Using the metro in Paris

Hi,

The place where you stay matters a lot. Zone 4 is too far for a sightseeing trip to Paris in my opinion. As for zones 2/3: check if it is close to a metro station, or at worst the RER (suburban cross-city lines), but metro will be cheaper. Also, a round-trip fare from Zone 4 to Paris is about 7-8 euros, so that's 80 euros extra daily costs for your group.

The timing of your stay does not allow for economical use of weekly passes, as these are for a calendar week.

If you do not stay within reach of the metro, you will need two kinds of tickets:
- tickets from your home RER/train station to Paris (paper tickets will still be there as you can't use Navigo Easy yet, and you can share Carnets of 10 between people), valid to any metro station in Paris including transfers
- tickets for bus/metro travel. Here, paper tickets will only be phased out "in the 2nd half of 2020" so I'm 90% sure you'll still find them, and they'd be the best option if so (despite the slightly higher unit cost, 17€ for 10 rides) since you can share them between people. If not, you'll need 1 Navigo easy per person (cost 2€), loaded with tickets at approx 15€ for 10 rides or 1.90€ for single rides

If you stay on the metro, even outside Paris, you only need the second kind.

http://services.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21879/visiting-paris/

Lots about the Metro and associated services such as the RER trains (including from Charles de Gaulle airport), buses and trolley. It operates an interactive route planner that you can use throughout your visit.

Navigo Easy was operating last August when I last visited. It is an electronic version of the carnet of 10 paper tickets. Tap the card on the reader and push the gate open. Replenish at a ticket machine.

If you do decide to do it the old way, make sure nobody throws away their tickets after entering the gate. There are spot checks inside the Metro where you must prove you have used a ticket to enter. Please dispose of used tickets in the trash containers after exiting the system. Old-fashioned....

Hello Jeshot5

Just so I’m clear, are you talking about zones or arrondissement as there is a vast difference in locations.

Sandra, yes I’m talking about the zones that the metro uses, I read that some passes do zone one and two, and some let you go to all five. What about the Paris Visite pass, if I got a 5 day one couldnt I use that for unlimited rides for the 5 days I’ve got it for, if I bought the one for all 5 zones?

What about the Paris Visite pass, if I got a 5 day one couldnt I use
that for unlimited rides for the 5 days I’ve got it for, if I bought
the one for all 5 zones?

Yes -- a 5-day Paris Visite pass valid for zones 1-5 at €65.80 would cover all your transport needs; a 5-day pass valid for zones 1-3 at €38.35 would do the same if you ended up in zone 2 or 3. (All prices per person.) Just keep in mind that it is 5 calendar days, and not 120 hours.

It may still not end up being the cheapest thing, but it is almost certainly the easiest thing in your situation -- just one ticket to hold onto per person instead of multiple origin-destination and t+ tickets.

Commuting in from zone 4 every day is going to be annoying and tiresome, so I hope you're saving quite a bit on accommodations by staying so far out.

The house we are looking at is near Montreuil, Île-de-France, France. I thought this was zone 4, but when I look at maps Im thinking maybe it's actually in zone 2, can anyone verify which zone this area is in? I found another place that is near the Porte-du Pre Saint Gervais. They are a difference in price of almost $700, so budget-wise Id rather do the one that is cheaper and slightly further away. But if it saves us money to stay further into the city because transportation would cost less then we would do that.

Also, can I do the pass that is just for zones 1-3 and visit most things and then buy a separate ticket to visit Versaille and get to the airport? Or would it be a better idea to buy the 5 day pass for zone 1-5 so we can use it for Versaille and the airport?

Where in Montreuil? Parts of Montreuil aren't great places to stay, especially the Eastern bits beyond the end of metro line 9. Feel free to give street names so we can check.
Pré St Gervais is nicer, but out on a limb, too, unless you are close to line 5 at Hoche (northern end of the town).
Both are in zone 2.

As for 1-3 vs 1-5 passes: given that a round-trip to the airport is 20 euros it seems that it almost negates savings? Add Versailles and you basically break even and lose convenience.

They are both airbnbs so I have to guess the exact street names since I haven't booked either of them. The one in Montreuil says the house is at the end of deadlock in the Natura 2000 landscaped park just minutes from the Paris metro cross of chavaux line 9. According to the map, it looks to be close to Boulevard Chanzy and Rue des Sorins. The other place is described as in a pedestrian lane close to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont and La Villette. On the map it looks close to Boulevard Serurier and Rue David d'Angers. So are you saying it would make more sense to just get the Paris Visite pass for zones 1-5 or that it doesn't matter b/c, either way, the price is pretty similar?

Balso - there is also one other option that is near the Place de la Porte Maillot, in the 16 arrondissement that would fit us all and not break the budget. Would that be a better area?

Regarding the locations,
Place 1 is better located than I feared, and the park is lovely, but a quick Street view check shows that Boulevard Chanzy is quite non-descript and I bet there's nothing going on at night. Would not recommend.
Place 2 seems to be in Paris actually, pretty close to the Buttes Chaumont park. It's a lovely area, if you can double check the location it would be a good choice, despite the fact that you'd be located on an inconvenient metro line (transfer needed to go anywhere of interest)
Place 3, porte Maillot, is a better location than both, by far. But a very different vibe too, more bourgeois, restaurants will be more expensive.