickets is all that is really necessary.

When I'm in Paris my primary mode of transport is my own two feet. I may ride the métro twice a day on average. If I go to Versailles or somewhere that requires the RER, I pay the supplement to the book of tickets (carnet) that I typically purchase that lasts a full week (for 11.60 euros). I highly doubt you'll need anything that costs much more than that unless you plan to do extensive métro and bus rides.

I've been to Paris about a dozen times, and I always buy a "carnet" of tickets. And every time I leave with at least a couple tickets to use on my next trip!

Thank you, experts! We usually rely on our own two feet too. We used a carnet the last trip and worked great. Now I know, Mobilis and carnet. Great!

Versailles is in zone 4, not zone 5. A zone 1-4 Mobilis pass costs 9.80 EUR.

Adding to my previous post. A single ticket from central Paris to Versailles costs 2.95 EUR each way. If you only take 2-3 rides solely within central Paris on the day you go to Versailles, it will be cheaper to buy single tickets to and from Versailles and use carnet tickets for your in-Paris rides.

I always go with Navigo Decouverte. If you ride twice a day, the cost is about the same as carnet tickets. There is the initial €5 charge for the pass. Regardless, the convenience is well worth the extra euros.

I love using the buses, and do plenty of walking despite riding whenever possible.

Having an unlimited pass is especially useful for visiting areas like Montmartre, so you can explore downhill and ride uphill - without worrying about keeping track of, or "using up", those pesky individual tickets.

Is the "Carte Orange" no longer?

Hi NG,

We have never used more than one carnet of 10 tickets/person per week.

There are combination tickets for Versailles/train Try
http://en.chateauversailles.fr/index...om_cdvhomepage

((I))

Namakaatwork,
I have read that the Carte Orange was restricted to individuals who could verify that they were extended stay/workers. I would love to know the answer.
Thanks.

BKnight you were misinformed.
When the CO was on offer there were urban legends about its being restricted to Parisians. In reality it was marketed to Parisians while the more expensive Paris Visite was marketed to tourists (e.g., CO on the French language web page but only the PV on the English language version.)
Now the Navigo Decouverte is marketed to all.

Hello,

Am I correct that if my public transport in Paris will be mainly from the center to the airports, that no pass will lead to a discount? Individual tickets will be necessary?

I'll have a CDG-Gard Nord and Gard Nord-Orly within 48 hours and the same trips 2 weeks later.

Thank you.

I think a lot of these things are too complicated for people who don't even understand the basics and are just tourists who've never been there before. For example, the Navigo, etc. The CO was never sold only to residents, I have bought one almost every year for the last 25 years and am not a Parisian resident. There was no requirement to show proof of address or residency in Paris. Of course, now that paper card is gone and replaced with the electronic Navigo.

No, it isn't true that no pass covers the airports. The Paris Visite does, but isn't a bargain overall, so it's hard to imagine a scenario when that would make sense to buy it for that reason. I think it might if you were only there a couple days. The regular Navigo does, also. The only one that doesn't, in fact, is the Mobilis one-day tickets. I think the Navigo is odd in that it covers the regular RER stops at the airports but not Orlyval.

To get from CDG to Paris on day 1 and from Paris to Orly 48 hours later you would need a three-day zone 1-6 Paris Visite pass (40.50 EUR). But why pay for travel beyond zone 1 on days you don't need to?

A single ticket on the RER B from CDG to Gare du Nord costs 8.50 EUR.

Taking the RER B from Gare du Nord to Antony and the Orlyval from there to Orly is your fastest--and most expensive--route. The combined fare is 9.85 EUR.

For your rides in Paris buy a ten-ticket carnet (11.60 EUR). Each ticket is good anywhere the metro goes (some lines end in zone 3), on the RER in zone 1, on city buses, and on the Montmartre funicular.

Thanks - that confirms my initial thought.

Did the price of the Visite decline since this thread started? According to this site http://www.ratp.info/touristes/index...e=presentation it's only 28.90 for 5 days- that doesn't seem too bad to me. We're going for the first time this fall, but judging by how often we ride the subway when we visit NY it seems like the Visite would be the way to go and buy tickets separately for Versailles and CDG.

kirbyks,

The price of the Paris Visite pass has not gone down. The price you quoted is for a 5-day, zone 1-3 pass. The price I quoted above is for a 3-day, zone 1-6 pass. The 5-day, zone 1-6 pass costs 49.40 EUR.

