Would you walk or take the Metro in Paris?

Depends on how tired I am whether we walk or ride, or if I expect more walking later in the day. Weather might play into it. I wouldn't necessarily buy a pass. You can buy a single ticket or a carnet of 10 tickets which is very reasonable. The carnet can be shared if you're traveling with someone. I've never bought a pass.

We tend to walk a lot - especially in Paris. How long will you be there? That is the bigger question on whether a metro pass is worth it. Perhaps a carnet of tickets would work.

I did some of both. I bought a carnet of 10 tickets, and ended up using them all and buying 10 more.

It depends on a lot of things. How many days I'll be there. Weather. What sights I want to see. How energetic I feel. We'll be there for 6 days on our next trip, and will include trips to Versailles and Disneyland, as well as using the Metro at least 2-3 times every day to get to places like Montmartre , the Eiffel Tower, and Pere Lachaise. So for us the week pass for the metro/RER makes sense. On shorter trips buying the carnet of 10 tickets made more sense. I don't mind walking, especially if I'm touring a neighborhood. But I won't walk just to save money. And I certainly don't walk any further than necessary if I have luggage.

Exactly. Sometimes you feel like walking, sometimes it's pouring rain (or your feet are killing you, or you're hungry) and you want to go underground and get to your destination as quickly as possible. It's both!

When one takes the metro one is guaranteed to still walk a lot. I love the metro. I can just see the petit lapin du metro sticker and hear the sound of the doors closing while the same people on the line 4 give their same speech for money. Why isn't Paris closer!?

Walking in Paris is fun and if you're not in a hurry can be a big part of the experience. We often planned our day walking further and further to see what we wanted to see, then taking the Metro back. Other days we planned to walk but lolligaged getting somewhere, grabbed the Metro instead. So, plan on both!

If it's just a 1.2 km walk and the weather is nice, walking is likely going to be as fast as getting on the metro, getting off, exiting, etc. The Paris Metro is, IMO, excellent, however and I'd assume you'll want to use it to go other places. You'll still walk quite a bit.

when we used to stay in central areas we just bought carnet of 10 metro tickets (now costs 14.50 for 10 rides) and then walked except when we were going to outlying areas like the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, Pere Lachaise. You will do more walking using the metro than most suburban Americans do using cars especially if your trips involve transfers many of which are very long (avoid Chatelet for transfers if you have any choice).

I am puzzled by the 'wheeled carry on' part of the question. If you are coming from the airport or Gare du Nord then get off at the Luxembourg station. If you are out sight seeing you certainly shouldn't be dragging luggage.

I do both but always carry a spare Metro ticket on me in case I get too tired of walking....depends on the factors involved.

Metro--no, but the #38 bus that goes from Luxembourg Gardens up the Boulevard St. Michel and straight to Notre Dame--that I'd take if I were tired. You can walk some places from where you are staying but others you need a bus or metro. A carnet of ten tickets might do, as others have suggested.

Sorry if it's that you have problems walking; some of the charm of Paris is seen walking the city; there are things you see on the street that attract your attention from fancy old doors to pastry shops you can not see that on the metro; do a combination ride there walk back or vice versa. I went with a friend that hated all the stairs you have to take to get out of the metro in some cases.

I'm happy to use the RER, Métro, to walk or take the bus.

It always depends - distance, tiredness, if it is a regular trip or somewhere new, and weather.

I like buses in Paris when I'm exploring a new area.

Like Astorienne and others, we bought carnets (readily available at Tabacs everywhere) on an as-needed basis and made decisions based the many factors mentioned above. It seemed our habit was generally to walk in the mornings with a view toward finding an interesting spot for coffee/croissant, then either walk or Metro depending on weather, distance to destination, etc. At the end of the trip, we "donated" a handful of unused carnet tickets to some college students celebrating graduation at the restaurant where we had our last meal in Paris.

Thank you everyone. My original plan was just to walk everywhere. We do enjoy seeing the city vs the inside of a metro. We have no physical issues that would prevent walking. We are heading to Eiffel, Versailles and Disneyland Paris, Arc, Catacombs, ND. When I looked at the 5 day Metro pass the only way it would be "worth it" is if we took the Metro to ND and back instead of walked. Also, I had planned to walk from our Apartment on check out day to Saint Sulpice to pick up our car rental. That is why I asked about walking with wheelie bags. Thanks for all the opinions. We will skip the pass and just do the 10 pack.

