Navigo weekly pass

With four people, the cost for a taxi (fixed-rate, 55€ for a trip to the Right Bank, or 62€ if your hotel/lodging is on the Left Bank) is much more advantageous than four RER tickets into town.

The taxi costs a little bit more, but not enough per person to make the hassle worthwhile.

Just be sure to follow the signs to the official taxi line. Do NOT be convinced by anyone who approaches you in the terminal to go with them, even if they try to convince you they are an official taxi. Follow the signs to the taxi queue just outside the doors and join the queue. Have your hotel address and either 55€ or 62€ written out on advance to show you know about the fixed price. The price is good for up to four people, so your group will be fine.

From what I have found through online searching, you must appear in person to purchase Navigo weekly passes. No matter what day of the week you purchase the pass, it expires Sunday at midnight. I read that you must write your name on the pass and carry an ID with you as proof that you are using your own pass. I'm not sure about reloading the pass for another Monday-Sunday pass. Several postings indicate that the Gare du Nord station is efficient for making Navigo purchases without long lines/wait times. You might want to use taxis to get to Paris from CDG or Orly airports if you have luggage. Another option is the Navigo Easy Pass for 2 Euros that you load "trips/journeys" as needed at 2.1 euros per journey. Loading 10 journeys at 16.9 Euros is also an option for a bit of savings. You might watch "Les Frenchies" Youtube video for an explanation. Their video appears more current than some other outdated information on the web.

It is easier to buy in Paris at any metro station because there will be a long line for the RER ticket booth and a taxi is pretty cost effective for 4 people BUT luggage often takes a long time and you do save 62 or so Euro by using your ND into the city. So this is not an unreasonable strategy (and you DO NOT NEED TO BE PRESENT to buy the ND.

I have purchased Navigo Decouverte cards for other people many times and assembled so that they are ready when friends or family arrives. There is no requirement to get them in person. You can buy the kit and put it together later or even have a couple of blanks on hand for some future unknown guest -- you then put their picture on it and name, assemble it with the gummed flab and then put the weekly pass on on a machine in the metro station. No ID is required, there is no vetting of the applicant or whatever -- you just get the card kit, assemble it (a clerk might put it together for you if you look clueless, they are nice and there is no line). and put the pass on it. You need a head shot 25/30 mm; you can print on your computer and bring with you. Passport photos are a bit too large. You do NOT sign the card, you print your name in the space on the card for it and the card has a stick spot to attach the photo before closing the gummed flap to seal it. You can load the card with the pass before you assemble it with the picture BUT you cannot use it because if stopped and it has not been assembled you are fined for not having a valid ticket.

to put the pass on the card, you place it on the pink swirly spot on the machine and follow the instructions on the machine. The machine takes US credit cards (just ignore the request for a pin) and it will tell you when the pass has been put on and you can take the card back. Keep the receipt. On one occasion our charge didn't take and we had the information clerk load the pass with our receipt in hand. If you buy it at an RER window the clerk will put the passes on even if she doesn't assemble the cards for you. Each transaction is done separately i.e. 4 charges on the credit card.

You cannot put a monthly pass on with a US chip/sig credit card on the machine because the amount exceeds the Euro limit for a card without pin in the European system. In that case Apple pay on your phone works or you can go to the information clerk with your card and they will load it. If you buy at the RER window then this is not an issue; the clerk can handle the card and get your signature.

Like the OP, we too are seniors. Unlike the OP, we have transfers from CDG to our hotel near metro line #10. We will be using the metro over a 4-day period, Thursday through Sunday. The closest metro station to our hotel is Maubert. Are we likely to be able to purchase our passes at Maubert or will we need to walk to the larger station at Odéon? I thought our choices were the Navigo Easy card or the Navigo Weekly Pass. How are these different from the Navigo Découvert?

