Paul Corfield wrote:

Or simply purchase a Mobilis ticket which is their version of a One Day
Travelcard. You get a form of "ID" card which you keep and then simply
buy a magnetic ticket as necessary. You then date it and write on the ID
card number.

I used one of those a few years ago, but not on buses. It was good value
for the trips I made on the day, and I was surprised that it isn't
publicised to tourists (or not noticeably). They plug the Paris Visite
pass in the tourist literature, but not Mobilis.

--
John Ray

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:53:00 +0000, John Ray wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:
Paul Corfield wrote:

Or simply purchase a Mobilis ticket which is their version of a One Day
Travelcard. You get a form of "ID" card which you keep and then simply
buy a magnetic ticket as necessary. You then date it and write on the ID
card number.

I used one of those a few years ago, but not on buses. It was good value
for the trips I made on the day, and I was surprised that it isn't
publicised to tourists (or not noticeably). They plug the Paris Visite
pass in the tourist literature, but not Mobilis.

I've used both. Mobilis is useful for one-day visits, but I doubt that
most visitors to Paris are only there for one day, so for most
visitors purposes Paris Visite is probably more useful.

The card they *don't* tell the tourists about is the Carte Orange in
its weekly form.

Granted the Carte Orange is only valid from Monday to Sunday (and you
need a photo for the ID card), but the zone 1-5 Carte Orange costs EUR
30,20 against EUR 45,70 for a 5-day zone 1-5 Paris Visite.

A 3-day 1-5 Visite costs EUR 37,35, so as the weekly Carte Orange is
sold until Wednesday, a 3-day midweek visitor would be better off
buying the Carte Orange!

--
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)

Ross wrote:
On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:53:00 +0000, John Ray wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:
Paul Corfield wrote:

Or simply purchase a Mobilis ticket which is their version of a
One Day Travelcard. You get a form of "ID" card which you keep
and then simply buy a magnetic ticket as necessary. You then date
it and write on the ID card number.

I used one of those a few years ago, but not on buses. It was good
value for the trips I made on the day, and I was surprised that it
isn't publicised to tourists (or not noticeably). They plug the
Paris Visite pass in the tourist literature, but not Mobilis.

I've used both. Mobilis is useful for one-day visits, but I doubt
that most visitors to Paris are only there for one day, so for most
visitors purposes Paris Visite is probably more useful.

For most visitors, the Carnet is more useful: 10 Metro/Bus tickets for
EUR 10.50, that's about 73p each. Unless you plan to make 6 or more
journeys in a day, it's not worth buying a Mobilis at EUR 5.30 (Zones
1,2). Paris Visite is more expensive, and is only worthwhile if the
discounts on other attractions that it offers match what you want to see
during your visit.

The card they *don't* tell the tourists about is the Carte Orange in
its weekly form.

Granted the Carte Orange is only valid from Monday to Sunday (and
you need a photo for the ID card), but the zone 1-5 Carte Orange costs
EUR 30,20 against EUR 45,70 for a 5-day zone 1-5 Paris Visite.

A 3-day 1-5 Visite costs EUR 37,35, so as the weekly Carte Orange is
sold until Wednesday, a 3-day midweek visitor would be better off
buying the Carte Orange!

.... if arriving by air to CDG. But most Eurostar tourists will need
only Zones 1-2, which is EUR 15.40 for a weekly Carte Orange or EUR
15.90 for 3 Mobilis 1-day tickets.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 22:18:50 GMT, Richard J. wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:
Ross wrote:
[snippage]
I've used both. Mobilis is useful for one-day visits, but I doubt
that most visitors to Paris are only there for one day, so for most
visitors purposes Paris Visite is probably more useful.

For most visitors, the Carnet is more useful: 10 Metro/Bus tickets for
EUR 10.50, that's about 73p each.

Indeed.

I was doing a fair amount of back-and-forwarding when I went, and I
actually bought a Visite (from E* at Waterloo) simply because it was
easier at the time.


[...]
The card they *don't* tell the tourists about is the Carte Orange in
its weekly form.

Granted the Carte Orange is only valid from Monday to Sunday (and
you need a photo for the ID card), but the zone 1-5 Carte Orange costs
EUR 30,20 against EUR 45,70 for a 5-day zone 1-5 Paris Visite.

