Passes for Major sites in Paris - Need Advice on what kind to get

Paris Museum Pass, 2 days, 4 days, or 6 days.
The time starts running after your first use of the card, so plan your sight-seeing with that in mind.
Buy them at CDG at Tourist Information Office just after you get your bags through customs.
Check out their website.

For a first trip the Museum Pass is probably a good idea whether it saves money or not. It allows you to use special shorter security lines at the Orsay and the Orangerie and to use the Richelieu entrance of the Louvre. Ticket lines are usually not a big deal but getting access to the shorter security lines where they exist is lovely. At Versailles there is just one security line but the ticket line can be long, so you save there. And when you have the pass, it will tempt you to sample some things you might otherwise not commit an afternoon and the money to.

You might consider getting a Navigo Decouverte pass for travel in the region including Paris metro and buses. You will be there two days, before it would kick in on Monday (they run Mon-Sunday) and that may give you a sense of how much you will use transport. It is very convenient to have the pass -- it allows you to hop a bus for a few blocks if it is raining or whatever when you might not do that if it means using a ticket. Otherwise a carnet of ordinary bus/metro tickets is just 14.10 for 10 and would be the way to start. If your hotel is central you will find walking the most beautiful way to enjoy the city and just use the metro for distant stops like Montmartre or the Eiffel Tower.

Hi Kent,
Is this different from The Paris Pass? Do you know the difference in the 2? I was looking for the site you were referring to in your message and I found 2 different passes.
Thanks much for great advice,
Ruchika

The Paris Pass is, pardon the editorial opinion, a rip off. It includes the Visite transport pass (which you don't need if you get a Navigo), a Museum Pass (which you can buy separately), and a whole passel of discount coupons for things you won't have time or desire to use. The package is marked up 50% and sold earning big commissions for the sellers.

This is the Paris Museum Pass which Kent and Janet and others recommend. You can buy it at CDG, as Kent suggested, but don't activate it till the first time you actually use it so you'll get its full value for the number of days you bought. You can also buy and activate it at the first place you use it. It covers Versailles, all the major museums, and most of the other sights you might want to see (but not Eiffel Tower).

rchika,
Answering your last question, I agree with what Sam and Dick have said in answer to your question. I was just there 2 weeks ago and used the Paris Museum Pass. You can buy it at the Tourist Information office at CDG, before you exit the terminal, look for the orange/red circle logo with the "i".

If you are in Paris for a week and getting a 6 day PMP, then consolidate all 'not included' sights like Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur and Montmartre on the 7th day.
And to get around, the best value is to buy a carnet (pron car-nay) of Metro tickets. These 10 loose tickets can be shared amongst you.

We did it exactly as jdp described. We did non Musuem pass activities on the same day. Then with our 4 day pass we grouped attractions together as much as possible. We either walked, used tickets from the Carnet, and for long hauls we used the taxi to save time and wear and tear on our feet.

@ djp_syd, rchika is staying at a time share at Disneyland and carnets would not do much good on the daily commute. Thus the suggestion of a Navigo Decouverte Semaine zone 1-5.

He could get a carnet of tickets for the daily commute from the Marne le Vallee Station to Paris (and back) That would give 5 round trips. So two carnet of those tickets would let a couple commute in and out 5 times. Of course, the advantage of the Mobilis or the ND is its use for additional trips once in Paris.

@kent & @janettravels44 - thanks much for the information. It really helped to alleviate the confusion from reading the various articles and forums.

@everyone - This is our first time going and we are excited. We are definitely going get the PMP, ND, and Mobilis for zone 5. We do not mind being a little outside of the city as it will allow us to get the space we need. My husband is almost 7 feet tall and we cannot be in cramped in little beds in rooms, which is a lot of what we found around downtown. Also, we love our Marriott timeshare resorts, so it seemed like a win win for us.

Thanks everyone for the great advice! We appreciate it and cannot wait to have fun in the romantic city of Paris.
Ruchika