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all about Paris, France
Getting Around Paris
By car
It is generally a bad idea to rent a car to visit Paris. Traffic is very dense, and parking tends to be difficult. This is especially true in areas surrounding points of touristic interest, since many of these are in areas designed long before automobiles existed. Many Parisian households do not own cars.
Driving may be an option for going to some sights in the suburbs such as Vaux-le-Vicomte castle or the castle and city at Fontainebleau, or for starting to other places in France. You may prefer to rent from a location not situated in Paris proper.
Note that the driving rules in France differ greately from most English-speaking countries. The major difference is that at roundabouts, traffic entering the roundabout has the right-of-way, unless the roundabout entrances are signposted otherwise: "Vous n'avez la priorité". Unless you see that sign when entering a roundabout, you must prepare to give way/yield to all traffic entering the roundabout. This is the opposite from what occurs in the UK, Australia and other English-speaking countries. Take special care when driving in France.
On foot
Walking in Paris is one of the great pleasures of visiting the City of Light. It's possible to cross the entire city in only a few hours, if you can somehow keep yourself from stopping at numerous cafés and shops. In fact within a few years walking combined with biking and the Métro will be the only way to get around the very center of Paris: The Mayor's office has announced plans to declare the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th arrondissements almost totally car-free by 2012.
The smartest travellers take advantage of the walkability of this city, and stay above ground as much as possible. A metro ride of less than 2 stops is probably best avoided since walking will take about the same amount of time and you'll be able to see more of the city.
To get a great orientation of the city on foot while seeing many of Paris' major sights, you can do a West to East walk from the Arc de Triomphe to Ile de la Cite (Notre Dame). This walk takes about 2 hours without any stops. Start at the top of the Champs Elysees (at the Arc de Triomphe) and begin walking down the Champs Elysees towards Place ('square') de la Concorde. On the way towards the obelisk on the square, you'll see the major stores and restaurants of Paris' most famous avenue. Once you've passed the main shopping area, you'll see the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais to your right. At Place de la Concorde, you'll be able to see many of Paris' major monuments around you. In front of you is the Tuileries, behind you is the Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, behind you to your right is the Tour Eiffel and Musee d'Orsay, and finally, to your left is the Madeleine. Continue straight ahead and enter the Tuileries Gardens passing by fountains, flowers... and lovers in the park. As you continue straight ahead, and out of the garden, you'll see the pyramid entrance to the Louvre directly in front of you. With the pyramid directly in front of you, and the Tuileries directly behind you, turn to your right and walk towards the Seine. Now you can walk along the Seine (eastwards) until you reach Pont Neuf. Cross Pont Neuf and walk through the Latin Quarter, cross the river again to reach Notre Dame cathedral on Ile de la Cité.
You may have heard of the hazard of walking into dog droppings in Paris. You will still enjoy the history, food and architecture of this great city!!
Métro
Paris has an excellent underground train system, known as the Métro (short for Chemin de Fer Métropolitain i.e. Metropolitan Railways). There are 16 lines (lignes) (1-14, 3bis and 7bis) on which trains travel all day at intervals of a few minutes between 5 AM and 1:30AM (Saturday night/Sunday morning: 02:30), stopping at all stations on the line. Line 14, which is fully automated, is called the Méteor. Scheduled times for first and last trains are posted in each station on the center sign.
The lines are named according to the names of their terminal stations (those at the end of the line). If you ask the locals about directions they will answer something like : take line number n toward "end station 1", change at "station", take the line nn toward "end station 2" etc. The lines are also color-coded.
In addition there are 5 train lines called RER A, B, C, D, E. RER trains run at intervals of about 6 - 7 minutes, and stop at every station within Paris. Although a regular subway ticket can be used within Paris (Zone 1), it is necessary to pass the ticket through the turnstile when passing between the subway and the RER lines, as the two systems are separate networks. This ticket is necessary to both enter and exit the RER networks, as the RER trains travel on to the Parisian suburbs, outside the zone where a regular subway ticket can be used. Beware that traveling outside the city center without a valid RER ticket will get you fined, and the packs of inspectors who roam the system show no mercy to tourists pleading innocence. In particular, CDG airport is not within the city, and you'll need to purchase a more expensive RER ticket to get there .
For travel outside of the Paris zone, the train arrival times are shown on a monitor hanging from the ceiling inside the RER station above the platform. Information about the stops to be made by the next train is presented on a separate board also hanging from the ceiling. It is important to check this board before boarding the train, as not all trains make stops at all stations on a given line.
