Paris Metro questions

What they want is the Navigo Decouverte which they can get at the airport. They will need head shots of about 25/30 mm for the card. This is absolutely what they should do. They can get the card kit and the pass loaded on it at the RER sales window of the train station; they need to assemble it with the picture before using it. the clerk may do it if there is no line -- but there is always a line. A carnet of metro tickets costs 14.90 for 10 -- it will not get you from the airport to Paris or to Disneyland from Paris. These tickets are only valid for trips within Paris. The trip from the airport to Paris is 10.30 each way and the trip from Paris to Disney is about 7.50 each way.

You will be there in the perfect timeframe for a Navigo Decouverte. It will definitely pay for itself. It can be used for anywhere the metro and RER goes at no additional cost. I know that if you purchase them at CDG you can then take the RER into town. What airport will you be flying into?

Thank you both, they fly into Orly. I thought I read somewhere or heard someone say that the French will hassle you if a non French resident tries to purchase a Navajo card, but I guess not from the replies. Thanks again.

Clifford, as janet and Andrea wrote, it’s Navigo. Not Navajo.
If they ask for Navajo, they may not be understood.

And it is Navigo Decouverte NOT Navigo card which is only available to residents. I don't know where the myth that tourists can't buy it started but it is nonsense. You can actually buy the ND on a machine; it issues a small ticket like receipt which you then take to the window and get the card kit. You can have the clerk charge it up there or go back to the machine and charge it with the pass.

It is slightly possible that if they just ask for the Navigo card, they might be told it is not available to them, but that won't happen if they ask for a Navigo Decouverte. With Navajo who knows what they might get. 'Carnet' by the way is just 10 of any ticket. You could get a carnet of tickets from CDG to Paris if you needed ten -- say a group of 5 people -- it saves about 20% to buy any ticket in these carnet of ten. Usually when people use this term on line they are referring to 10 ordinary t+ metro/bus tickets for Paris.

Note that the ND is not obtainable at Orly airport and is not usable on the Orlyval which connects Orly to Anthony RER station in Paris. They can take the Orlyval to Anthony and buy it there or they could just take a cab into town for 30 or 35 Euro depending on where they are staying and get the ND once they are in Paris at any metro station. (buy on machine, take to info window, go back and load pass on machine). The clerk can help if it is confusing and can also sell it with a credit card (they don't handle money)

If purchased for all 5 zones the Navigo will get you to Disney and Versaille.

Any ND that covers Paris includes all 5 zones; it is no longer possible to buy one that doesn't if it includes Paris -- this is a change in the last few years.

Thank you all, this is a great help for me.

You can always print up the image of the Navigo Decouverte in French and show it to the sales person. When I purcahsed mine, I just stated, Un Navigo Decouverte S'il vous plait. Handed the attendent my credit card and that was it, easy enough.

Paris By Train: https://parisbytrain.com/paris-train-metro-week-pass-navigo-decouverte/

Just to confuse the situation more, there is supposed to be a new pass called Navigo Easy Pass, to be introduced in Spring. It will be something like the Oyster in London, an electronic card replacing the old paper tickets for single trips. The forum published this link back in January:
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/whats-new-in-france-for-2019/?fbclid=IwAR3C0GQ8xXvuATzLAmz3M8FdJi6BE9ZWb5rbistUaFCPo8Uf1sLQvswndhY

However I haven't seen anything recently on whether the project is going ahead as scheduled.