I am having some trouble figuring this out..
am looking at the 5 day pass
…parisinfo.com/express-booking/…
The only trips outside of Paris we will take, will be a day in Versailles, and a day in Reims.
I cannot specifically locate anything online that will allow me to purchase tickets on the metro to those place, so I am unsure of the cost.
Knowing those are the only 2 day trips we%26#39;ll do (the rest of the time, we%26#39;ll be staying directly in Paris to see the sights), is it worth it for me to buy this Paris Visite pass.
will this save me money vs. having to pay for the individual metro tickets for those day trips?
thank you, really.
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Here you can compare various tickets/passes and find the cost of individual journeys:
transilien.com/web/…en
Depending on the length of your stay and days of your visit, purchasing a carnet of tickets (a packet of ten tickets than can be shared) for Zones 1-2, then separate return tickets for journeys beyond those zones, is usually the most economical.
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superb.. thank you so much for that.
do you know if you can but the carnets on line ahead of time? or must i purchase them in person at the station.
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There is just no need to buy them online ahead of time, as they are easy enough to purchase once in Paris.
Where are you staying? How are you getting there?
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we are taking the train from brussels midi.
staying at Motte Picquet - right on Rue Cler. then departing from CDG back home 5 days later.
Reiems and Versailles are the only places we are going to go %26#39;outside%26#39; of paris..
i am going crazy trying to figure out if i would be better off taking an organized tour (to those locations), or just doing it on our own, which would involve the trains...
so much information, it%26#39;s difficult to do proper planning. especially since i am learing as i go, through the advice here on TA.
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Assuming you%26#39;ll arrive at Paris Gare du Nord, the easiest way to get to Hotel de la Motte Picquet would be to just take a taxi. You could take the metro, but that would involve a connection. Or, you could take Bus 42 - this route originates at the station, so there would be plenty of room for you and your bags - to the stop Rapp/La Bourdonnais, then walk 10 minutes to the hotel.
The hotel is very close to Ecole Militaire metro station. When you go into the station, look for the ticket windows and one with a sign %26quot;Ventes%26quot; (as opposed to %26quot;Information%26quot;) to purchase a carnet of tickets. If there is no attendant selling tickets, just use the automatic dispenser - you can change the language to English. With an attendant you can use a credit card, with the machine you%26#39;ll need cash.
You can easily visit Chateau Versailles on your own. It is best to purchase your tickets online in advance, so you can use the advance ticket holders line there. To get there, you can either go to Ecole Militaire metro station and purchase return tickets for Chateau Versailles, or just walk to Pont de l%26#39;Alma RER Station (to me, much easier) and buy them there, which will save you the metro connections.
There are excellent instructions for getting to and visiting Chateau Versailles
ricksteves.com/plan/…versailles.htm
You can also easily visit Reims on your own. Just take Bus 42 or the Metro to Gare de l%26#39;Est and purchase your return train tickets.
Rick Steves%26#39;s guide, and others, have detailed instructions for doing this on your own.
Your hotel, though, will no doubt have brochures for Cityrama, ParisVision, etc., for organized tours, which they will book for you if you wish. You can check tours ahead of time online on their websites. It%26#39;s probably best to wait to book in Paris, though, after you%26#39;ve had a chance to check the weather forecast, if that matters to you.
Sometimes, a bus tour, though pricier, is worth the extra for the door to door transportation, tour in English, and not having to worry about all the details yourself.
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I%26#39;m visiting paris for the first time in early september and have related questions. First, isn%26#39;t a Passe Navigo Decouverte pass a better value than that visite pass? Here%26#39;s a link with the 2008 prices (I can%26#39;t find the 2009 prices) - this lasts 7 days rather than 5 for less money it appears.
stif.info/IMG/pdf/Guide-tarifaire-2008.pdf
Also - I guess I%26#39;m just ignorant on how a %26quot;Carnet%26quot; of tickets work. Myself and my wife are going to paris and will be in zones 1 and 2 the entire time (Wednesday through monday am) except when we travel from cdg to our hotel in the city, a day trip to versailles and then when we leave to go to nord train station on monday am. Should we just buy the Pass Navigo Decouverte for wed - sun and use those carnetts for the other train trips? Does it cost a ticket per zone? and if so...would we use that card for zones 1 and 2 and then use carnetts for the remaining zones travelled?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
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For bfunk:
All depending, the Paris Visite is usually the least economical pass. And, much depends on how you plan to get to your hotel on arrival day, then from there to Gare du Nord the day you depart.
As you probably know, the weekly Navigo Decouverte is valid Monday through Sunday.
A carnet of ten tickets for Zones 1%26amp;2 costs €11.60, or €1.16 per ride. You need a ticket each time you start a journey on the metro or bus and need another to transfer between the two.
Navigo Decouverte costs €5 for the pass (can be refilled for up to ten years) and €17.20 for one week Zones 1%26amp;2. So, to %26quot;break even%26quot;, versus individual tickets purchased in a carnet, you%26#39;d only have to ride 4 times per day Wednesday-Sunday.
Chateau Versailles is in Zone 4, and tickets each way cost €2.95, or €5.90 round trip.
Or, you could load your Navigo Decoverte for Zones 1-4 for €27.90.
For me, a Navigo Decouverte is worth the extra for the convenience, and to not have to worry about using up tickets, running out of tickets, walking instead of riding when you%26#39;re tired, versus having to purchase another carnet and perhaps having tickets left over.
Those individual tickets get to be annoying. Sometimes, for no particular reason, one or more in your packet will not work, and you have to return to a ticket agent to get it replaced. In many stations, there are no ticket agents, so you have to wait until you%26#39;re in a station with an attended window. This is especially annoying when the last ticket or two in your packet!
You also have to be very careful to hang onto your ticket until your journey is completed, in case of RATP inspectors. If you don%26#39;t have a validated ticket, you can be fined on the spot. So, you must keep your ticket handy until you%26#39;ve exited the metro or gotten off the last bus. Then, you must keep used tickets straight from unused.
With a Navigo Decouverte, you simply wave your card over the electronic scanner in the metro or on a bus.
I endeavor to ride whenever possible in Paris. When you look at a map, and where you%26#39;re going is %26quot;right over there%26quot;, so you may as well walk - keep in mind that once you%26#39;ve arrived, there%26#39;s more walking - especially at places like Musee du Louvre (with miles of hallways and stairs), Tour Eiffel, etc.
I also much prefer the buses to the metro. The bus stops are much closer to most destinations and you get to enjoy the magnificent scenery all along the way, versus traveling underground with all the stairways and hallways, and pickpockets.
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