My first trip to Paris. I%26#39;ll need 3 5-day Museum Passes and 3 5-day (zones 1-3) Paris Visite Passes. We%26#39;ll be staying in the Rue Cler area near the Ecole Militaire Metro stop. Can, or should, we buy the passes at the airport before going to our hotel or can we buy them at the Ecole Militaire Metro stop? I%26#39;d actually prefer to buy them at the airport even though I won%26#39;t use them until the following day. I welcome any thoughts and suggestions. Thanks.
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I don%26#39;t see the point of buying the passes at CDG. You%26#39;ll be tired after the overnight flight, you may have to wait in line, etc.
I%26#39;d get the passes at the Ecole Militaire stop, once you%26#39;ve dropped your luggage at the hotel. You will definitely be able to buy the Paris Visite passes at that stop.
In case, they don%26#39;t sell the Museum Pass (the ratp site says: sold in major stations only), just get it at any of the museums included in the pass. Choose a smaller museum to visit first, in order to avoid the lines.
However, since the Ecole Militaire stop is surrounded by lots of hotels, is likely they sell that pass as well.
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We were in Paris last November and stayed at the Hotel Prince, around the corner from the Ecole Militaire metro station. I purchased museum passes and metro cards at the metro station. It was very simple. I used my Visa credit card. The attendant spoke some English and was very patient and helpful.
To make things easier I printed a page from the metro web site and highlited the passes I wanted and showed it to the attendant, so there was no confusion about the number of days, etc. I also had the hotel information printed to give the taxi driver from CDG, so there was no confusion about where we were going.
The Rue Cler area is great. Try to eat at the Cafe du Marche. Great food and great prices. You have picked a wonderful area to stay in. If you rely on the metro it is very simple to get around Paris from Ecole Militaire, no more than a few minutes from anywhere. There is a good connection to the RER at Invalides, but I believe I have read on this site that there is some construction on that line.
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PS: Depending on the day you arrive, the Carte Orange may be more economical for you, even if you use it just 5 days out of the 7. Bring passport pictures, just in case.
The CO runs Mon-Sun and can be purchased until Wed of the running week. It%26#39;s considerably cheaper than the Paris Visite Pass and you can get it as well for the zones you like.
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Paris Visite Pass 5 days: 26.65E
Carte Orange (Mon-Sun): 20.60E
Zone 1-3.
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If you decide to buy a carte orange, if you remain inside Paris you will only need zones 1 and 2. In case you go to Versailles just buy the separate ticket. Bring a passport size picture
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Thanks Coco, and others. However, we are leaving Chicago on a Wednesday night arriving Paris on Thursday morning (flights for some reason are cheaper if you leave on Wednesday), so Carte Orange won%26#39;t do. Besides I want the Paris Visite pass even if it%26#39;s more for the convenience of not having to worry about paying for transportation in the city for the remainder of the trip. I like the idea of printing out what you want. I think I will do that.
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We also left arrived on Wednesday for 5 nights, so had to get the more expensive Visite instead of the Carte Orange. Many, including Rick Steves guidebook advised the Visite would not be worth the cost, but we found it beneficial and very convenient to always have your fare handy. We used the metro even for several short rides, so we could save our legs for the museums, etc.
If you have any more questions about the Rue Cler area post again. What hotel are you staying at?
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przyk,
Staying at Hotel Muguet on Rue Chevert.
I just think having one card for the whole trip is easier than having to keep buying carnets of tickets. With unlimited use, we can hop on any bus or Metro train at anytime. The Paris Visite pass also allows you to ride the funiculaire at Montmartre, plus the Montmartre Bus. Even though we are using Rick Steve%26#39;s Paris guidebook as our guidebook, the Paris Visite is one thing I will disagree with him on.
Also took your advise and printed out from the www.ratp.info website the page about the Museum pass and Metro pass. If we have any problems, I%26#39;ll just pull out those pages.
By the way, for other future travelers to Paris, the www.ratp.info website is an excellent website for printing out street maps for specific areas of Paris, plus you can print out maps of the specific numbered bus lines. I have printed out several of each and plan to use the street maps during our various walks such as Montmartre and Historic Paris from Rick Steve%26#39;s guide book. The bus maps help you determine which is the best or closest stop to your destination.
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If you go to
tripadvisor.com/…1181176
you%26#39;ll find my personal positive experience of using Paris Visite. The only difference - you may buy instead of 5 zones 2 zones, as suggested here.
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Yes, you probably only need the 2 zone pass. If you go to Versailles buy your ticket separately, it is much cheaper than the 5 zone pass. It sounds like you are doing some good research between the internet and Rick Steves guidebook.
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