Paris : Red Hop on Off / Cruise / Batobus Cruise

A) & B)- HOHO bus - there is more than one company. Check online for each companies stops and policies. It is doubtful the stops are at RER or metro stations. They are likely at the touristy places like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, etc. C) Batobus - we bought our tickets at the stop near the Eiffel Tower. You may be able to buy them at each stop. I don't remember. The multi-day passes are a better value. The batobus will take you to most of the tourist destinations. Of course not to Montmartre or the Arc. D) Louvre - there is an entrance in the mall underneath near the metro exit. The line is not as long there. E) Carnet - good for the metro, bus and RER in central Paris. If you want to go to Versailles you will need a separate RER ticket. If taking the RER be sure you have you ticket with you to exit. On the metro you don't need the ticket to exit, but they do have people spot checking to see if you have one. I always keep my ticket until after I exit. I don't know what area you are staying in, but if you use the batobus you won't need the metro very much. I would buy one carnet. You can buy another if you use it up. On my first visit to Paris for 5 days I bought a batobus pass and only used the metro 2 times.

E. The carnet is simply 10 single tickets bought at once, and it's cheaper than buying them separately. Each is good for one ride. You can change Metro lines and not pay again, as long as you don't exit the system. 1. The ticket is good on the entire Metro system (including the ones that end in zone 3, like La Defense). You should hold on to your ticket until you are outside, as the ticket can be checked at any time (and checks are pretty frequent). But, you don't need your ticket to exit the Metro. 2. You can use a ticket for the RER within the city limits of Paris, but not outside (so you cannot take the RER to La Defense, Versailles, or the airports on a carnet ticket). You need your ticket to exit the RER, so be sure you don't crumple it. If you are going to a place that is outside the city limits, you should buy a separate RER ticket for that place, so you make sure you get the correct one (again, if you don't have a valid ticket, you can't exit). 3. You can take any combination of Metro and RER trains on one ticket, as long as you don't exit the system. 4. A single ticket is also good for one bus ride or one ride on the Montmartre funicular. continued..

continued.. 5. The "one day pass" that may be of use is the Mobilis. For zones 1-2 (Paris proper), it's 6.40 euros. This is especially useful if you're going to Montmartre that day, as that often involves 4 rides (Metro, then funicular up, then funicular down, then Metro back). Mobilis tickets are available that include more zones, but be aware that you can't use one to go to the airports (even if the airport zone is covered by your ticket) - they are specifically excluded. The Paris Visite one day pass is usually not a good deal; it's 9.75 euros for one day, because it covers zones 1-3 (you are highly unlikely to need zone 3) or zones 1-5 (you will use this only to see Versailles or go to the airports). It also includes some discounts (including the Paris OpenTour Hop-on Hop-off bus). If you're not getting a museum pass, you may use the discounts, and then it could be worthwhile getting a 3 day Paris Visite. You have to do the math to see if it will be worthwhile. As said above, many people don't take too many Metro/bus rides if they are using other transit (whether taxis, Batobus, or just a lot of walking). Paris Visite prices here (scroll down): http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21894/paris-visite/
Paris Visite discounts here: http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_22265/advantages/

So,, this is a TWO day visit. So I would choose ,, you do not need a carnet of tickets and the HOHO bus if staying central. The L'Open Tour bus is bright yellow and green, it stops at every major tourist site, and you pay when you board.. and can board at any stop. They have a one day fee of 31 euros, or for a TWO day pass the price is only 3 more euros.. so if you are only in Paris for two days,, that would work. You could get a carnet ( which is not a pass or booklet of tickets, its simply ten one way tickets for bus or metro, sold at a slight discount to buying them seperately. It is 12 euros. Frankly I cannot imagine even using 10 tickets in 2 days. If you are staying central ( where are you staying) you can probaly walk to many sites anyways. As noted by others, Louvre is easy to access without huge lines just do NOT use the Pryramid entrance, that is terrible. Enter from Rue Du Rivoli, there is a shopping mall entrance under an awning "Caroseul Mall". Follow the signs ,, buy a ticket from the machine, go down the stairs( there is also an escaltor I beleive). The cheapest and fastest way to get around is the metro, but the HOHO buses will make your day simple you do not have to plan anything, just look at the stops as you come and decide if you want to get off at that site or not. Then simply return to stop and re enter bus to next stop. Google " L'Open Tour" .

Andrea, 5 days 2 metro? Seriously..wow...in my itinerary, its all metro hahahha..perhaps I'm trying to catch up the times. I'll go slow and take ur advise on the bus/batobus, I need to look the Montmartre, its not included in my itineraries at all, is it worth the visit? Harold, if I understand it correctly, carnet- its like point to point ticket right. So long I step outside the station, another carnet needs to be used right? 1.Can 10 single tickets can be shared with others? 2. Must that 10 tickets be used in 1 day? 3. Can that carnet take me to La Vallee? Is that still within zone 3. 3. How do I know which place belongs to which zone? 4. Does Mobilis needs to be purchase after 9am? Any rules to it? Where do I get Mobilis? 5. Does Paris Visite; zone1-5 day pass will cover my trip to the airport? From the web, it looks covered.
Thanks for the links by the way. Pat, I'm staying in Gare D L'est. Most people say do lots of walk .., but I'm wondering how far is it to walk from Louvre to Champ Elysee? Is it 5km? I look at the Le Tour bus, it seems interesting plus I can combine with Batobus. Thanks for the tips!

A carnet is simply a packet of ten single tickets. The current price is €12.70. You can share the tickets. The tickets are not dated and they do not expire. Each ticket is good anywhere the Metro goes (some lines end in zone 3) and on the RER in zone 1 (all of central Paris). A ticket provides unlimited transfers until you exit the system. A ticket is good for bus transfers up to 90 minutes after boarding the first bus, but you cannot transfer between Metro/RER and bus on a single ticket. Is the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur on your list? If so, the easiest way to get there is to take the Montmartre funiculaire up the steep hill to the church. La Vallée Village is in zone 5. Take the RER A and exit at the Val d'Europe station, then walk 10 minutes or board the shuttle to La Vallée Village. For a zoomable map of the Metro & RER system, go here: http://tinyurl.com/6xmvms4. The zones are on the map. A Mobilis pass is good any time of day. Buy it at any Metro station. It's not dated, but it will only be good on the day you take your first ride. A zone 1-5 Paris Visite pass covers the airports.

I only used the metro twice on my first trip because we used the batobus to get around. I have been on the metro plenty of times since then, and I enjoy the batobus much more. Of course it has to work into your plans of what to see. The metro is underground with a lot of stairs and very few escalators. The batobus allows you to be on the river enjoying the sites as you go from place to place. It is like a HOHO bus on the water. You will be in Paris a very short time. You say June 21 - June 23. Are the 21st and 23rd your arrival and departure days? If so, you only have one full day there. In your shoes I would either take the HOHO bus or the batobus to get around that full day. Also, it is possible to walk to many sites that are not far apart. Have a good map to see where things are. Your hotel will probably have one. I have found on some occasions that it took me longer to take the metro somewhere than it would have taken to just walk there.