Which transportation pass is best in Paris?

Probably purchasing a Navigo Découverte card (5€) and loading it with a zone 1-5, weekly fare (22.80€).

However, much depends upon when the two weeks start, end, and how often you will be using public transportation.

There is only one pass that is good value for long stretches in Paris, the Navigo Decouverte which costs 5 Euro for the card (you have to have a 25/30mm head shot) and is charged for about 23 Euro per week for the entire Ile de France including Disney, Versailles, CDG, Fontainebleau as examples. The pass put on the card runs from Monday to Sunday midnight. If your weeks are not natural weeks, you can patch the ends with ordinary bus/metro tickets for Paris itself for 14.90 for 10.

There are weekend day passes called ticket jeune for those 25 and under but they are more expensive than having an ND unless you arrive on a Friday and need coverage for that first weekend before the ND is valid on Monday. The Mobilis Day pass for those 26 and over or youth on weekdays is rarely cost effective and the Paris Visite is almost never a good bargain.

Last year, I found the Navigo Decouverte (ND) to be so convenient. I bought the one that covers all the zones. I believe it covered Versailles and Fountainbleau. It is so nice to know that you can hop on any bus or metro to save your tired feet. It is so nice not to worry about how much it costs and where the ticket machines are, etc.

I kept my pass on a lanyard attached to my LLB tote. I would just pull the secured lanyard out when I needed it.

Just a suggestion: You need a photo, about the size of a postage stamp. You can go to the Navigo Decouverte website to get the precise measurements. I used a selfie from my iPhone. I printed it on plain, white typing paper. At the time, I had a colored printer at home and I brought three precisely cut photos with me. I don't know if Navigo Decouverte requires a colored photo. Maybe someone else can answer whether the photo needs to be in color.

Also, I was very fortunate in that I went to a small, less crowded metro station to buy the ND; i.e., Saint Placide station. They put the whole thing together for me.

A final note, even if you arrive in the middle of the week, as I did, I still think the ND is worth the value and convenience.

Thank you. You've been very helpful. We're coming in the middle of the week . . . and I was wondering if the convenience was perhaps worth it even if the value wasn't. Thank you.

Good point about the convenience of the pass. It takes time to buy separate tickets and mental energy to keep track of them. Having the pass means you can pay more attention to the sights of Paris that you came to enjoy.

Navigo pass for sure !!!!

Don’t go to a lot of effort on the photo. A photocopy of your drivers license picture works really well.