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Travel >Subway
| The Metro |
Address:
| Paris |
Region:
Paris
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More Info
Phone: 08 36 68 41 14
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Description and Basic Information ::
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The underground Metro system is the most efficient way to travel around Paris. If you can’t speak or read French, it may take a few tries to get the hang of the system, but once you get it you’ll find that it is fast, simple, and, most importantly, inexpensive. Moreover, it is a great way to experience an important aspect of Paris living.
How To Ride The Paris Subway System
The underground system consists primarily of the Metro train and the RER (regional train) line. Tickets for each can be purchased at any station. The first thing one should do after purchasing a ticket is acquire both an underground railway map and a map of the city that displays underground station locations (available at most hotels, stations and tourism offices). When you find on the city map what station is closest to the destination you are headed, you simply refer to the railway map to see which train (or trains, as there are connecting railways) will get you to that station fastest. The easiest way to tell which direction a train is headed is to look on the railway map and find its final destination (there are maps that display both the Metro and RER rails). A train has two final destinations, one at each opposing end of its run. These locations will be posted throughout the railway stations as well, offering guidance as to which train you need to be on. For instance, if you were at the Museum de Louvre and wanted to get out to the Eiffel Tower, you know that you need to head west (to the Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel station). Simply locate on your railway map which of the stations nearest you services trains that go to the Champ de Mars station. In this case, you would find that the Palais Royal Musee du Louvre station services an RER line – line C, or the yellow line – that runs directly through to the Champs de Mars station without a connection. So, as you look for you’re the train platform while inside the Palais Royal station, you would look for signs that lead to “RER C—Versailles, Rive Gauche, Chateau de Versailles, St Quentin-en-Yvelines”—because you know by looking at your railway map that these locations mark the final destinations of the RER C running west, as opposed to the east line which would feature different destination names. (Simply look at the end of each rail line on your railway map to locate a train’s final destination). Fortunately, you’ll notice that often there are signs in the stations that not only display a train’s final destinations, but also the stops it makes in between. So, once you become oriented with which stations are near to where, knowing the direction you’re headed will be much easier. Lastly, displayed on each train above the sliding doors is a “map” of the rail line of that train. If the station you’re after is not on the map, you’re on the wrong train. But keep in mind that you if you need connecting trains than the connecting stations are what you should be looking for. If you’ve found your station on the map, simply correlate the train stops with those that are sequentially listed above the door to figure out your direction and how many stops there are before yours. See, that was easy!
Details
The Paris Metro runs from 5:30am to 12:30am. A single ticket costs FFR8, a package of ten tickets FF52. Tickets are punched in Metro turnstiles or bus ticket boxes prior to departure. Keep ticket accessible while riding, as you may be asked to show it to a transit inspector and no ticket means paying a FF150 fine, though such occasions are rare. Also, tickets are sometimes needed to exit turnstiles. Passes can be purchased at airports, major Metro and RER railway stations, and the Paris Convention & Visitors Bureau. Passes can be purchased in the U.S. from Marketing Challenges International, TEL. 800-869-8184.
A one-day Mobilis pass is good for unlimited travel on the Metro, bus and RER within the city limits—30F. Paris Visite passes are good for unlimited travel on the Metro, city buses, the RER, and the funiculaire ride to Montmartre. They are available for one day at FF50, and for two days at FF85, three FF120, five FF170. Paris Visite passes that extend to the airports, Disneyland Paris and Versailles are available for one day at FF100, and for two days at FF175, three FF245, five FF300.
Children’s passes are half price.
**Weekly or monthly Carte Orange passes are technically only for residents of Paris and lle-de-France, but in practice are issued to anyone who requests one. Present an ID-sized photo at any Metro ticket counter. Weekly--FF80, monthly--FF271.
For Paris Metro and Bus information in English, call TEL. 08 36 68 41 14 |
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