Wondering what is the most cost effective way to travel and see the major attractions. Two adults and one child (11) arrive on a Monday and leaving on a Sunday. Should we get the metro passes (what zones) and then get a museum pass or is their a combo pass? I hear that children under 12 are admitted free to museums. Is that only for children of the EU? Can we get all these passes there, or should we pre-purchase on the web?
How should we handle getting to/from CDG--a one day or one trip pass?
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The weekly CARTE ORANGE Zone 1-2 transportation pass (16 € per person...NO reduced rate for children) The CARTE ORANGE is valid for ALL public transportation within the City of Paris (and in a few places a bit beyond) from the FIRST TRAIN, Monday AM until LAST TRAIN, Sunday PM...so it fits your itinerary perfectly. You will need to provide your own %26#39; head-shot..%26#39; photos (approx 1 1/4%26quot; x 1 1/4%26quot;..of any type, form any source for the photo-ID portion of the CO pass)
RATP Ticket %26amp; Pass Pricing Details)--
ratp.info/informer/titres_de_transport.php
Your daughter will be allowed free general admission to most (but not all) Paris museum (Louvre, d%26#39;Orsay, Picasso, Pompidou, Rodin, etc.) . If you decide to purchase the PARIS MUSEUM PASS for yourselves, she will be allowed to accompany you past ticket lines. I%26#39;m an advocate of the PARIS MUSEUM PASS...but it is sold for 2, 4 or 6 CONSECUTIVE-calendar-days, from the first day of use. So if you didn%26#39;t want to purchase a more expensive 6 day pass for your visit, you would have to decide on the most likely days of useage. You can purchase the pass anytime...but the %26#39;..clock..%26#39; doesn%26#39;t start runnin on the number of days until the first-day-of-use.
Both pass products may be purchased quickly, conveniently and less expensively (25-35% less at the official price) when you arrive in Paris (the CO is only available for sale in Paris), so, DO NOT pre-purchase a museum pass from a third-party agency before arrival
PARIS MUSEUM PASS Information--
www.parismuseumpass.fr/flash/hp_en.html
There are less expensive (but not as convenient) public transportation airport transfer options (RER %26#39;B%26#39; train %26amp; Metro, ROISSYBUS, Les CARS AIR FRANCE COACH) but a TAXI PARISIAN, from the regular taxi ranks just outside of all CDG arrival terminals will probably serve a family traveling with a young child best---UNLESS your hotel is close to a drop-off point for either the ROISSYBUS or one of the AIR FRANCE COACH stops
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Since your entire stay will be within the scope of a weekly Carte Orange pass, if you are considering using public transportation from the airport, I would simply purchase a Zone 1-5 Carte Orange at CDG upon arrival. The price of the pass will be 31,50€, which is essentially the same price you would pay if you purchased the CO for Zones 1-2, and then purchased your airport tickets separately. This way, you%26#39;ll purchase the pass one time, and be able to use it to get yourself into the city and back out to CDG on Sunday, plus you%26#39;ll use it for all your travel within the city, and if you decide to visit Versailles or St Germain-en-Laye or many other places just outside the city, it will all be covered on your pass, and offer you a great deal of flexibility.
The Zone 1-5 CO will be good for RER and continuing Metro transportation into the city to get you to your hotel, or if you prefer take a bus, it is valid for transportation on the Roissy Bus as well, which will bring you as far as the Opera Garnier in Paris, from which you would have to either take a taxi, bus or Metro on to your hotel.
I am also a big fan of the museum pass, and actually think that the 6 day pass, at 60€, is possibly the best deal. Buy it on the day you arrive, and I promise you%26#39;ll get your money%26#39;s worth if you use those six days to see as much as you can. If you arrive late on that Monday, you could wait and purchase the four day pass on the next day, use it Tue-Fri, and then visit Versailles on Saturday before you leave, purchasing that entry ticket separately. The pass does include most of Versailles, however, so you could purchase the 6 day and use it during that time, or visit Versailles during one of the days on a shorter pass. You don%26#39;t mention when you%26#39;ll be visiting, but in the summer, Versailles is over 20€, so when you include that on the pass, it%26#39;s a big bonus. Just about everything included on the pass is at least 5€ when paid separately, and many are a couple to several Euros more, so essentially, with a 6 day pass, you only have to visit two museums or monuments each day to get a good return on your money.
The bottom line is that if you purchase a 5 Zone CO and a museum pass on your day of arrivel, you would almost be guaranteed that the only money you%26#39;d spend beyond that would be for food and souvenirs, as the two passes would cover virtually everything else.
Somewhere on here, if you search, you%26#39;ll find a post I did a few months ago that lists prices of individual sites in a %26quot;sample%26quot; itinerary over six days, and the money one can save by purchasing the museum pass. It can be significant.
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Thank you so much. I am really surprised that you and the others have taken the time to give me such detailed information. It was exactly what I was looking for. We are actually visiting next month--the third week of February. We are hoping to escape the crowds we find during the summer in the rest of Europe.
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One perhaps not so minor, detail about usuing a CARTE ORANGE Zone 1-5 transportation pass for RER %26#39;B%26#39; ligne--ROISSYRAIL--trains %26amp;onward Metro connection or ROISSYBUS (no onward Metro fare included) airport transfers (the least expensive modes of airport transfers) between CDG and central Paris is that the CARTE ORANGE pass may only be purchased at one of the two(2) RER stations located within CDG. If your %26#39;plan%26#39; is to use the RER %26#39;B%26#39; ligne--ROISSYRAIL--train transfer, this presents absolutely no additional problem. But if your %26#39;plan%26#39; were to involve the ROISSYBUS transfer from CDG, you would first have to make your way to a RER station ticket kiosk within the airport to purchase your CO passes and then return to the nearest ROISSYBUS pick-up point to begin your trip. If your inbound flight arrives at one of the CDG #2 arrival terminal buildings (#2-A, B, C, D, E or F). This may not be that big a deal. But if your inbound flight arrives at CDG #1, the %26#39;complications%26#39; for a ROISYBUS transfer employing a Carte Orange Zone 1-5 pass, increase.
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Just a follow up question. My wife and I are arriving on a Tuesday and leaving 9 days later on a Thursday.
What would be our best options for transportation and museum pass?
Thank you all!
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