Paris Public-Transport

Paris Public-Transport information

Métro and RER

Paris has a really excellent underground system, the Métro, supplemented by the RER stations in the centre, for which you can use a Métro ticket. The Métro operates between 05h30 and 01h30, the RER between 05h00 and midnight. Trains are extremely frequent. Métro stops tend to be close together, meaning that every attraction is only a short walk from one station or another. If you're not likely to get your money's worth from a "Paris Visite" card (see above), the most sensible way to buy tickets for a short stay is by investing in a carnet of ten tickets for EUR10.70. Each ticket entitles you to one journey on any public transport in the city. On the Métro network you can change lines as often as you like on a single journey without using a new ticket. It can be difficult to decipher the stations on the Métro map. As well as finding your station, you'll also need to remember the stations at the end of the line you want to use, as in the corridors you're directed not just by the line number, but also by the final destinations.

Buses

The Paris bus service is a bit harder to fathom than the Métro system but, if you're prepared to work it out, travelling at street level in Paris is a lot more rewarding than the underground. The city's buses run from around 06h30. Many services stop at 20h30, but some go on to 00h30. From then until dawn there are night buses (Noctambus) which run from 01h00 to 05h30 and radiate out from central Place Du Châtelet to the suburbs. Get a free bus route map from a Métro station and buy your bus tickets there. Over a short stay the carnet of ten again offers good value for money - identical and interchangeable with those for the Métro. However, note that if you change bus on a single journey, you have to use a new ticket each time, unlike on a Métro journey, As you get on a bus, stamp your ticket in the machine next to the driver. To get the bus to stop where you want, press the arrêt demandé button.

Eurostar

A large number of visitors now arrive in Paris by the Eurostar train. This international train-link runs to London via the Channel Tunnel and to other destinations on the continent. Trains arrive at the Gare du Nord, located just to the north of the city centre. The station is also a hub for the Métro and RER networks, which connect to the city centre. Tel: 08705-186-186.

Driving

Driving in Paris centre can be a stressful experience. Parisian drivers are generally impatient and liberal users of both horn and hand gesture. However, if you adopt a thick skin (as most local drivers do) it is possible to drive with reasonable confidence. Be aware that vehicles entering from the right have right of way, but often the congestion is such that it is a case of filtering in where you can. There is a pollution prevention measure restricting the use of cars in the city on days when the air-quality is particularly poor, with cars being restricted according to whether they have an odd or even numbered licence plate. On such days public transport is free. The restriction does not apply to many modern cars that have low emissions - hire cars are usually in this group and exempt from restrictions. A National Driving Licence issued in EU countries is permitted for driving in France. An International Driving Licence is recommended for citizens from countries outside the EU. The minimum driving age is 18. Driving is on the right and you must overtake on the left-hand side. The driver and all passengers in the front and rear of the car must wear seat belts where fitted. Children under ten are not permitted to travel in the front seat. On entering France, UK drivers must adapt their headlights for right-hand side driving, and it is necessary by law to carry a warning triangle in case of breakdown. Local autospares shops usually sell kits for adapting headlights as well as warning triangles. The speed limit is 130km per hour (81mph), on motorways with a toll, 110 km per hour (68mph) on motorways with no toll or when wet, 90km per hour (56mph) on major roads outside towns and 50km per hour (31mph) in urban areas. The minimum speed limit for cars travelling in the left lane on the motorway is 80km per hour (50mph). On motorways where a toll is payable, payment is made by credit card or cash and depends on the distance travelled. You will be given a ticket on entry and must produce it later for payment. You should be aware that there is a time on the ticket and paying for a ticket one hour later some 150km down the road will show that you must have exceeded the speed limit. On the spot fines of up to EUR800 can be demanded for speeding offences, so it is wise to adhere to restrictions. All the major car rental firms are represented in Paris. Most companies also have desks at the airport for immediate car pick-up. The following table provides approximate driving distances between French cities. Kilometres in the lower left of the table, miles in the upper right.

Rent a Car

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Taxis

One spin-off effect of Paris's excellent public transport network is that taxis aren't quite as easy to come by as in some other major cities, a problem exacerbated by the vast number of people wanting a cab at any one time. If you see a taxi with the sign on its roof lit, then you should be able to hail it immediately on the street. Usually you'll have to queue at specially designated taxi ranks (arrêts de taxis). Consider radio cabs to book a ride in advance, for example Taxis Bleus, Tel: +33 (0)1-4936-2424 or G7, Tel: +33 (0)1-4739-4739. However, in a city the size of Paris you are well advised to use a firm in the immediate vicinity to minimise delay. Ask your hotel to book a cab for you. Taxi charges work on a complex system combining charges for pick up, luggage and time of journey. They are also dependent on the time of day. Having said that when added up, they don't make Paris taxis outrageously expensive. At night it can be difficult to find a taxi and a cab ride after dark will cost you more than the same journey in the day time. Tip around ten per cent of the total.

Trains From Paris

SNCF operates most rail services within France, with high-speed TGV trains linking Paris to London in just two hours 35 minutes; Thalys runs services to and from Belgium and the Netherlands; Eurostar serves 100 destinations including Disneyland Paris, Lille, Brussels and London. TER trains also serves most French cities. Tickets can be bought at railway stations, travel agencies and city offices, with early booking discounts available. These principal Paris rail stations broadly serve the following domestic and international cities and regions: Gare du Nord (10th arrondissement): Belgium, the Netherlands, UK and Northern Europe. (Eurostar, TGV, Thalys and regular trains) Gare Austerlitz (13th): Central and Southwest France, Spain and Portugal. Gare de l'Est (10th): Eastern Europe Gare de Lyon (12th): Eastern and Southern France, Switzerland and Italy Gare St Lazare (8th): Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie Gare Montparnasse (15th): West and South-West France including Brest, Nantes, Bordeaux and Spain (TGV and regular trains).