Paris Metro/Train advice

MOPI

Hi I am currently looking into the possibility of travelling to Paris in June, from what I have read I will need to heavily rely on the public transport - metro and train services whilst there.

I have been looking at some information on purchasing passess for such services and I came across one website suggesting the weekly passes run from Monday until Sunday. However I am planning on travelling out to arrive in Paris on Thursday evening and then return to the UK on Monday evening. In addition I have read that the pass is only available to buy up until Wednesday 23:59, then the following weeks pass will only be available to purchase on the Friday! So if I go on the Thursday I will only be able to purchase a pass for the Monday I am there.

Please could someone confirm if this information is correct and is there a way around it e.g. pre-order the passes to pick up on the Thursday I arrive in Paris?


Thanks so much in advance

angelil

Hi there

I live and work in this area so judge I know something about this

You are absolutely correct. And no, there is no way to preorder the passes as they require a photo to be on them and (I think) ID to be presented at the point of purchase.

The best alternative, I think, is to get the Mobilis card for each day you're there, for the zones you want. This allows you unlimited public transport travel (metro and bus definitely if you choose zone 1 only, RER as well if you choose other zones) for the day in question. Definitely better value than the carnets (groups of 10 single journey tickets)!
As an example, if you were staying in Paris all day you would buy a Mobilis pass for zones 1-2. This is €6.40 for the entire day - a darn sight better than €1.10 a single ticket.
Don't do this if, for instance, you are going to Versailles for the day - that's around €7 return from Paris (as opposed to the €10.55 for the Mobilis for zones 1-4). The Mobilis is really for if you're going to multiple locations in one day.

If you are under 26 or have people travelling with you who will be, consider the Jeune Weekend ticket. The name is a bit of a giveaway! It's valid only on weekends and public holidays, and only if you're under 26 (so have your ID ready).

Do not under any circumstances purchase the Paris Visite travelcard; it's there to rip off unsuspecting tourists who don't know any better.

Enjoy your trip & just yell if you have any more questions

MOPI

Hi thanks so much for the quick response and detailed reply!

Myself and my friend are both under 26, what does that card allow us to do?

Also when we get there on the Thursday evening will there be anywhere to purchase tickets/passes from? What is the best thing for us to do for just the Thursday, Friday and Monday?

Also just slightly off topic, hope you dont mind me asking - I have been looking at the following hotel, it appears to be quite a distance from the RER, is there any metro links to near this hotel that you know of?
Novotel Marne Vallee 2 All!e des Portes de la Foret , Collegien, Seine-et-Marne 77090 France


Thanks again!

MOPI

Also sorry forgot to ask - what times do the trains/metro operate between?

Thanks

MOPI

Hi sorry to flood you with questions but I have read that it is possible to get a Paris Viste Card and is it of good value? Seems to be more flexible on the days you can use it.

Voyager2002

MOPI wrote: »

Hi sorry to flood you with questions but I have read that it is possible to get a Paris Viste Card and is it of good value? Seems to be more flexible on the days you can use it.

From the first (very helpful) reply:

Do not under any circumstances purchase the Paris Visite travelcard; it's there to rip off unsuspecting tourists who don't know any better.

Vikki_74

I wouldn't completely rule out just buying the carnets of 10 tickets - you have to do over 5 bus/metro journeys each in a day before the mobilis becomes better value.

We have just come back from a 3 day trip and only used 2 x carnets between the two of us (actually didn't use all the tickets so have 4 left to use on another trip). Each carnet of 10 costs €12.70 so a total spend of €25.40 vs €36+ if we had each bought a mobilis pass each day.

We actually only used the metro a couple of times as we preferred the buses which I was surprised about. You get to see more of the city whilst you're travelling plus we found them better value as on a single ticket you are allowed multiple transfers within a 2 hour window. So, for example, we were able to catch a bus from our hotel up to the Arc du Triomphe, get of to take some photos and have a bit of a wander round, then catch a different bus down to the Eiffel Tower all using 1 ticket each.

It all depends on how much you think you'll actually use the public transport. We were lucky to have fantastic weather so walked a lot - if it had been colder or raining we probably would have opted for the mobilis passes and hopped on and off the metro or buses more often.

peachyprice

MOPI wrote: »

Hi sorry to flood you with questions but I have read that it is possible to get a Paris Viste Card and is it of good value? Seems to be more flexible on the days you can use it.

