I%26#39;m arriving in Paris next week at CDG and will be staying at Hotel Lecourbe, at the Eiffel area. Can someone share what is the best way to get to the hotel? Is it too much hassle with public transport and do they have like an airport shuttle service to the city centre or other landmarks which would make it easier to get to the hotel?
Also is the city huge that we are advised to purchase some train passes, etc? We are staying for 5 nights. Also are there castles in Paris itself which are still standing tall or do we have to travel a little out to see them? I%26#39;m a medieval junkie.
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1. CDG to Hotel
Have a look at this site first -%26gt; tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187147-c58647/Paris:…
Reply if you have further questions.
2. The city itself is definitely walkable, but only when split into concentrated sections - Eg. wander one neighborhood on foot, but to visit something on the opposite side of the city, you may need public transport.
If you are not staying in a central location (Ile de la Cité = center of Paris) or feel that you will use public transport quite frequently, you have three options:
A) Carnet (11.10E) - set of 10 discounts sold at a discount. This is sufficient for most visitors. You can purchase these at any métro station. The tickets are valid for buses, trams, métro lines, and RER lines within the city and its immediate outskirts (Zone 1-2).
B) Carte Orange (16.30E) - week-long pass to all public transport. They pass for themselves after 11 uses. These are valid Monday-Sunday. They sell passes for the current week through Wednesday, and start selling for the following week on Friday. They are not sold on Thursdays. Accordingly, if you arrive after Wednesday, purchase a carnet or individual tickets for the remainder of the week instead of the pass.
NB: This pass is in the process of being replaced by an electronic version - the Passe Navigo (Découverte) - the Découverte is for non-residents of Paris and costs 5E more than the Carte Orange.
C. Mobilis (5.60) - day pass. Self explanatory. Valid for all public transport for the day. Pays for itself when you use it more than 3 times.
For more information, visit the Paris Inside Page on the public transport: tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187147-s303/Paris:Fr…
3. If you are referring to the castles of the Louvre, they are a moderate distance from Paris. You would have to make accomodations in the Loire Valley (Amboise, Tours, etc), rent a car or join a tour, and add several days to your trip to visit them.
If you are thinking of Chateau de Vincennes or Chateau de Versailles, they are a métro/RER ride away and can be done as day trips from Paris.
Hope that helps.
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In addition to france-maniac%26#39;s post, a few remarks:
- Before use, you need to write the date and your first and last name on the Mobilis day pass.
- Should you want a Carte Orange (the old-style, paper version), you will need a passport picture. It is a combination of a photo ID (to be filled in by yourself) and a magnetic %26quot;coupon%26quot;. You need to copy the number of the ID pass onto the coupon before use.
- The new %26quot;Navigo Découverte Carte Orange%26quot; is a chip card; you will also need a passport photo for it. The 5€ price difference is a cover fee for the chip card (which is valid for 10 years) - so you can use the card again (by %26quot;reloading%26quot; it in a ticket machine) when you return to paris in the coming 10 years.
- There%26#39;s also a Paris Visite pass; a bit more expensive but you don%26#39;t need a passport photo.
Paris and its suburbs is divided into %26#39;zones%26#39;. Zone 1-2 cover all of (central) Paris, but for trips to/from the airports, Versailles, etc. you will need tickets for more zones.
www.transport-idf.com/frontal…
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