i found it, paris visite pass, will get it for 2 days for zone 1-3 that should cover everything.

http://www.pariswelcome.net/metro/paris_visite.htm

The prices on that site are out of date. Here is the current official information:
http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/r_61654/parisvisite/

Otherwise, if you only need zones 1 and 2, you could just purchase Mobilis passes at 6.60€/day. If you really do need zones 1-3 for two days, Paris Visite is slightly cheaper than Mobilis.

here is my plan, please let me know if anything missed out, or need to rearrange anything

day 1 - arrive from italy - rest
day 2 - french open, jardin du luxembourg
day 3 - eiffel tower, could not get tickets online, so will line up in the morning, notre dam,
day 4 - museum pass kicks in, Louvre museum, arc de triomphe, musee d'orsay
day 5 - chateau de Versailles

so it seems that entrance for child under 12 is free at all the museums, so should i not get it for my 10 year old kid? i am assuming as we will have museum pass, my kid will also be able to skip the line with me?

what do you guys think?

We are going in June and while I'm not getting a museum pass (my wife and I are just not museum people and our two energetic boys aren't either) so I can't answer that, but my plan is to do the arc de triopmphe at night, either before or after dinner. It's open until 11pm (last admission 10:15). I think if you're maybe doing the full Lourve and Musee d'Orsay experience, moving this to a different day would make sense (or do at end of the day).

And I'm planning on getting carnets instead of using a paris visite in case you're wondering.

Cheers.

thanks for the great suggestion of using carnets instead of visite pass.

i have 4 adults and 1 child in group, so visite would have cost approx 77euros, while I can get set of 2/3 carnets which would be sufficient for the trip. 39 euros for 3 carnets, 30 tickets.

does carnets cover the tickets to Versailles?

no, it's beyond the limit, but from memory it's not that expensive to buy the tickets to Versailles. There used to be a forfail loisirs (special pass) to Versailles that included rail ticket and entry but I don't think they're available any more. You should buy your entrance to the chateau in advance, the lines can be horrendous and the system at the ticket office confuses everyone (even the ticket sellers). Go here for info in English and to purchase.

It's many years since I visited Versailles so I stand to be corrected. Personally I preferred Fontainbleau which is still wonderful and far less crowded

depending on the age of the child, you may need a ticket - not sure if you have that in your calculation. a child carnet is also available for 1/2 cost of an adult carnet.

So I have the Museum Pass and it looks like it includes entry to Versailles

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/?opti...2-98E5A0FD725F

However, it is not clear whether or not it includes the gardens. Also, I am assuming I will need to buy a ticket for the musical fountains show separately. This may be a silly question, but should I assume that if I have my Museum Pass and I purchase a musical fountains ticket, I will have access to both the palace and gardens?

I am thinking of buying museum passes from CDG airport, any advantages ordering online or any discount codes?

Planning to buy a Navigo pass--does anyone know if the photo needs to be color or if black & white is ok?

To be honest I doubt that they would care. Last time I bought mine they didn't want to see my photo, he just handed me the card and holder and told me to put it together myself. From a quick look at the site it just says a photo, it doesn't say colour or b&w. You'll need the passe découverte.

You just have to love the ease of ze french.

For my Navigo I used an incredibly flattering picture of myself taken some time last century following a (rare) perfect haircut. I plan on using the same picture for at least the next twenty years. I'm sure the French appreciate the trouble I go to so that I look handsome for their transport passes.

You should keep in mind that the carnet does not expire (at least that I have found). We are going to Paris next week and I will try to use carnet that my parents bought over 20 years ago, possibly even older than that. (We'll be bringing our one year old tickets as well, just in case.)