Getting from Gare du Nord to hotel near Grands Boulevard

Fifteen to twenty bucks, depending on how much luggage you have. It's only a couple of miles. And I think the metro station is Grands Boulevards - - 's' on the end.

If you want to save some money and still avoid steps, take bus #39 directly from Gare du Nord to Grands Boulevards.

Do you know the cost of the bus and do they take Euros or do we need to buy tickets?

Roberta - the Paris bus ticketing system is all explained here: http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21895/ticket-t/ The important thing is to remember to validate your ticket in one of the validation machines on the bus. A single-trip ticket purchased on the bus is 1.80 euros.

Thanks for the information. Do they also sell 10 ticket strips? We may buy the pass, but we are figuring whether the strips or the pass is better. I imagine we can purchase either when we arrive at the Gare Du Nord.

You can't buy a 10-ticket book on the bus, but you can buy it at any metro or RER station and at most "tabacs." I forgot to mention that if you buy a single-trip ticket on the bus, you need to have exact change.

Do you save anything by buying a strip instead of an individual ticket? It sounds like they don't sell them at the train station??

It's not a strip, just ten loose tickets at a discount. Ask for a 'carnet'. You can share them. They're good for the metro or the bus. If you get low, but another batch (or singles if you don't think you'll need that many more. You can get them at Nord or at any metro station; I have no idea about the bus.

there are 4 of us traveling for 5 days - do you think we are better off purchasing a pass or just using the carnets? We are staying in 9 arrondisement so we will likely need the metro or buses to get to the major sites. Our friends do not like to walk like we do. Does the zone 1-3 pass get us pretty much all over Paris?

Which pass (if any) will be best for you depends partly upon which days of the week you'll be in Paris. What day of the week will you arrive and what day of the week will you depart? Will you be leaving by train or plane?

We are arriving on Sunday from the Gare du Nord. From the posts, it seems like we can take the regular bus to our hotel. The hotel said it is down the block from the bus stop. We are departing on Friday from Charles DeGaulle.

Most of central Paris is in zone 1, including the 9th arrondissement. t+ tickets bought singly or in carnets are good anywhere the metro goes (some lines end in zone 3) and on the RER in zone 1. They are good for bus transfers up to 90 minutes after boarding the first bus. Tickets bought from a bus dirver do not allow for transfers. Unless you plan to visit Versailles (zone 4), a 5-day, zone 1-3 Paris Visite pass would work well for Sunday-Thursday. Single tickets to Versailles-Rive Gauche on the metro and RER C cost €3.05 each way. Buy single tickets (€8.70) to get to CDG on the metro and RER B on Friday. Zone 1-2 Navigo Semaine passes are cheaper than Paris Visite passes and are good for seven days (Monday-Sunday) so they would cover any rides you take in Paris on Friday before you go to CDG. The re-loadable card costs €5 and you must attach a small photo. You would have to buy a carnet and share the tickets on Sunday. For a list of all your transportation ticket and pass choices with links to detailed explanations of each one, go here.