Métro, Paris

yes Relays is one, and so many other merchant sell them too, its in the Ratp site too.
I know when visitors come time is of the essence so every little time save is precious. Locals know the ins and out, and we planned ahead. For example, I am going to Paris the 16 by TGV on business, and already have my metro tickets. Purchase them last time was in the city early in the month;so now I am prepare not to wait in lines.

the info is in French :où acheter un titre, or where to buy a ticket
http://www.ratp.fr/fr/ratp/c_20604/ou-acheter-un-titre-/

if from monday to sunday, the best deal is the navigo decouverte card weekly =semaine, otherwise the carnet of 10 tickets. Paris visite is an option to compare for prices. Versailles is a different price and yes you can buy a ticket starting in zone 3 to zone 4 single T+ ticket.otherwise its the zone 1-4 .
zone 1 is inner Paris, then it goes out to zone 2,3, etc, zone 3 is La Defense etc, zone 4 is Versailles, here is a map in pdf file
http://www.transilien.com/web/webdav/site/transilien/shared/documents/plans/pdf/Carte_transilien_metro_fusion.pdf

for up to date rates see the Paris official transport site
www.ratp.fr
the information in English for the Paris visite is here
http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_22088/parisvisite-presentation/

hope it helps

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Most Metro stations have ticket vending machines. You can select multiple languages and the red button is for CORRECT, the green button for ACCEPT. A big metal roller underneath the screen let you step through the options displayed at the screen.

Single t+ tickets are Euro 1.70; a booklet of 10 tickets is 12.70.

At the bigger Métro stations you can buy a Paris Visite travel card. This card comes in 1, 2, 3 or 5 consecutive days in zones 1-3 or 1-5 variants. Travel time validation starts at 5.30AM till 5.30AM the next day.
Prices for the Paris Visite travel card for the zones 1 - 3 variant:
1day Euro 9.75, 2 days Euro 15.85, 3 days Euro 21.60 and 5 days 31.15.

If you stay longer, you can opt for a week, month, quarter or even a year card.

A card for zones 1 - 2 is Euro 19.15 for a week and Euro 62.90 for a month.

lines of transport in Paris for easier reading try this site, first the RER lines
http://www.enligne.fr/plan-metro-paris/plan-rer.php
then the metro lines
http://www.enligne.fr/plan-metro-paris/index.html

you can print and study from home. Hope it helps your directions. All is well posted.
Cheers

There is some misconception about the Paris Viste Pass. It is a pass for transportation; it is not a museum pass. It will not get you past any lines in the Louvre nor get you into any museum free (unless the museum is free already). There will be a small booklet of coupons included with the pass and these offer discounts to several attractions. This varies year to year but for 2012 the discounts are as follows:

20% off admission to the Arc de Triomphe, 4 euros off Espace Dali, 20% off admission to the Pantheon, 2.50 euros off admission to Musee Branly, 20% off Musée de la Armée-Hotel National des Invalides, 2 euros off the Air and Space Museum, 20% off the Pantheon, 25% off guided cruise on Bateaux Parisiens, 4 euros off Open Tour Bus, 2 euros off Fontainebleau Castle, 20% off Vincennes Castle, 20% off a one-day/two-park ticket to Disneyland Paris, 30% off France Miniature, 30% off Musee Grevin Wax Museum, 2 euros off Cite des Sciences, 4.40 euros off UNESCO World Heritage Center in Provins, 30% off the Montparnasse Tower, 10% off a purchase at Galeries Lafayette plus a shopping bag and 20 euros off Champagne Show at Paradis Latin (club).

We aren't interested in any of the above so these discounts are meaningless to us. If they interest you, consider the Paris Viste Pass. Keep in mind that like all passes, you must buy one for each member of your party and it must be used on consecutive days. Following are the prices for the various Paris Viste options, updated January 2, 2012. You can always check prices at http://www.ratp.info/touristes/index

Paris Viste Pass - you need a pass for each person in your group (no photo needed)

Cost is 9.75 euros for zones 1-3 (all you will probably need) for one day (child 4.85)
25.50 euros for zones 1-5 for one day (child aged 4 to 11 years is 10.25 euros)

15.85 euros for zones 1-3 for two days (only consecutive days) child 7.90
31.15 euros for zones 1-5 for two days (only consecutive days) child 15.55

21.60 euros for zones 1-3 for three days (only consecutive days) child 10.80
43.65 euros for zones 1-5 for three days (only consecutive days) child 21.80

31.15 euros for zones 1-3 for five dasy (only consecutive days) child 15.55
53.40 euros for zones 1-5 for five days (only consecutive days) child 26.70

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Newest update: Prices went up January 1, 2012; this reflects the higher prices.

When you want to get from one place to another quickly, the Metro can't be beat.

We don't use any of the passes. We buy a carnet of 10 Metro tickets. (Ask for a "carnay") This is a package of 10 individual Metro tickets. It costs 12.70 euros and you can share them. If you get a pass, you each have to get your own pass and that adds up quickly. (One ticket is 1.70 euros so you save 4.50 euros with the carnet.) Kids under 4 ride free. Age 4 to 10 half price.

