Myself and my daughter who is (15) are going to Paris for 11 nights. What is the cheapest option for....?

Question

...travel passes for us both for that time. We will probably want to use the buses as well as the metro and we will want to travel in central Paris as well as to maybe the 20th arrondissement, outskirts etc. Oh and also to Versailles! I really need for it to be as cheap as possible as we are on a tight budget. Can anyone give me a price for what tickets and/or travel passes for us both will cost for that time? Thanks.

Answer 1

You can buy a group of 10 tickets (a "carnet") for the Metro for a nice discount on the individual fares.  

Also look into a Carte Orange, which covers more districts for out of town travel.  The cost varies according to the amount of zones you want to travel.

Answer 2

Use the Metro.  It goes to all the places you mentioned--including, I believe Versaille.  The trains run every 3 minutes!  I recently traveled with my students and we were all amazed at how easy and cheap it is to get around.  YES the trains go to ALL the arrondissements.  Have a GREAT time.  Try to speak some French so the Parisians will be nice to you!

Answer 3

Millie has given you most of the information you need.

One tiny alternative suggestion concerns the trip to Versailles. Since that trip is likely to take all day the Mobilis she suggests you buy will only be used for the trip there and back.

You can get an RER ticket from anywhere in Central Paris to the Versailles station for 2.80 € each way. Thus the entire trip can be made for 5.60 €. Since the Mobilis for 4 zones costs 9.30 € getting the single tickets is the better buy.

Answer 4

The link in the first answer is great for the passes that may apply to your situation. The Paris visit pass gives you discounts on some sites to visit but check that these are places you would like to visit anyway. However, I doubt you will need a pass that covers zones outside of Paris for your entire trip. Apart from Versailles, which is in zone 4, you may just want to stay within Paris, in which case, buying booklets of 10 tickets as suggested in the second answer would be cheaper. Each trip will cost you 1.10 €.

Especially if you enjoy walking as it's the best way to enjoy the city. You will probably find that you may use only one or two tickets a day at most to cover a long distance trip within Paris and then walk within a certain district.

The rate is the same in all of Paris (all 20 arrondissements). Paris is zone 1, and outside Paris, zones go from 2 to 6, six being the farthest. As for the suburbs, apart from Versailles, are you thinking of a place in particular?

So what I would do if I were you and trying to spend as little as possible:

- Buy 2 carnets of 10 tickets. Each carnet is 11 euros. If by the end of your stay you feel you need a third one of just a couple of tickets sold by the unit, you can always do that.

- for the day you go to Versailles, buy a Mobilis Pass (4 zones), which will cost you 9.30 € each and be valid for for as many trips within zones 1 to 4 for a whole day.

So the total will be 40.40 € between the two of you.

Weekly passes are more economical only if you plan to make several trips outside Paris every day, which is unlikely.

Answer 5

The responder that mentioned getting a Carte Orange was right.  Make sure to take two passport sized photos.  Cartes Orange are only sold on Mon, Tues, & Wed for the current calendar week (Mon-Sun), so buy early in the week to get the best deal.  Technically Carte Orange is only for Parisians, but most of the people at the station will not refuse to sell it to you.  If they do, go to another station and try again.

Answer 6

Try this site, good advice from people who have been there