hey everyone, tried to search thru the forums for this 1 no joy, which either makes me a france novice or a bit slow!! but we are off to the beautiful paris tmrw for our anniversary, we intend to rely on the metro to get around.. will be alighting at gard du nord, BUT how does the metro ticketing sytem work, can you buy %26#39;travelcards%26#39; as we can here in London, i%26#39;ve heard the term carnets running around? I anticipate a lot of jumping on and off at stations to switch trains to get to our destinations, the single that are purchased are from begining to end of single journey not from 1 station to another?
any othere recommendation would also be most welcomed!
thanks guys!!
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http://en.parisinfo.com/paris_map/
Look under %26#39;maps and transport%26#39; for all the types of passes...
www.ratp.fr
Look under %26#39;titres de transport%26#39; and %26#39;tariffs%26#39; for all the types of passes and prices
One single ticket - good for single ride and for transferring as long as you do not exit the system
Carnet - a pack of 10 single tickets, slight cheaper than buying 10 individual tickets
Carte Orange - a weekly pass that can cover different zones, is good Monday-Sunday, can only be bought Friday-Wednesday for that week. You need a tiny photo of your face for the id card.
Paris Visite - another pass, good for 1-5 days and different zones, costs more than Carte Orange
Mobilis - a one-day pass for different zones
If you%26#39;ve managed the Tube, then you can manage the Metro.
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Tickets are valid on either the métro, buses, or the central Paris RER trains (zones 1 %26amp; 2), as well as certain select venues, such as the funicular at Montmartre. Single tickets (€1.40) may be purchased at the counters each time, but the better value is a carnet of 10 (€10.70), which will save you queuing; these may also be purchased from many tobacconists. Another option for frequent travel during a short visit is the Mobilis 1-day pass, available in various denominations according to the zones of travel.
Parisians themselves rely on either monthly or weekly passes (coupons) which are carried in a gray plastic slipcase with the Carte Orange. They are the most economical tickets to use on the entire RATP network, provided you are in Paris long enough to benefit from them. Although some station ticket agents may balk at selling these to tourists, anyone is permitted to buy them.
The weekly pass (coupon hebdomadaire) is valid for unlimited travel from Monday to Sunday; it may be purchased until Wednesdays for the current week, and starting on Fridays for the following week (no passes are sold on Thursdays). The monthly pass (coupon mensuel) begins on the first day of the month and may be purchased starting on the 20th of the prior month. You%26#39;ll need a passport photo to place on the pass; be sure to bring extras from home or purchase one for about €4 from machines in the main stations.
There are also special passes offered only to foreign travelers, called Paris Visites, which are valid for either 1, 2, 3 or 5 days%26#39; unlimited use on the entire RATP network, and may be purchased online before your departure to France. For métro travel alone — within Paris city limits — these are not as economical as the coupon hebdomadaire, but they can begin on any day of the week (rather than just Monday to Sunday), and provide 20-35% discounts (or 2-for-1 tickets) on Paris boat trips and certain other attractions. Another advantage is that they can be purchased for certain travel zones, either just within Paris, or for trips as far away as Versailles, Disneyland-Paris, or the airports. Fares vary according to number of days and travel zones selected; children 4 to 11 years old are half-price (kids under 4 ride free of charge).
Though senior citizens over age 60 (with passport as proof) will be given reduced entry to most museums and monuments in Paris, there is no reduction on public transport.
How To Use Passes On the Métro %26amp; Buses
The Mobilis, Carte Orange, and Paris Visite passes all come with a plastic sleeve in which to keep the ticket portion of the pass — which is the same size as a regular ticket, but more durable. When entering a métro or RER station, simply remove the ticket from its sleeve and insert it into the slot on a turnstile. The ticket will be returned to you from a second slot; replace it into its sleeve and pass through the turnstile. (Note: the ticket is also required in order to exit from RER stations.) When boarding on a bus, however, simply show your pass to the driver; do not insert the ticket into the machine on a bus, as this will invalidate it.
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thanks guys this all sounds great.. also one final question, the trains display the final destination of that train on its respective route? just to know we are heading in the right direction of course!!
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Yeah, just follow the destination (terminus ending point) of the train to check its direction of travel.
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%26gt;%26gt; or the central Paris RER trains (zones 1 %26amp; 2) %26lt;%26lt;
A tiny correction : single tickets are NOT valid for RER travel into Zone 2, only within Zone 1 (ie central Paris).
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In general, the system is more simple than London%26#39;s. There are only two lines with %26quot;branches%26quot;, and they only branch out in neighborhoods you are not likely to be needing. Also, contrary to London, one platform = one destination, you don%26#39;t have to check whether the next train is going to be the good one, since the final destination is written on the platform and all trains go there.
That%26#39;s for the métro. The RER is more complicated and akin to London%26#39;s tube with multiple destinations. But they only concern suburbs, within Paris all trains use the same route.
Also, contrary to London, half of the system is not unavailable on summer week-ends for %26quot;essential works%26quot;. Two or three of the 300 + métro stations are currently closed for repairs (list on ratp.fr) but apart from Alésia, nothing... essential, precisely.
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the central stretch of RER C line is closed, though (as you wrote in another thread), the superstructure is nearly 100 years old and is soaked in Seine water, so repairs _are_ difficult, and instead of a total closure for 1 year with major disruptive works in the surface, they chose to scatter the effort over several years.
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Hi
I%26#39;m sure you will be fine taking the metro in Paris if you are used to the subway in London. I didn%26#39;t find them to be that different at least. My wife and I went to Paris in APril and since we were staying a week we bought a Carte Orange and we used that to get around. Have a great trip to Paris and get in touch if you have any questions
Regards
Gard
gardkarlsen@hotmail.com
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Hi, we too are off for a 15th wedding anniversary next week for 3 nights. We%26#39;ve been once before 10 years ago and bought the book of 10 tickets. I remember it was really easy to use the network and the locals are really helpful. Hopefully it will all come back to us when we get there, we are staying on the Champs elysees this time as we wanted somewhere a little more central. Have a great time.
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My advice is to buy a zone 1%26amp;2 Mobilis the day you arrive. It will get you around Paris proper on the metro, RER and buses like a zone 1 %26amp; 2 travelcard does in London. This will help you get your eye in for using the transport and help you decide what to buy for the rest of your trip. It will cost a smidge over £3
Paris is either a bigger or a smaller city than London. Probably bigger AND smaller. Paris proper is bigger than the City of London, but Greater Paris (zones 3,4 5,6 - which aren%26#39;t Paris) is smaller than Greater London.
Most of the sights you want to see will be in zones 1 and 2. The only one I can think of is La Defense. (Versailles isnt in Paris, think of it as a daytrip to Windsor)
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