GETTING AROUND PARIS	Metro bus Buses RER Taxis Private Cars

As far as we know, there are six ways of getting around in Paris. In increasing order of difficulty: on foot, by metro, RER, bus, taxi and car!

Metro bus

This is by far the most economical and fastest way of wending your way from one place in Paris to another.

15 lines (190 kilometers), 60 kilometers of underground corridors, shops, buskers and dropouts: the metro is a whole world in itself.

Do beware of pickpockets, though, and other petty thieves who operate at all times of the day in the trains and other crowded places and who will relieve you of your wallet or purse or camera case before you have time to say Jack Robinson!

The metro runs from half past five in the morning to one o'clock in the morning (there is a train every 2 minutes in peak hours). There has been single class travel on the metro since 1st July 1991.

The cost of travel on the metro is always one ticket, whatever the distance covered. It is cheaper to buy a booklet of 10 tickets (46 Francs a “carnet”) than singly (8 Francs per ticket). Tickets can be bought in metro stations or at some tabacs.

Buses

The bus is a pleasant way to get around Paris provided you are not in a hurry as they are less frequent than metros and road traffic can sometimes cause holdups even though the buses now have special lanes. The tickets used are the same as those for the metro

(the buses are also run by the Paris Transport Authority - “RATP”). It should be noted that you can only buy single tickets on a bus. Buses are more expensive than the metro: 1 or 3 tickets depending on how far you travel. Most buses run from 6.30am to 9pm, and some run up to 1am.

The RER (rapid transit lines network)

In Paris the RER can be used in the same way as the metro but it is faster (fewer stations). On the other hand, there are fewer trains. The RER is the best way to cross the city from the one side to the other and to go to the inner and outer suburbs. An ordinary single metro ticket is sufficient inside Paris itself, but if you are going out into the suburbs you will need a special ticket bought from one of the vending machines located in all RER stations.

There are 4 RER lines. These are called “A”, “B”, “C” and “D, ” and they are subdivided into branch lines called “A1”, “A2”, “A4” etc. Before getting into an RER train check from the overhead indicator that the train stops at the station you want as, unlike the metro, RER trains do not stop at all stations!

Dial 01 43 16 14 14 for any information concerning the metro, buses or the RER.

Taxis

You can find taxis at a taxi rank indicated by a “taxi” sign or simply hail one in the street (provided, of course, that you are not just near a taxi rank).

The initial charge shown on the meter is 13 Francs (to which 5 Francs is added for taxis leaving Parisian stations).

Add an extra 6 Francs fo each item of luggage of more than 5 kg.

The driver might agree to take a fourth person in return for an extra charge of 9 Francs.

Private Cars

Use your car only if you cannot do otherwise. Traffic in Paris has the well-earned reputation of being.... difficult.

To cross the city, it is best to use the express lanes along the banks of the river and in peak hours use the so-called “boulevards des maréchaux” (wide boulevards running around Paris) rather than the “Périphérique” (ringroad motorway with a speed limit of 80 kilometers an hour), since the latter is often jammed with heavy lorries.

Finding a parking place in Paris is a constant headache.

There are very few car parks in the city and most of those that do exist are underground and charge a fee. When parking in the street you will have to make your financial contribution to one of the numerous parking meters or get a ticket from the dispenser (there is a flat hourly rate of 10 Francs an hour, which makes a day's parking very dear!).

Make sure you do not park in prohibited areas or where you are not sure that parking is allowed: not only will you draw the attention of the wardens and their green tickets, but if you leave your car for several days on a pavement or parked on a pedestrian crossing you are liable to find it has been towed away (see “What to do if you run into problems” section).

Design by : Marc ELOY - Em@ze InfoSystems

Last update : 01/12/96