We are travelling to Paris in June. We will arrive at CDG and are staying in the Latin Quarter.
My mother is not infirm but as a pensioner is not able to walk all day long.
I have been a bit confused by the train/metro options. We will be there for 6 days and want to be able to jump on and off the trains/metro and there seems to be a lot of different options for tickets.
Can someone guide me as to the best buy ticket so we can get the train from the airport travel around Paris and out to Versaille and back to the airport.
Thanks in anticipation.....
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The mobilis (day pass) may be an excellent option for you. It works on RER, metro %26amp; buses. It%26#39;s a fancy looking ticket stub. Don%26#39;t lose it because you can use it all day long. If you%26#39;re sufficiently courageous try to take the bus. The bus might be a bit confusing if you%26#39;re not familiar with the city street layout, etc. However, bus service could mean less walking than the under/above (stairs!) stations %26amp; correspondances for the Metro require.
From CDG, you want a zone 1-5 mobilis for that day. RER-B is your ride into central Paris.
For Versailles, you want a zone 1-4 mobilis for that day. RER-C is your ride out to Versailles. Versailles might be a trick for someone who is not able to walk all day long. The chateau%26#39;s real estate is gigantic. Even from the RER to the front door, perhaps you might need to hail a taxi. That might be a half mile hike. In Versailles%26#39; gardens, I believe there%26#39;s a tourist tram option. The interior is laid out like a nice museum. There are places to sit and rest if needed.
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Transportation between the airports and Paris is very specifically EXCLUDED from the Mobilis pass regardless of how many Zones it covers.
The first thing we need to know to determine which pass would actually be best for you is the day of the week you will be arriving in and leaving Paris. Unless you can buy a Carte Orange covering Zones 1-5 for your entire stay (and that dpends on the days of the week you will be there) your best options for travelling to and from the airport will almost certainly be individual tickets costing 8€10 each one way. Similarly the Versailles tickets costing 5€40 RT would probably be a better option for that day than a Zone 1-4 pass.
For the rest of your travel inside Paris you might be best with a Zone 1-2 CO OR with Mobiis asses OR with carnets but first we need that little additional bit of information.
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%26gt;Transportation between the airports and Paris is very specifically EXCLUDED from the Mobilis pass regardless of how many Zones it covers.
Correction.
Getting FROM the airport is doable. There may be a small surcharge.
Getting TO the airport is not doable with the Mobilis. You can get close, the stop before and get a separate ticket if needed.
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%26gt;Similarly the Versailles tickets costing 5€40 RT would probably be a better option for that day than a Zone 1-4 pass.
However, if you do just one single additional roundtrip Metro ride in central Paris that same day, the ~9€ zone 1-4 pass becomes a lot more convenient. When you get back to Paris from Versailles, are you going to go forage for dinner somewhere?
IrishRovr, I believe we have some very different philosophies...
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The whole purpose of the Mobilis pass is to make things simple. Paying %26quot;surcharges%26quot; and stopping short of the airports to get another ticket rather defeats the entire idea.
The difference between a 5€40 RT ticket to Versailles and a 9€15 Zone 1-4 Mobilis pass is the equivalent of more than three individual métro tickets purchased in a carnet. Most people do not do a lot of moving around in Paris on the same day that they go to Versailles. If you think you will then by all means get the Mobilis pass.
Actually the *best* option would be a Zone 1-5 CO for your entire trip (31€50). But whether that would work depends on your arrival and departurre days. Next best would *probably* be a Zone 1-2 CO (16€) and individual tickets for the CDG and Versailles trips, but again the days of the week matter.
I guess we do have different philosophies, DA.
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%26quot;The whole purpose of the Mobilis pass is to make things simple. Paying %26quot;surcharges%26quot; and stopping short of the airports to get another ticket rather defeats the entire idea.%26quot;
IrishRovr, you%26#39;ve got me totally confused now. The RATP website merely mentions the mobilis not working for Roissybus, Roissyrail, etc. I didn%26#39;t think anything worked for those, and that is news to me. For RER though, I%26#39;ve used mobilis just fine over and over again through the years for getting to/from CDG without surcharges or stopping short of the airports. I%26#39;m looking forward to asking the RATP people in person in a couple weeks here.
My memory may be messed up. The surcharges, etc were a different experience, so was the one occasion where I hopped the turnstile because the stupid thing malfunctioned.
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; The RATP website merely mentions the mobilis not working for Roissybus, Roissyrail, etc. I didn%26#39;t think anything worked for those, and that is news to me. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
First off Roissyrail IS the RER so when the RATP site says %26quot;Mobilis vous permet de voyager, dans la limite des zones choisies ... à l%26#39;exception des dessertes d%26#39;aéroports (Orlybus, Orlyval, Roissybus, Roissyrail et Orlyrail) it excludes precisely that. (Translation: Mobilis permits you to travel withi the limit of the Zones chosen ... EXCEPT on the lines serving the airports, etc. etc.)
Second both the Zone 1-5 CO and the Paris Visite pass CAN be used on any form of RATP public transportation between either major airport and Paris. No other pass available to visitors can be so used.
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Calvary,
My partner and I just returned from our first trip to Paris from the USA (7 days) and found that purchasing a %26quot;carnet%26quot; for the Metro was the way to go. The %26quot;carnet%26quot; is merely 10 Metro tickets for 10.40 Euro. We simply walked up to the window in the Metro and asked for it. We travelled mostly on the #1 line, but we transferred to at least six other lines with no problem whatsoever. We ended up purchasing 30 tickets for the week (3 carnets, 15 trips per person, a little over 30 Euro total, a bargain as far as I am concerned). We didn%26#39;t bather with the Carte Orange - it seemed a bit confusing and the carnet was so simple to buy and use. We did not use the bus at all.
CDG to Paris was simple - we took the Air France bus for 22 Euro each round trip. It dropped us off at the Arc de Triomphe, about 2 blocks from our hotel so we just walked. I think the Air France bus has Gare de Lyon and Montparnasse stops that are much closer to where you are staying in the Latin Quarter. You can probably get a taxi to your hotel from where the bus drops you off. The bus was clean, convenient, and much easier than schlepping our bags on the RER from CDG after a long flight.
One day we took a day trip to Versailles. We simply took the Metro to a station that doubled as an RER-C stop (i.e. Invalides) and purchased two round trip tickets to Versailles. This cost perhaps 6 Euro each? I can%26#39;t recall the price exactly. Remember to hold on to your RER ticket when going to Versailles, as you will need it to exit the station!
Have a fantastic trip.
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;For RER though, I%26#39;ve used mobilis just fine over and over again through the years for getting to/from CDG without surcharges or stopping short of the airports. I%26#39;m looking forward to asking the RATP people in person in a couple weeks here.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
Then you have been uncommonly LUCKY in your ignorance. As noted the EXCEPTIONS to the terms and conditions of useage for the MOBILIS pass couldn%26#39;t be more clearly defined. Had you been stopped by an inspector, the immediate fine would have been at least 25 €...
By the way, jumping a turnstile (even if it is proven to be malfunctioning) is still a 35 or 45 € fine. If the turnstile isn%26#39;t working, the passenger is expected to use another turnstile or gate of find an agent. RATP inspectors have little or no sympathy for %26#39;..good intentions..%26#39;, %26#39;..good faith..%26#39;. or sad stories.....nor does the %26#39;system%26#39; encourage them to exhibit it.
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If your mom struggles with stairs then don%26#39;t discount using the bus system, easier then some of the long walks with staircases on the Metro, my senior Parisian relatives tend to use the bus more then the metro becuase of that.
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