RATP is responsible for public transport including metro, buses, and some of the high speed inter-urban trains (RER). The rest of the RER is operated by SNCF. However, both companies take the same tickets, so the difference is of little interest for most people except in case of strikes (because RATP may strike while SNCF does not, or the other way round). Current fares can be found at their website. Basically, as you move further from Paris, tickets get more expensive.
For the subway, a single ticket (ticket t+) costs €1.50; however, it is generally not advisable to buy tickets by the unit and to rather purchase a carnet of ten tickets, which can be bought for €11.10 at any station, that will bring the price per ticket down to €1.11. The ticket is valid for unlimited metro, RER, bus and tram transfers during one hour. Tickets do not expire.
A 1-day ticket, a weekly pass, and a monthly pass are also available. The price varies according to the zones for which the ticket can be used. The cheapest 1-day ticket, called Mobilis, is valid for zones 1-2, with a price of 5.60 euros. Once bought, it is necessary to write in the spaces provided on the ticket: 1) the date the ticket is being used in European notation of day/month/year (Valable le), 2) the last name (Nom), and 3) and the first name (Prénom). Unfortunately, although this ticket is valid for use for travel to/from Charles de Gaulle airport, it is not sold at the CDG train stations.
If you're staying a bit longer, the weekly and monthly passes are called Carte Orange. The weekly pass is called Carte Orange Hebdomadaire (1 week pass, €16.30 for Paris and inner suburbs), and the monthly Carte Orange Mensuelle (1 month pass). Note that an Hebdomadaire (eb-DOH-ma-DAYR: in French you don't pronounce the H) starts on Mondays and a Mensuelle on the first of the month. Although the Carte Orange is sold anonymously, it is non-transferrable, and therefore requires the user to provide information on the pass after the sale. The initial Carte Orange must be bought from a RATP kiosk, and will come in two parts: a credit-card sized ID card and the actual magnetic ticket. You will need one small photograph -- you can use a photomat in a larger métro station or trim a passport photo -- to glue onto the ID card. You then in ink write your last and first names in the spaces provided on the ID card, and the number of the ID card in the space provided on the magnetic ticket. The Carte Orange is scheduled to be phased out sometime in 2008, at which time it will be replaced with a similarly functioning magnetic pass called the Navigo Découverte. Although the Navigo Découverte is currently available, it costs 5 euro just for the pass, whereas the Carte Orange is free.
Although not as good a deal for adults in most cases as the Mobilis or Carte Orange, there are also 1 to 5 day tourist passes, called Paris Visite, available, which are a bargain for kids of ages 4 to 11, starting at €4.25 per day for travel within zones 1-3.
Keep your métro ticket or pass with you at all times, you may be checked or "controlled." You will be cited and forced to pay on the spot. Althought the most likely spots for controls are at big métro stations or during métro line change "correspondances", it is not uncommon for "controleurs" to check tickets on trains. RATP agents may be present in the metro stations even on Sunday night.
Métro stations have both ticket windows and automatic vending machines. The majority of automatic vending machines take only coins or European credit cards with a pin-encoded chip on the front. Therefore, to use either Euro bills or a non-European credit card with a magnetic stripe, it is necessary to make the purchase from the ticket window.
Each station displays a detailed map of the surrounding area with a street list and the location of buildings (monuments, schools, places of worship etc.). Maps are located on the platform if the station has several exits or near the exit if there is only one.
When the train arrives, the doors may not open automatically. In such a case, there are handles located both inside and outside the train which you have to push in order to open the door.
Tip: you can download on your Palm or handheld a very neat program that will give you all the Métro, buses & night buses itineraries + a few tips to notable places, which also works for a lot of cities around the world.
Trick: If you have any tickets or carte orange for zone 1-2 ("inside" Paris area: the lower rate) and want go to La Defense from Chatelet, you have to take the metro (line 1). You can take the RER A (and save a few minutes) but you have to pay an additionnal fare, because even though you arrive at the same station, the RER exit is supposed to be outside of Paris! On the other hand, métro fares are the same, even in the suburbs. So be careful, there are a lot of ticket examiners where you get out from the RER A.
Boat
There is an excellent boat service which makes use of the Seine. As well as providing easy, cheap transport to much of central Paris, excellent photo opportunities abound. You can buy a day or 3 day ticket and hop on and off the boat as needed. The boat takes a circular route from the Eiffel Tower, down past the Louvre, Notre Dame, botanical gardens then back up the other bank past Musee D'orsay.
Skating
Paris is the mecca of city skating. This is due to the large, smooth surfaces offered by both the pavements and the roads. Skating on the pavement is legal all around Central Paris (zone 1) and its suburbs (zone 2+).
