Paris Visite Card

[raisamb]

The company I work for has moved our layover hotel to Charles de Gaulle! Tant pis pour moi! Is the Paris Visite card good for 24 hours from the moment you activate it? In all my years of flying there, I have never bought one. I know this is an eating forum, but how will I get to my restos? Help!

Edited June 23, 2004 by raisamb (log)

[enrevanche]

The Paris Visite card comes in 1, 2, 3 and 5 day "flavors", and can also be bought for a narrow or wide range of zones in the Paris metro area. It is good for however many consecutive days you bought it for, starting on the day you get it validated at the station.

Are you just going to be there for one day? Unless you really need to ride the Metro and the bus a *lot*, or are really hankering for the museum discounts that the PV card provides, you might well be better off buying single ride tickets in a carnet (book) of ten, which sells for ten euros (I think... at least that's what it was when I was last there.) This compares very favorably to a single all-zones 1-day PV card which is more than twenty euros, I think. (If you are sticking near central Paris you can buy a much cheaper PV card that covers fewer transport zones, of course... oops, wait, you're staying out by de Gaulle Airport, so you'll need at least the mid-range card.)

Hope I haven't added too much more confusion. Here is the RATP's official site explaining the Paris Visite card, in English. Poke around the site a bit; there's good info there on public transport in Paris.

Edited June 23, 2004 by enrevanche (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

It is my understanding that a Paris Visite expires at midnight on the day it is activated. A five zone will allow you to commute from CDG to Paris via the RER. I am not sure if it is good on Roissybus as well. Check out the following two,

Visite

Roissybus

as well as the more comprehensive

Paris metro system (RATP)

[Bux]

I have always purchased carnets when we're in Paris. There have always been two of us, which tends to mean it's more likley we'll have fewer leftover tickets as we're only buying five rides, not ten, at a time. The few times I've tried to calculate which would be best for us, the carnet always beat any card, but most of the time we've found it's just too damn much trouble to attempt to do the computations based on second guessing our trips. We walk a lot as well and generally have too much luggage to consider metro or RER as transportation from CDG.

[TarteTatin]

We travel to Paris at least twice a year and ALWAYS buy the 5 day Paris Visite pass. We take the bus, metro, etc. wherever we want, as much as we want.

It's a great deal to see the city and get off and on the bus, metro, etc. with no limit.

However, for one day, it totally depends if its worth it, depending on how much you are going to travel, the bus allows you to actually see the city. You can get off wherever you want, and get back on as much as you want.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

If I understand "raisamb"s problem, it is that he/she will be staying at a hotel at/near CDG. Travel needs, therefore, are getting back and forth to the city for meals, shopping and sightseeing, without luggage. I am not sure of the number of days involved, but guess they are few. Roissybus is fairly civilized, runs frequently, deposits one at Opera. I haven't taken RER in a decade, but it will give you better access to more areas of Paris. It should not be uncomfortable without luggage. A cab will cost one about $50 a direction plus tip, as I remember.

[Bux]

Of course this is all supposition, only Raisa knows her problem, but I've assumed her stay is for one night as the hotel was described as a layover hotel. The question seems to be whether the one day pass is good until midnight of the day it's first used, or for 24 hours from first use. If it's used in the afternoon of day one, will it still be valid for the morning of day two?

[raisamb]

That is EXACTLY what I mean Bux. I am asking more for my coworkers than me, there are alot of flight attendants who are the sole support for their families, but one of the benefits of our job is visiting wonderful cities. It would be nice if we could use these visite cards in the morning to go back into the city and do some shopping! (Wine , cheese, etc..since the euro's strength has made it foolish to buy other things there!) Thank you for all your replies but if anyone knows THIS answer please let me know!

[Bux]

According to the information on the Visite link Margaret provided, a one day pass good for zones 1-5 (CDG is in zone 5) 16,75 euros.

It is good from the first day of use (not from the date of purchase) until the last consecutive day.

I interpret that to mean a one day card is only good until the end of the day you started using it, but you might want to make further inquiries

A two day pass is 26,65 euros for the same 1-5 zones. The Roissybus is 8,20 euros one way and therefore not economically advantageous even for a single round trip and certainly not for two trips.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

raisamb, I would just about bet the ranch that all ratp passes expire on midnight of the day they were activated. We use the Carte d'Orange on just about every trip; it is good from Monday morning through Sunday night. But you can email them your question here. I have asked them a lot dumber things than that , and have received very patient and instructive answers.

[A. Poulain]

The Paris Visite card is not officially good for 24 hours but nor does it expire at midnight either. It's good through the end of service that night. That includes the trains which end around 01:00 but also the Noctambuses which run through the night. The Noctambus access falls into that lovely grey area of French rules. You could use your Paris Visite card just after midnight, through the day, and then again on the Noctambuses through the night. But for someone staying out at Roissy the card will effectively expire just before midnight with the last Roissybus and Roissyrail run. So the flight attendants will need two-day Paris Visite cards. But the Carte Orange holders can still ride the Noctambuses through the night.

[raisab]

A Poulain,

Thank you for your reply. Though it is not what I wanted to hear! Oh well, regardless, the French authorities have requested my compnay (AA) along with quite a few others (I think BA already agreed to go back) to move back to ORLY temporarily. (HAHA) until they rebuild the terminal!!!!! At that point we will be back in the city as there are few hotels by Orly! They have closed the entire new terminal down from what I hear! This is going to cost the French Taxpayes Billions!!!