Transportation advice

Hi, Going to Paris as a family for the first time next summer. Will be arriving via Eurostar from London.

Is there a three or four day metro pass available in Paris? If so am I able purchase that over the Internet. I guess it%26#39;s Gare du Nord that we come into. Is it a nightmare to get to a hotel near Invalids from that area? And is there any advice anyone can offer us.

We%26#39;re planning a day driving trip from Paris to Juno Beach. Can anyone suggest a good location to pick up a car that would not be difficult for someone who has never driven in Paris before. %26lt;~ feel free to laugh at that comment; I%26#39;m sure it will be difficult, I%26#39;m just trying to minimize any unforseen problems.

Thanks kindly,

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Hi onward...

As far as the metro pass goes, there is a Paris Visite pass that you can get, which combines metro with museums. It is good for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days. You can get them in train stations or metro stations, but not onliine. 5 days is 26.65 euros per adult. It includes discounts on some museums (not the major ones though) and on tours of Paris.

A carte orange, which is good for an entire week, is cheaper at 28.80 euros per week. But that%26#39;s only for transportation, nothing more.

Info at www.ratp.com

To go from Gare Du Nord to Invalides area, I would simply take a taxi. It won%26#39;t be that much money, and it will save you the hassle of going through the metro and the changes with your bags and family in tow.

You could rent a car in Neuilly, which is just past La Defense on RER A, and very close to the highway which takes you to Normandie. Virtually no driving in Paris proper.

Les

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Which of the several Paris transportation pass options--weekly CARTE ORANGE, multi-consecutive-calendar-day PARIS VISITÉ or one-calendar-day MOBILIS--will best suit your purpose will depend largely on the specifis days-of-the-week of your proposed visit--arrival/departurs. Under NO circumstance should you pre-purchase a multi-day PARIS VISITÉ pass prior to arrival in Paris. There is a premium charged above and beyond the official price in Paris that is simply NOT offset by any real added convenience. These passes are quickly, conveniently and easily purchased at almost every Metro ticket window in Paris.

As for picking up a rental car in Paris for a drive up to Normandy, your should probably select a rental agency with a location somewhere out at the %26#39;fringe%26#39; of the city to minimize the amount of inner-city driving you will have to do. Assuming that you are doing this as a day trip, you will probably want to get an early start and want to avoid as much of any potential rush-hour traffic as possible. If it is a day trip, you should also consider the Openning/Closing hours of which ever rental agency office you choose. Try checking on rentals through AUTO EUROPE, who act as agents for several major rental car companies, all with several locations within and around Paris.

AUTO EUROPE-- http://www.autoeurope.com/

An alternative to renting a car in Paris and driving to the Normandy Beaches locale is to take an early morning SNCF train from PARIS-Gare Saint Lazare to CAEN or BAYEUX, and picking up and returning your rental car near the train stations there--

SNCF Train Info--

www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvHomePage…

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;A carte orange, which is good for an entire week, is cheaper at 28.80 euros per week. But that%26#39;s only for transportation, nothing more%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

I%26#39;m not sure where you came up with your pricing for the weekly CARTE ORANGE transportation pass but the official price of a pass for weekly CARTE ORANGE Zones 1-2 is 15,70 €uro.

RATP--Carte Orange--

ratp.info/informer/tarif_abonnements_o.php

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I looked it up, got it from the ratp website. Must be an error.

Les

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and I did zones 1-3, because I was comparing it with the paris visite zones 1-3. That%26#39;s probably why it%26#39;s more.

L

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;and I did zones 1-3, because I was comparing it with the paris visite zones 1-3. That%26#39;s probably why it%26#39;s more.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Time to break out the Windex and clean the screen on your monitor....CO 1-3 is 20,80 €

But the Zone comparison is really misleading...since ALL of the City of Paris (and in some places a bit beyond...to the end-of-the-ligne for all regular Metro lignes) are within Zones 1-2. I suppose there might be occasions when riding a public bus beyond the city limits might become an issue...but I suspect that these occsions would be few and far between for most visitors.

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Thanks! Appreciate the advice.

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You%26#39;re welcome, Onward. Sorry for the misinformation. The %26quot;O%26quot; looked like an %26quot;8%26quot; on my computer.

Just trying to help.

L