Note that Versailles and Disneyland Paris (nearest station - Marne la Vallee Chessy) are both outside the central Metro zone, so will need specifically purchased tickets at a higher fare.

Just to verify, Disneyland Paris and Versailles would be included in the 1-5 Zone Metro pass but not with the 10 pack, correct?

Answer to last question: yes, Disneyland and Versailles are included in the zone 1-5 Navigo Découverte pass - the pass available for anyone not residing in Île de France. The carnet tickets are only zones 1-2.

I would opt for the pass if the deciding factor is one trip. It is more convenient then having separate stashes for used ticket and new tickets, you may make a mistake and need to use another ticket, you may decide to skip a walk. The Pass Découverte runs Monday to Sunday. If you arrive mid-week, it might not be worth it to you. We arrived on Thursday, bought pass on Thursday night and made more than 10 trips by Sunday night. Also, mistakenly exited when tryingto change at Gare de Lyon and had to re-enter after walking from Gare d'Austerlitz to Gare de Lyon (RER to 14). I hate running out of tickets which happens at the most inconvenient time so I'd pay extra for the peace of mind. For the last two days of the trip, Monday and Tuesday, I am opting for Batobus passes. It's different, convenient and slightly cheaper than a week's pass. We did it 5 years ago and enjoyed it.

Once you are there, ask for a Paris Poche at any Métro ticket desk. It as RER, bus and mixed RER and Métro maps. I sometimes need reading glasses as the type is small! Once you are familiar with the names of areas, the buses are easy to use and nicer to see things.

Last night we took a bus from the end of our street near Trocadéro to the Arc de Triomphe. It was 8 minutes including waiting time for bus and no stairs/smells. Sometimes, I like being above ground and not part of some nether/alternate reality world. On the way back, met some tourists asking for directions to the Eiffel Tower. Directed them down Avenue Kléber to Trocadéro. We waited 8 minutes for the bus, and passed them. They asked if we lived here.

My preference would be the Metro. I usually buy a Carnet (10 tickets) whenever I'm in Paris. While walking and seeing the city is nice, I'd prefer to spend my time touring the sights. Also (and perhaps more importantly), too much walking would tire me out so I want to make sure that I have enough energy left to tour the sights.

It depends on time. If it's a ten or fifteen minute walk, I'll walk. Any metro ride with a connection will take you at least 10-15 minutes. If it's a long walk, I'll take the metro to save energy for other things.

Sometimes I just want to take a walk.

I stay near Lux Gardens each year and would suggest the walk from there to Notre Dame is easy and very pleasant. Lots to see along the way and you'll wait and walk less than on some metro lines and, one avoids the steep stairs (multiple) in many metro stations. There are easy and accessible bus routes though which have added bonus of allowing you to see some sites. In general, I bus or metro to the farest spot I want to see then, meander back enjoying the street cafes, surprises or planned drop-ins along the way. A good balance. all good and the locals are ao helpful...couldn't get lost if you tried (and if you did, more surprises!)

If your luggage is bulky or heavy, it will be a pain to get it through the turnstyles and up and down multiple sets of stairs. There are very few escalators in Metro stations.
If your luggage isn't heavy or bulky, I'd walk - if it's a nice day.

We took the bus mostly. After a few times taking the metro, we were so tired of walking (bc there still is a lot of walking once you get underground) so taking the bus was easiest bc it was above ground = less walking. And being able to see the city while riding the bus was a bonus also. And you never know, if you have a suitcase with you, there may be stairs you have to take once underground also (I swear we took 5 flights of long stairs going out of a metro station by Butte Chaumont - killer!).

http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21879/visiting-paris/
"Getting Around" supplies an interactive search function to plan you routes on mass transit. It's not a choice limited to walking or Metro; an extensive bus system and a few surface light-rapid trains (old guys like me still think 'streetcar') make Paris a great city to get around, at least the core zones. GoogleMaps is getting better at planning rapid-transit and walking routes.
Note that the tickets in a carnet are good on both surface and underground, but there is no transfer between buses and subway. RER suburban trains do allow connections to the Metro. You might get some use out of www.parisbytrain.com.

Are you planning to take your suitcase to Notre Dame ? If coming from the airport, RER Luxembourg might be a better stop than Notre Dame. (But check the map for your specific hotel/apartment location.) Leaving Paris by train, we took a bus to the train station since there were no stairs involved and bus was easy-on.

Paris is a great walking city. We've spent many days just walking for hours. However, we also buy a carnet of metro tickets to use if we're going from one end of the city to the other.