A 3-day 1-5 Visite costs EUR 37,35, so as the weekly Carte Orange is
sold until Wednesday, a 3-day midweek visitor would be better off
buying the Carte Orange!

... if arriving by air to CDG.

Or if staying outside Central Paris, although I accept that most
tourists will be staying centrally.


But most Eurostar tourists will need
only Zones 1-2, which is EUR 15.40 for a weekly Carte Orange or EUR
15.90 for 3 Mobilis 1-day tickets.

Plus, presumably, an excess of some sort for the obligatory visit to
Versailles. ;-)

--
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:53:00 +0000, John Ray
wrote:

Paul Corfield wrote:

Or simply purchase a Mobilis ticket which is their version of a One Day
Travelcard. You get a form of "ID" card which you keep and then simply
buy a magnetic ticket as necessary. You then date it and write on the ID
card number.

I used one of those a few years ago, but not on buses. It was good value
for the trips I made on the day, and I was surprised that it isn't
publicised to tourists (or not noticeably). They plug the Paris Visite
pass in the tourist literature, but not Mobilis.

I've never used the Paris Visite because like all such "special" tickets
it is a rip off unless you can guarantee to use all of the add on extra
discounts.

As suggested by another poster I had not considered the Carte Orange as
an option as I perhaps foolishly assumed you had to be a resident as
employers pay part of the costs of such tickets IIRC? I may need to do
some more investigation.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Paul Corfield wrote:
On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:53:00 +0000, John Ray
wrote:


Paul Corfield wrote:

Or simply purchase a Mobilis ticket which is their version of a One Day
Travelcard. You get a form of "ID" card which you keep and then simply
buy a magnetic ticket as necessary. You then date it and write on the ID
card number.

I used one of those a few years ago, but not on buses. It was good value
for the trips I made on the day, and I was surprised that it isn't
publicised to tourists (or not noticeably). They plug the Paris Visite
pass in the tourist literature, but not Mobilis.


I've never used the Paris Visite because like all such "special" tickets
it is a rip off unless you can guarantee to use all of the add on extra
discounts.

As suggested by another poster I had not considered the Carte Orange as
an option as I perhaps foolishly assumed you had to be a resident as
employers pay part of the costs of such tickets IIRC? I may need to do
some more investigation.

This is true, more employers pay for travel costs in France than they do
here (not that mine did, but then that's universities for you!), but
that's nothing relevant to the Carte Orange - it's just a period
travelcard, that's all.

(I still find it quite bizarre that their period cards run on the
calendar week/month, though you get used to it - the only effect it had
on me was to not bother buying it in December and August.)

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 21:52:21 +0000, Paul Corfield wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:
[...]
As suggested by another poster I had not considered the Carte Orange as
an option as I perhaps foolishly assumed you had to be a resident as
employers pay part of the costs of such tickets IIRC? I may need to do
some more investigation.

My French is not wonderful and I got the details from the French
version of the RATP website (the English version unsurprisingly
doesn't mention Carte Orange), but there's no suggestion of local
residence for a Carte Orange.

The Carte Integrale (sp?) required French residence, but that's a
monthly or longer season and is paid for by bank transfer.

I suspect employers can pay for or towards RATP seasons, just as
happens in the UK with rail or PTE seasons, but I couldn't see any
"special" tickets on the website which were only for those groups.

--
Ross, a.k.a.
Prof. E. Scrooge, CT, 153 & bar, Doctor of Cynicism (U. Life)

John Ray wrote to uk.transport.london on Mon, 14 Feb 2005:

Paul Corfield wrote:

Or simply purchase a Mobilis ticket which is their version of a One Day
Travelcard. You get a form of "ID" card which you keep and then simply
buy a magnetic ticket as necessary. You then date it and write on the ID
card number.

I used one of those a few years ago, but not on buses. It was good value
for the trips I made on the day, and I was surprised that it isn't
publicised to tourists (or not noticeably). They plug the Paris Visite
pass in the tourist literature, but not Mobilis.

The Paris Visite pass is quite useful if you are on a tourist visit, as
you get into most museums, etc, for free, too....
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 23 January 2005 with new photos