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You can buy a pass good for all travel (Metro, bus and rail) for a period of 3 or 4 days to a week. The weekly pass is called a "Carte Orange" and is the most economical way to get about. The card is purchased for use from Monday to Sunday in most Metro stations and costs 16,20€. You'll need a wallet size photo for this card and most stations have a booth in which to do this. A "Carnet" which contains 10 tickets is also available for 10.50€ but less convenient. Your choice will depend on how comfortable you are using Parisian public transportation, finding your way around and how often you plan to use the RATP system. By all means keep your validated ticket until you get off the bus or metro. There is a stiff fine for those caught without a ticket and there are frequent checks by RATP officers!We always travel by Metro and bus and found that the weekly Carte Orange works best for us. Parisian taxis are no more expensive than in any large city and come in handy if you're out late at night since Metro stations close during late evening and some of the main stations fill up with people you might be uncomfortable with! Just ignore them as the French do.
L'Open Tour: This is a great way to get oriented in Paris even if you've visited it before and taken all the other public transportation systems available. The Open Tour busses are similar to the red double decker open top busses that ply the streets of London. The Parisian version busses are very yellow, very big and provide an excellent way to see the city from a higher vantage point than the sidewalk. There are over 30 hop on - hop off stops and the two hour tour passes every 15 to 30 minutes daily throughout the year from 10 AM. Tickets may be purchased on the bus and are priced about $25. They are valid for two days. You'll get a personal earphone set if you wish to listen to the English commentary along the way. The main departure point is at Madeleine and there are Montmartre and Bercy tour busses as well. You'll be glad you took this tour...especially on a nice day.
Driving to Paris and to your hotel with plans to keep your car?
TAKE A CAB!
This is perhaps the most valuable and practical tip on finding your way to your hotel when you arrive on the outskirts of Paris. As soon as you find your exit and get off the pereferique, stop and hail a cab. Let your traveling partner get in the cab and tell/show the driver the address of your hotel. You simply follow him in your car. Oh, tell him to drive slowly...you wouldn't want to get separated. When you arrive at the hotel simply pay the driver, add a tip of course, and check in. If your hotel does not parking you'll need to use a public toll garage which can be expensive. Street parking is possible but the strolling parking enforcement officers will surely ticket your car if you don't heed the laws and limits.
Getting from the airport to your Paris hotel.
You just got off the airplane after what was probably a long flight, you're tired and hungry and you're disoriented because of the new language, sights, and time. And you want to get in a car you've never driven before, make the one hour drive from Charles De Gaul Airport to downtown Paris, find your hotel and enjoy your first hours in Paris. Good Luck. Once again... TAKE A CAB!Whether you have a car (see above) or not, take a cab. It will cost you about $60.00 plus tip and is well worth it. Believe me. If you are going to arrange a car rental with pick up at the airport and plan to stay in Paris for a few days, do so after your stay in Paris. Finding all day parking in Paris is difficult and garages are expensive. I figured this out after paying $100 for a week parked in an underground garage. And I won't even mention trying to navigate the streets. Difficult at best even if you have a great co-pilot like Kati.
One alternative to taking a cab for transportation to and from the airport is to arrange a pick up in advance from one of the popular shuttle services... Airport Shuttle or Parishuttle. We've recently begun using these services and have never had any difficulties with pickup. We've found that it's more convenient to take a shuttle for our return trip to the airport as we're anxious to get settled and the shuttle makes several stops throughout the city to drop off fellow travellers. The chauffers are couretous, prompt and speak English. For more information about their services, prices and reservations you can visit their web sites.
Many visitors to Paris will opt to take the RER train line B from Charles de Gaulle into the center of the city. Not a good idea as many people have been welcomed to Paris by pickpockets on this line. If you are going to the city center, try instead using the Air France shuttle #2 which leaves from gate 34 as you exit Terminal #1 at Charles Degaule/Roissy airport. Purchase your ticket (10 €, one way) at the kiosk in the waiting area before boarding the shuttle. The shuttle is much more comfortable than the city bus and costs 24 € for a round trip ticket to and from Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysee. From there you can easily get a taxi to your final destination.The Air France bus line 2, which runs every 15 minutes, will stop first at Porte Maillot where you can easily get the RER line C with convient stops in the 7th, 6th, and 5th arrondissements. After the Porte Maillot stop the bus continues on to Charles de Gaulle-Place de l'Etoile and then to Opera. As of June 2007 you may purchase a roundtrip ticket for 24€.