Not a frequent traveler to Paris but fwiw I arrived at CDG on Tuesday at about midday. There was no line for tickets and we were able to get our weekly pass in just a couple minutes. That meant not having to get a taxi or pay for RER because that's covered in ND so it's quite a saving. As others note, the weekly pass ends on Sunday regardless of when you purchase it. We found it super helpful the entire trip in Paris and not having to think about how many tickets, even just taking a metro one or two stops to avoid walking or rain. Highly recommend. It's probably been addressed in previous posts but note that the regular US passport sized photos are (too?) big for the pass. The photos should measure 2.5 x 3cm, so 1 inch by a little more than an inch. If you have access to a printer it's easy to print on regular paper and cut them out. Enjoy your visit. I hope you have better weather than we did!

Great luck to have no line for the RER ticket window at CDG.

'We have a transfer into Paris' --- if you arranged something other than just grabbing a taxi from the line, you are probably paying a lot extra for the service and private transfers have a reputation of not showing then keeping your money. And if they arrive and you are slow through immigration (took us 90 minutes in April) they probably don't wait and still keep your money.

Thank you so much Janet! That is exactly what I needed to know.

Now, can you buy the “ kit” in advance outside of a metro station?
Then we could have it all assembled and simply add the weekly pass at the machine. ( if I am understanding correctly).
By the way, have seen your posts on other forums as well. Thank you!

Yes, two of you can purchase the pass for the others as long as you have all required material. Our ten-year passes expired, so I renewed my husband's for him because he didn't come to Paris with me.

I'm still confused about Navigo Easy, Navigo Weekly, and Navigo Découverte. Is Navigo Weekly just another term for Navigo Découverte? From what I read, the Easy pass must be purchased for 2E and then have trips/journeys loaded onto it as needed. You can load 10 trips at once (a carnet) and get a bit of reduced cost versus purchasing less than 10 trips. The Weekly is unlimited rides from Monday through Sunday. The Easy pass does not need a photo?? The weekly pass requires a photo?? I find the RATP web site lacking. It claims that Navigo passes can be purchased at any metro station.
I realize the thread topic for this discussion is Navigo, however - regarding the comment about transfer from CDG to our hotel in Paris: It is always helpful to get tips/advice. So thank you to my fellow Illinois resident! Our transfer to the hotel is included in our vacation package. We've used the company before to book vacation packages in Europe and have had no problems with the transfer companies they contract with. We will not however want to dawdle when arriving at CDG as the transfer will only wait a reasonable time to collect our luggage and clear immigration. We will need to purchase our Navigo passes after getting to Paris. In the past when our flights have been delayed the transfer companies were monitoring the flight delays and adjusted accordingly to arrive later to pick us up... even once a 5-hour flight delay on our way to Prague because our connecting flight arriving in Lucerne experienced a bird strike. They had to find an available substitute aircraft.

Additionally: Meg99 stated in the "SNCF" discussion thread that the Navigo Easy is not available from the machines and that they had to walk a couple of stations to find a kiosk with an agent to make the purchase.

You cannot buy the ND kit in advance on line or whatever. You have to get it from a metro or RER clerk. (possible from a Tabac, but i have not checked on that)

The Navigo Decouverte is a plastic card assembled from a hard shell and two inner cards one of which has the photo affixed and the name printed on it. This is then covered in a plastic flap, the two cards (chip card and ID card) are then slid into the case. That is the ND. It can then be loaded with day passes, weekly passes or monthly passes. I don't believe you can buy the kit except at an RER or metro station. You can buy it on a machine, but you have to take the receipt to a staffed window to get the physical car. So if you do it at CDG you might as well just do the whole thing at the window. they will then load the card with your weekly pass.

The Navigo Easy NE. is a complete different product. It is a plastic card like a credit card. Does not have your name on it. And can only be loaded with day passes and metro/bus tickets. You can load up to two carnet of 10 tickets i.e. 20 tickets, at a large discount.

The two are not interchangeable. (and FWIW the Navigo Card is a product only for locals which they get free and sometimes a passive aggressive clerk will pretend he doesn't understand what you want if you ask for that rather than a Navigo Decouverte.)