However, if your five days in Paris fall on the right days of the week, buying passe Navigo Decouverte cards (5.00 EUR) and loading a Navigo semaine on each of them will be cheaper than a Paris Visite pass. The Navigo semaine is good for seven days (Monday-Sunday), but it can be a good value even if you can't use it for a whole week. For zone 1-2 the cost is 17.20 EUR. For more details, go here: http://tinyurl.com/8f9thz.

Unless you buy a zone 1-5 Navigo semaine (33.40 EUR), you should buy separate tickets for Versailles and CDG.

TimS -- You seem to be the expert, so PLEASE tell me my most cost-effective option based on our trip's particulars:

2 adults and 1 child (age 10); staying in Montmartre; need full access to Paris sights with one trip to Versailles; Sunday through Friday use.

If I go with the Navigo where do I get the neccessary photos?

Thanks so much!

Take a picture of yourself now, use a graphics program to reduce them to the proper size (you can fit 6 photos on one 4x6 print), get it printed, cut them out, and bring them with you.

Tim-
I was confused by the original post- now I see that Nancy converted to dollars. Anyways, how does it work to buy a separate RER ticket to Versailles? For instance, if I bought a carnet and took the Metro to Invalides would I then buy my ticket to Versailles?

SuzChicago,

travelhorizons has given you good advice about the photos. They should be about 1" x 1".

For Sunday the two adults can share tickets from a 10-ticket carnet (11.60 EUR). Buy a one-day, zone 1-3 Ticket Jeunes for your 10-year-old. The Ticket Jeunes is a one-day pass for people under 26 and is good on either Saturday or Sunday.

kirbyks,

You will not have to use a ticket from a carnet at all. Buy a single ticket which will be good from anywhere in central Paris to Versailles. Use it for any Metro and/or RER rides you need to take to connect with the RER C to Versailles-Rive Gauche.

SusChicago,

One more thing. Your 10-year-old will have to pay the adult rate for single tickets, a carnet, or a Navigo semaine.

SuzChicago,

My advice to kirbyks on buying single tickets to Versailles also applies to you.

<<Buy a single ticket which will be good from anywhere in central Paris to Versailles. >>

Just to clarify, this is NOT a single t+ ticket, which are valid only for Zones 1&2 - you MUST purchase Billet Ile-de-France to Versailles in Zone 4.

Save the other tickets in your carnet for other trips within Paris.

The proper photo size is 25mm x 30mm. On most PC's you have some sort of software for resizing. If the photo is larger, you may have to trim away too much of your head...

Generally speaking, especially if you plan to walk a lot, carnet tickets and separate tickets for more distant places are almost always the most economical way to go.

But, if your dates somewhat coincide with Navigo Decouverte (and aren't over a weekend requiring two weekly loads), it's well worth the extra for the convenience of being able to ride whenever you like and not have to bother with single tickets.

Oops! Still one more thing. The price for the zone 1-3 Ticket Jeunes is 3.30 EUR. A real bargain!

my husband and I are going to Paris (first timers!) in less than two weeks, this thread is very handy for us. Not sure if I need to start another thread...my questions is...for the 2 of us (adults) who will be in Paris for 6 days [day 1 arriving from London by train in the evening; 1 day to Versailles; day 6 - to CDG only], what's our best option? If I got it right, we should only get the "carnet" of tickets?

We're staying in the 9th near MEtro Notre Dame de Lorette.

kkay the answer depends on what day of the week you arrive.

Like kkay, first time visitors to Paris in June. I hope you don't mind that I am posting on this thread.

Responding to Seamus: We will be in Paris for 10 days, arriving Friday, leaving on Monday. I'd like to ask you for advice on what would be our best option? Carnets? Also going to Versailles on our second Saturday - do we buy single train tickets? I understand we will be able to use our museum pass for admission to Versailles.

Thank you.

You could just buy carnets as you need them. You will need separate tickets to Zone 4 for Chateau Versailles.

Or, you could purchase carnet(s) for Fri-Sat-Sun, and Navigo Decouverte for Mon-Sun. (You probably won't need anything day of departure, or have carnet tickets leftover.)

gelatolover - what djbooks said. Buy a carnet (car-nay) for use Fri-Sun. For the rest of your time continue with carnets or get a Navigo Decouverte.