PRICES: (of various Metro Passes) Updated January 2, 2012

Paris Viste Pass - you need a pass for each person in your group (no photo needed)
Cost is 9.75 euros for zones 1-3 (all you will probably need) for one day
20.50 euros for zones 1-5 for one day

15.85 euros for zones 1-3 for two days (only consecutive days)
31.15 euros for zones 1-5 for two days (only consecutive days)

21.60 euros for zones 1-3 for three days (only consecutive days)
43.65 euros for zones 1-5 for three days (only consecutive days)

31.15 euros for zones 1-3 for five days (only consecutive days)
53.40 euros for zones 1-5 for five days (only consecutive days)

Carte Orange (Carte Orange was replaced by the Navigo Pass July 2007)

Navigo Découverte is the Navigo Pass for visitors to Paris. You start by paying 5 euros for the pass and then you can put credit on it (somewhat like the Oyster in London but not as flexible). The Navigo is either a one week or one month pass. It is bought for Monday to Sunday and cannot be purchased Friday for that week since the week is nearly over. If you have a split week in Paris, you would have to purchase two full weeks to make use of it. That's why we don't use it; we tend to fly in on Wedneday or Thursdays. You will need a passport-size photo for this pass.

Weekly costs (Mon.-Sunday inclusive) The FIRST time you pay an additional 5 euros for the card.
19.15 euros each for zones 1-2 (plus cost of photo)
24.85 euros each for zones 1-3 (plus cost of photo)
30.25 euros each for zones 1-4 (plus cost of photo)
33.90 euros each for zones 1-5 (plus cost of photo)
Other zone combinations are different costs, i.e. 2-3 is 18.15 euros (plus cost of photo)
Check the RATP web site for these combinations. Not terribly useful for tourists who only need zone 1-2.

Monthly costs (full month only) The FIRST time you pay 5 euros for the card.
62.90 euros each for zones 1-2 (plus cost of photo)
81.50 euros each for zones 1-3 (plus cost of photo)
99.60 euros each for zones 1-4 (plus cost of photo)
111.50 euros each for zones 1-5 (plus cost of photo)

Mobilis Pass - this is a one-day pass so you need to get a new one each day (no photo)
If you get this pass, you need one pass for each person in your group.
6.40 euros for zones 1-2 (probably all you will need)
8.55 euros for zones 1-3
10.55 euros for zones 1-4
14.20 euros for zones 1-5

I hope this is all correct but you may wish to check prices at http://www.ratp.fr/
You can search Metro routes in English at http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/index.php

Although I'm sure the buses are a much more scenic way to get around Paris, I am a big fan of the metro. The metro is Paris is quite extensive, the maps are easy to follow, and you know approximately how much time it will take to get you from one place to another. The metro runs from 5:30am to 1am (2 am on Friday, Saturday and bank holidays)

We tend to walk a lot in Paris so the various metro passes don't make any sense for us, even with a 5 day pass you'd have to ride at least 6 times a day to get your money's worth. Instead we buy a carnet of 10 tickets which cost less than buying 10 single tickets. You can buy one carnet to share with your traveling companion(s) as they are individual tickets. As of September 2011 a carnet cost 12.50€ and individual tickets cost 1.70€. Individual tickets or the tickets sold in a carnet are good on:

All of the metro, the Montmartre funicular, the RER in zone 1, RATP buses in Paris and the suburbs (except for lines with special fares: Orlyval, Orlybus or Roissybus ), tramway lines. You can use the same ticket to make any connections that you need within 1 1/2 hours but it looks like you are restricted ie you can transfer from metro line to metro line or metro to RER or bus to bus but not metro line to bus. That part of their website is only in French but you can look at it here.

On New Year's Eve back in 2003 the rides were free starting sometime in the middle of the afternoon which would have been nice had I not already bought a carnet that morning. The Air France check in clerk was the lucky recipient of my 6 extra tickets.

Public transport is indeed a wonderful thing, and a godsend for the traveller, but you can save yourself a lot of potential grief by being realistic about its shortcomings, particularly if you have limited mobility.

The Metro system is tremendous, but (in common with other metro systems such as London's) bear in mind that they were designed a century ago when access for the physically challenged was not a design consideration. Many stations do not have escalators, have lots of stairs and the distance between platforms at stations where metro lines intersect may involve a significant walk (often involving steps). Thus, is you have limited mobility or are travelling with children and/or heavy luggage, you may find that saving a few euros by opting to take the metro rather than a taxi is a false economy. My middle aged concession is usually to get a taxi from the airport/station to the hotel and then once I've dumped my luggage, I'm ready to tackle the public transport system!

If you have these limitations, my recommendation would be to do some research before you make your choice of hotel, and use this to inform your selection. And if all else fails, post a query on the VT Paris forum and ask locals for guidance on stations that are accessible for those with restricted mobility!