Voyager2002 wrote: »

From the first (very helpful) reply:

Do not under any circumstances purchase the Paris Visite travelcard; it's there to rip off unsuspecting tourists who don't know any better.

Actually, the Paris Visite pass isn't the rip off suggested above, but it's not to be confused with the Paris Pass, which is something else entirely.

A viste pass for 7 days from the hotel you are looking at (more about that in a mo) is €53.40, to buy a Mobilis every day is €10.55, staying at that hotel you will need to use the Metro every day. If you were staying in central Paris it would be €31.15 for 7 days or €6.40 for a daily Mobilis pass.

It depends really how much you intend to use the Metro and whether you intend to visit the places that you get a small discount on with the Visite. For me the convenience of the Viste far outweighs the few extra € the Visite may cost compared to a carnet.

The hotel you are looking at is near Disneyland Paris and is a 40 min RER journey to the centre of paris, it'll be costiing you an extra €4 per day each in train fares.

angelil

No problem OP

MOPI wrote: »

Hi thanks so much for the quick response and detailed reply!

Myself and my friend are both under 26, what does that card allow us to do?

Also when we get there on the Thursday evening will there be anywhere to purchase tickets/passes from? What is the best thing for us to do for just the Thursday, Friday and Monday?

Also just slightly off topic, hope you dont mind me asking - I have been looking at the following hotel, it appears to be quite a distance from the RER, is there any metro links to near this hotel that you know of?
Novotel Marne Vallee 2 All!e des Portes de la Foret , Collegien, Seine-et-Marne 77090 France


Thanks again!

The Jeune Weekend card just allows use on the weekend for the under 26 but the conditions are the same as the Mobilis (so it's unlimited travel still but just at a discounted rate for under-26s). There is no discounted rate during the week.

For the Thursday, Friday and Monday I'd recommend the Mobilis. You can buy the Mobilis from any ticket machine but for the Jeune Weekend you will need to queue up at a ticket booth. This shouldn't be too difficult. What time are you arriving?
Carnets of regular tickets are also available from the ticket machines.

You have a couple of RER stations near you but they are both at least a 20-30 minute walk from your hotel. You can use the RATP website (RATP.fr) and click the British flag logo on the top right hand corner of the page to get directions in English from your hotel to wherever you want to go each day. I don't know this area at all I'm afraid.

Trains/metro tend to start from about 5.30am and run until about 1.00am or 2.00am. Metro staff will be able to give you a list of train times or they are displayed in the stations.

While the Paris Visite card may be a little more flexible in terms of usage days I would still say it's a bit too expensive for what it is. The carnets or Mobilis are usually going to be better value. BUT you are staying quite far from the centre so this may vary for you.

comping_cat

Hoping someone can help

My children and i (they are 14 and 15) are going to Paris for 3 nights, and im trying to work out the cheapest way of getting around while we are there.

We arrive on the Eurostar on the Thursday about 5.20pm, staying in a hotel near the Arc de Triumph. We leave via the same way on the Sunday at approx 6.30pm.

I was thinking of getting a taxi to our hotel on the Thursday (not planning on going very far once we have checked in, so wouldnt need anymore public transport) but obviously, would need to be able to get around the other 3 days.

Ive been looking at the Paris visite 3 day 3 zone pass, as it looks to cover the majority of places we would like to visit - so now i have 2 questions.
1 - is this the cheapest and easiest way of travelling?
2 - Is it something i can book once in Paris, or do i have to book online before we go (seeing they charge nearly 20 euros for postage, nearly 10 euros to deliver to your hotel)?

Obviously, there might be a better/cheaper option, any help would be appreciated.

angelil

You can get the Paris Visite card upon arrival. No need to order in advance.

If you are planning on getting round a lot of museums in that time it could be worth doing - as I understand it, it also includes your entry to several museums and in some cases allows you to jump queues (but I have never actually bought one so could be wrong about this).

Failing this, if you are planning on using the metro/RER a lot during your stay, I'd recommend the same route as above: Mobilis Thursday/Friday and Jeune Weekend the Saturday/Sunday.