The ND will run you (all prices in euro) 5 for the card plus 17.20 to load the zone 1-2 pass valid for Monday through the following Sunday so 22.20 total. If you do not bring a photo in the size required to be affixed to the ND and have to get one from a vending machine add a few more euro per person for this. (<i>Bring a picture, it's cheaper and easier as there are not photo machines at all stations and no guarantee that where there is one it will be working. Just need a face shot measuring about 1" square, one you print at home is fine.</i>) That's roughly equal to the cost of 18 - 20 individual tickets if bought in carnets. So if you plan to ride the metro or bus an average of about three times per day it's a deal - plus there is the convenience of not having to keep track of tickets, and you have a nifty little souvenir of Paris which you can reuse on future trips. Another nice thing about the ND is with it in your pocket you can feel free to jump on and off a passing bus at whim, which is fun to do. (You can see where my bias lies.)

To get to Versailles using RER C you would just buy a RT ticket at the RER station where you begin your journey. Cost is around 3 euro from central Paris.

On your day of departure if you needed to use the metro you could just buy a ticket or two, use whatever is left from a previous carnet. If you are using the RER to get to the airport just buy your OW ticket at the station.

djk: We will do exactly as you suggest: buy carnets for Fri-Sat-Sun. Get a ND from Mon-Sunday.

Seamus: One question. Can we buy the Navigo passes on Friday when we arrive, load it for the week, so it will be ready to use on Monday?

While we most likely won't "break even" with the purchase of the passes, I'm with you on your "bias" - I'd like to be able to jump on and off a bus at whim, there's no keeping track of tickets, plus the pass makes a nifty souvenir. 100% agreement here on all the points that you mentioned.

Going off-tangent here, how easy is it to hail a cab late at night? We just spent a week in NYC and didn't use the bus/subway at all because we kept saying "we'll try to do it tomorrow". I think it's a genetic anomaly. Anyway, while we'll really make an effort to use the bus system in Paris, would it be safer to take a taxi after a late night dinner, say between 11-12 pm back to our apartment in the 7eme?

We're taking a shuttle from CDG to the apartment and again, on departure day.

Thank you.

Yes, you can buy the ND on Friday and load it with a pass for the next week. Sales of passes for the current week end on Wednesday and passes for the following week go on sale Friday. The pass is valid from midnight (00:00h) Monday morning and remains good through 23:59 the following Sunday.

You don't hail cabs in Paris. There are taxi ranks all over town where you go to get a cab. In fact, any taxi that would stop if you hailed could well be an unlicensed gypsy cab, something you want to avoid. Taxi is not your only option. Most metro lines will still be running around midnight (though ending service not long after that) and a bus is a perfectly safe option. There are Noctilien (night) bus routes that run all night. You can see lines and schedules using an interactive map at www.ratp.fr (click the flag in the upper right for English version.)

Thanks Tim!

not sure if it's the best value, but the zone 1-6 pris visite worked best for us...just left Paris June 22, 2010. Just don't lose the small ticket. It also gets you on the funiculare at Basilica Sacre Coeur, besides Versialles, and CDG. But, it is good only until midnight of the fifth day. Not 5-24 hour periods if you arrive say 10am, and think you use it to leave 8am or so of the 6th day.

Thanks to all the useful info in this forum, we did purchase the Navigo Decouverte card - it did suit us very well as our Paris stay was 9 days and we were able to use the card for all of its 7 days. (We did bring photos from home cut to the specified size and paid using cash in a ticket machine as the ticket machine refused to read our credit cards from U.S)

Our apartment was nicely located only about 10 min walk from Arc de Triomphe, we used the metro pass for conventient and quick transport to each indivudual part of the city that we wanted to explore each day. With all the walking in various parts of town, the walking to get there and back would have been too much for our legs and feet.

Also, I want to mention that holders of Navigo Decouverte also receive a discount on the Batobus river boats. We took the Batobus boat from Eiffel Tower down to Notre Dame one morning, a very nice ride. Then after a full day of exploring The Latin quarter area complete with dinner etc we took one of the very last boats back. For our return we back tracked a bit and got on the boat by the d'Orsay museum and so had a very nice ride in the twilight down to Notre Dame and back again to the Eiffel Tower. Along the river were lots of people resting, having picnic dinner on a blanket, playing guitars etc. Approaching the Eiffel tower it was almost 11 PM, very pretty in the dark with the tower all lit up.