Which Paris metro ticket should I buy for a four day visit?

May 20, 2008 10:53 AM

In Paris for four days. Riding the Metro in the center city, not out to the burbs, probably four boardings per day max. What kind of ticket? Per-ride? Daily? Weekly? Some other special ticket I don't know about?
posted by soulbarn to Travel & Transportation around Paris, France (12 answers total)

Probably easiest to just buy a carnet when needed.
posted by desuetude at 11:22 AM on May 20, 2008

What day does your trip commence on? If it's the start of a week buy a Carte Orange, they are advertised for Paris residents only but anyone can buy one. Unlimited rides, so they are great if your plans are prone to changing and you find yourself heading somewhere on a whim. If your holiday commences on a day outwith Mon-Wed - and you may find these more convenient anyway - just buy a carnet, which is a group of 10 individual tickets. Don't buy any of the tourist passes.
posted by fire&wings at 11:25 AM on May 20, 2008

The option that RATP wants you to use is the ParisVisite pass. It's a relatively cheap, infinite ride pass (including busses and RER, etc) that also has some discounts at various Paris destinations (see the Advantages page for a full list.)

If you're not leaving the city, 1-3 is fine except for to and from the airport. I would recommend (depending on your timing) buying those tickets as single rides to and from CDG (or Orly) and then activating the ParisVisite pass for the days when you're really exploring the city.

The problem is, unless you're riding a ridiculous amount, it's cheaper to buy stacks of ten tickets by ~40 cents a ride. If you're price conscious and not planning to take advantage of the coupons that come with the ParisVisite pass, this is the way to go.

On the whole, though, I would recommend the ParisVisite for the convenience of not having to use individual tickets. You have to keep your current ticket with you at all times on the Metro (and I would expect that you'll get stopped for a ticket check at least once in your time there), so you end up having to juggle used and unused tickets a lot and it's just a big hassle.

Have fun!
posted by heresiarch at 11:34 AM on May 20, 2008

Here's some details on the Paris Visite pass, which I found incredibly useful. I don't know why you'd buy it from this site, though - they're available right at CDG airport.
posted by desjardins at 11:34 AM on May 20, 2008

And for the love of God, buy the correct ticket to the airport, because I failed to do this and ended up having to jump the turnstile in order to make my flight.
posted by desjardins at 11:35 AM on May 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

carnets are probably the way to go.. they are little cute booklets of 10 tickets each.
posted by majikstreet at 11:47 AM on May 20, 2008

Just crunch some numbers and decide which is going to be cheaper for you: the carnets or the carte orange. Last time I went to paris, my friend and I picked up a CO for the week and were very, very happy with it.
posted by absalom at 12:00 PM on May 20, 2008

I am pretty sure heresiarch nailed the details on the book of tickets vs. the Paris Visite pass. I will add that if the price difference doesn't bother you, the convience of the Paris Visite pass can't be beat. It is certainly the easiest approach.
posted by mmascolino at 12:04 PM on May 20, 2008

If you buy a Carte Orange and want to use it legally, you must obtain the accompanying booklet from the cashier and write your name, address, and ticket number on the card, then attach a photo of yourself. It would be a hassle to do that for a 4-day trip if you didn't have a photo with you.

If you buy a carnet, you can save the leftover tickets and use them again if you ever come back - I used some 2 year old tickets and they worked fine.
posted by helios at 12:34 PM on May 20, 2008

Carnet. My experience when hosting visitors is that they use the metro much less than anticipated. Not only is Paris quite walkable but you will find yourself wanting to walk. Try the bus as well. Takes a little more homework at the start (and best avoided during the rush). I stay for weeks/months at a time and still use a carnet because I just don't use the system enough.

Also, if you are not taking a taxi, consider taking the bus to/from CDG. While traffic on the morning of arrival will appear to be a hassle, you need not worry about theft (no intermediate stops) and the view is better. Definitely the better way to leave town.
posted by Dick Paris at 6:06 PM on May 20, 2008

One advantage of the Navigo pass (the old Carte Orange is now Navigo) is that you can make it usable for the ubiquitous city bikes by paying a Euro. And the Navigo is an excellent deal (if you are arriving before Thursday).
posted by birdsquared at 11:06 PM on May 20, 2008

When I went there in January, we got the Carte Orange (stayed for 11 days, mind you). Works out to be about 16euro per week, I think? but may not be worth it if you get there between ticket rotations, i.e. you're staying Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, since they issue new ones on Mondays, I think.

Someone mentioned you need a booklet with your photo, and that's something you'll have to bug the people in the booths for.

If you're going anytime soon, I'd highly recommend trying the city bikes. All you really need is a credit card and some patience (they issue a 150 euro deposit that they lift when you return the bikes, I think) to get it working at first, and the little stations are *everywhere*.
posted by pmv at 6:39 PM on June 10, 2008