“Is Navigo Weekly just another term for Navigo Découverte?”

pj, yes, that’s correct.

Parisbytrain.com explains it all well.

Just to complicate things, the Navigo Easy is SOMETIMES available from machines; they are just phasing that in.

Every metro and RER station should have both products but if they run out of ND kits, you may have to go to a different station. We have bought NDs several times and never encountered that even at little trafficked stations.

parisbytrain.com is indeed a better site for metro ticket explanation. Thank you Susan

pj, i don’t know if your question about a “Weekly Pass” and a “Navigo Découverte” (referred to as ND by janet) was answered… They are the same thing. In Paris i’ve only ever heard it called a Navigo Découverte.

the Navigo Decouverte (ND). is the card; the weekly pass may be put on this card as may a daily or monthly pass.

1. There are a number of paper tickets used for public transportation: tickets t+, airport bus tickets, RER tickets. Paper tickets t+ are no longer availble at a discounted group price.

2. There are also passes and electronic tickets which are only available to those with a Navigo card or Android phone. Electronic tickets t+ are available discounted in groups of 10.

My response to pj was in reference to this thread where Weekly Pass was being used in place of Navigo Découverte. It’s confusing for tourists new to Paris, and why i recommended Parisbytrain.com.

When it comes to purchasing passes, it's usually possible for someone else to buy it for you, but check the specific rules just to be sure. As for the train station hustle, splitting up to save time sounds like a smart move! The airport station is usually convenient for buying passes, especially if you're arriving midday on a Wednesday

But as janet said, at the airport it can easily be an hour + wait in line for a real person.

Thank you all. I think I really understand now.

Hopefully end of October, midday Weds= fewer lines. Now all I have to do is practice saying “decouverte”
My accent is terrible!!

madhallra, just practice saying
day-coo-ver-te… ver is like ver in the word very. Not easy learning another language! 😊

@PJ

Navigo Easy Card (physical card) is kind of like the London Oyster Card, you can load it with multiple prepaid t+ tickets or day pass. It does not require a photo & name so it's anonymous and transferrable; but everyone traveling needs one. The card itself is €2.

Navigo Décourverte Card (physical card) is affiliated with a particular person with photo and name; hence not transferable. You can load it with prepaid Navigo weekly pass; and use it for all forms of transportations (Metro, RER, Bus, Tram, Roissybus) with unlimited rides. The card itself is €5 and good for 10 years; the all-zone weekly pass is €30. It's good for Monday to Sunday (calendar week). Weekly Pass purchase from Monday to Thursday 11:59PM is good for the current week; if you buy it from Friday to Sunday then it's for the following week. So if you arrive early in the week and plan to use RER or Roissybus from/to airport then this can be a really good deal.

For Navigo Easy Card you will have to keep track of how many tickets are still available on your card.

I prefer Navigo Décourverte Card with a all-zone weekly pass. I can just switch from metro to bus (or whatever) and never have to think twice; all-zone pass covers Versailles, Disneyland and CDG Airport (RER or Roissybus). Save the card after your trip as it's good for 10 years; the next time you visit Paris again you can just use the Bonjour RATP app to top it up with new pass (save you a trip to the ticket office). For steps on how to top up see this post:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/top-up-old-navigo-decouverte-card-using-bonjour-ratp-app-on-phone

After Susan”s suggestion to view parisbytrain.com I now understand the various Navigo options. Susan is correct… I find parisbytrain.com is the most current and easy to understand metro explanation. For our short Thursday to Sunday Paris visit we will be purchasing the Easy and loading 10 trips (a carnet) to each of our cards. If we run out and need more trips on Sunday we will load more trips… probably 4 more for each of us. Do the locals call it Navigo Easy or Facile? I realize the Navigo Easy is mostly for visiting tourists. Locals would use Navigo Découverte. Monday we will be heading to Barcelona so I need to start figuring out our itinerary there and reading the posted threads/tips for transportation.
Thank you to all the above posters. Great assistance. Much appreciated.

Have a great trip pj!