1st Time to Paris & France - Help!

Re: Museum Pass

The best thing about the Museum pass is you get to avoid the lines. I used the Museum pass and the London pass. Financially, I broke even but saved a lot of time waiting in line. So you just have to consider what you want to visit and do the math.

Re: Transportation around Paris:
You name it, it's there. You can get everywhere through a combination of walking of the metro. They also have rental bikes throughout the city at little kiosks (I am not that brave). Paris also has a hop on/hop off bus system that it a nice way to get a feel for the city. Cabs are abundant.

Re:Other
How about the coast? Nice, for example? It will probably be too chilly to swim but gorgeous none the less.

Here are two websites that can't be anything but helpful.

parisbytrain.com

tomsguidetoparis.com

Welcome CC,

when it comes to passes and such its best to do the math to calculate if it worth it to you.

but as you said, skipping the lines is a big bonus.

I would buy tickets to get into the tower. Lines were long when i was there but people have suggested to go real early or late. I didnt take that chance since my time was limited.

I used the subway most of the times since it was so fast and convenient. I did use a bus one morning but noticed that many delivery trucks were double parked causing some delay. but it was an experience anyway.

I also did alot of walking just to see the sights and i took a tour with the parisguides.com. that was more walking.

happy trails.

It depends on how many museums you want to see, and how many days you'll be in Paris.

I about broke even on the 6-day pass but avoiding long ticket lines at the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, and Versailles was totally worth the cost right there.

I was in Paris for 8 nights and bought a carnet of Metro/bus tickets (10 total, each good for a one-way ride), plus 3 more individual tickets on my last full day there. The Metro is efficient and can get you almost anywhere in the city you want to go. I didn't take buses so can't comment on that. It sounds like you'll have time to do a lot of exploring on foot.

I'd also recommend learning a few important phrases in French (unless you know them already), such as "Where is...(the bathroom, a Metro stop, etc.)", "How much does it cost?", "I would like..." (for ordering food or buying tickets), "Excuse me", "Please", and "Thank you."

Burgundy is great for biking and there is a shop in Beaune that rents decent machines. They will help you select an appropriate itinerary.
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There are several places to start with wine right in Beaune such as the Marche aux Vins, where you can try many different vintages and terroirs. Many nearby towns with names you might recognize from wine labels. Pommard, Meursault, and Aloxe-Corton are very close by bicycle. Do not pass the whites by. The best stuff is up north (Chablis), but you do not have to go to a village to get wines from there.
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I especially recommend a tasting lunch in Aloxe-Corton. Standard Burgundian fare plus flights of wine. Bikeable, though you might wobble a bit on the road back.
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Will you have a car? If the bike thing appeals, you can be good doing day trips out of Beaune for several days, otherwise there is not a lot to see there (though it is a fine base). Dijon is an easy trip by rail as a rainy-day backup. In which case, no car needed.
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But unless you arrange to have your bags transported (which you can do through the bike shop) or bring the right gear, you will not be able to visit Vezeley or the Fonteney Abbey or Semur or the Serien Valley without a car. And you will want to stay within walking distance of the train station; no auberges for you.
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The good news is that hotels are a lot cheaper away from Paris. Well, not sure about Chamoix, that is sort of a special case.
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Not able to address all of your questions but I hope you have a great trip and I hope this helps a little.

My wife and I spent 2 weeks in paris last sept.subways were a great way of getting around ,buy the carnet tickets ,very efficient ,lots of walking ,spend a day or two in Versaille ,bought ticket to the Eiffel Tower on line a few months before. The subway takes you the louvre underground and walked in the tunnel ,and no lineup to get in .Lots of cafes to sit and enjoy the sites. Also spent a few days in nice and Monte Carlo . Planning on going back in a few years .enjoy

If you are spending that much time, get a Navigo Decouverte Pass. Bring a 1" by 1.25" photo of your self and buy at any train or Metro station. It has a chip and is the cheapest way to get around Paris on the Metro, RER, and buses. You can start with a zone 1-5 to cover your trip from the airport into Paris plus a RT to Versailles, thereafter reup zone 1-2. It goes from Monday morning until Sunday night. You can also set it up for Velib bike rentals. And the next time you're in Paris, you can just reactivate it.

You can get to Vezelay by a combination of train and bus, but it's a long trip - I did it last year as a daytrip from Paris. Wish I had spent the night as well.

I liked the museum pass because I could skip the lines, and used it for some sights I wouldn't have visited without it.

To make the Paris metro pass advantageous, you would need to use it three times a day. I bought a carnet of tickets and asked for a free transportation map, which was very helpful.

Your schedule seems fluid, you can check hotel booking sites the day befor or even the day of your departure from one city to the next, or sign up for last-minute deal notifications. The large sites have all kinds of accommodations including hostels with private rooms. You can also read reviews (I like booking.com because they only use reviews from recent guests).

About rail passes: you can buy tickets well in advance at disounted prices, but you are locked in to a specific reservation that may have no or few change options. I would check the full-fare prices for individual tickets to see if the pass is really worth it. Some trains have reservation fees even with the pass.

Where to spend your extra days? Belgium is great, distances are short so even with additional transportation costs, it's not expensive. Or stay in France - you have Provence, the Loire chateaux, Normandy - each region is different and very special.

I went to France for the first time last year and loved it.

My calculations for the Métro in Paris, and buses, using the current prices, is that 3 individual or 5 carnet tickets equals one Mobilis and 3 Mobilis equals one Navigo Decouverte.

Remember that using "t+" carnet tickets that you can change from bus to bus or Métro to Métro or RER, but not from bus to Métro or Métro to bus; and if you buy individual tickets on the bus you can't even change from bus to bus.

With Mobilis or Navigo Decouverte you have unlimited use across all types of transport within the zones you have bought, including the Montmartre funicular.

Thank you all for the good recommendations and information! I may skip the Barcelona idea and concentrate on other areas in France. What other day trips from Paris would you recommend? Versailles of course and it is included in the museum pass. Again I still plan to visit Burgundy and Chamonix - hopefully the weather is good in the 2nd half of May?!?

Chartres is an easy daytrip from Paris.

I loved Reims. If you have a car you could follow the Champagne Road, or get to many of the smaller towns by bus.

I have an app for Paris Metro, it has a bus page too. I prefer the bus, less stairs! And you can see the sights. There are books you can buy in Paris with bus routes, but websites can give u lots of info, print or write it out to take with you. I rarely use my phone when out & about, I do take it for wi-fi, pronounced wee-fee en francais,but I do take it along. Came in handy as a compass once in a small Sicilian town when I had a poor map.

Paris is the best, imho. I love walking the Seine, around the Eiffel tower, how wonderful the city is. Enjoy.