Bicycle
Renting a bike is a very good alternative over driving or using public transport. Riding a bike anywhere in the city is far safer for the moderately experienced cyclists than almost any town or city in the United States. The French are very cognizant of cyclists, almost to a point of reverence. A few years ago Paris wasn't the easiest place to get around by bike. That however has changed dramatically in recent years, starting perhaps with a lengthy bus and traffic jam. The city government has taken a number of steps in strong support of improving the safety and efficiency of the urban cyclist as well, in establishing some separated bike lanes, but even more important a policy of allowing cyclists to share the ample bus lanes on most major boulevards. Paris also has many riversides which are perfect for cycling as well. The Paris bike network now counts over 150 km of either unique or shared lanes for the cyclist.
You can find an excellent map of the bike network called Plan des itinéraires cyclables (download here) at the information center in the 'Hôtel de Ville.
- In July 2007 the municipality of Paris introduced the Velib program ("vélo liberté", Bicycle Freedom, see the french site or an english description, where it is possible to rent a bike for a very modest price. Numerous stations are to be found around the city; with your credit card (although N American cards do not work at the machines), you can subscribe for 1 day (1€) or 7 days (5€) & then get a bike; the first 30 mn are free... so the game is to get to another station in 25 mn & get another bicycle (you will have to wait for 5 mn before you get another one, though)...Try it, it's great!
Bikes can also be rented from numerous private vendors, including Fat Tire Bike Tours, Bike About Tours, and Roue Libre, a joint project of the Mayor's office and the RATP.
To contact Fat Tire Bike Tours call their office at +33 6 56 58 10 54,. They are open daily, and rentals are €2/hour, €15/day, €25/2 day period, or €45/week. They are located at 24, rue Edgar Faure, 75015. Fat Tire also provides daily tours.
The Bike About ( 06 21 18 46 93) rental point is located in the center of Paris at the Vinci Car Park, just behind the town hall or "Hotel de Ville" (Rue Lobau & Rue du Rivoli). They are open daily, and rentals are €15/day, €25/2 day period. They also provide guided bike tours of Paris, given by local, English-speaking guides who know the city well. This is a great way to experience Paris. They are one of the smaller tour companies in Paris & give you a great insiders look at the city.
In addition to operating a number of bike rental buses, the RATP has some permanent locations, including:
- Roue Libre Les Halles, . 1 passage Mondétour (face au 120 rue Rambuteau), Métro: Les Halles. : +33 8 10 44 15 34. Opening hours from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Bikes can be rented for one weekend (€25), Monday to Friday (€20), a working day (€9), or one day in the weekend (€14).
- Roue Libre Bastille, . 37, boulevard Bourdon, Métro: Bastille. +33 1 44 54 19 29. Opening hours from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Bikes can be rented for one weekend (€25), Monday to Friday (€20), a working day (€9), or one day in the weekend (€14).
Bus
Since the Métro is primarily structured around a "hub and spoke" model, there are some journeys for which it can be quite inefficient, and in these cases it is worth seeing if a direct bus route exists, despite the complexity of the bus network. A bus ride is also interesting if you want to see more of the city. The Parisian bus system is quite tourist-friendly. It uses the same single-ride tickets and Carte Orange as the Métro, and electronic displays inside each bus tell riders its current position and what stops remain, eliminating a lot of confusion.
These same payment devices are also valid in the Noctilien, the night bus, where tickets normally cost €2.70. Noctambus routes all begin hourly at Chatelet and run to outlying areas of greater Paris. It pays to know one's Noctambus route ahead of time in case one misses the last Métro home. Women travellers should probably avoid taking the Noctambus on their own.
Taxi
Paris has too few taxis, so do not expect to be able to flag one down without a wait. If you know you will need one to get to the airport, or to a meeting, it is wise to book ahead by phone (Taxis Bleus and Taxis G7). Taxis are comparatively cheap, especially at night, when there are no traffic jams to be expected. In the daytime, it is not always a good idea to take a taxi, as walking or taking the metro (See: Métro) will often be faster.
To stop a taxi, watch the sign on the roof:
- if the white sign is lit, the cab is on duty & available,
- if the white sign is off and a colored light is lit under it (blue, orange), it's on duty and busy,
- if the white sign is off and no coloured light is on, the taxi's off duty.
Remember if a taxi is near a 'taxi station', they're not supposed to pick you up but at the station... where there may be people waiting for a taxi... Taxi stations are usually near train stations, big hotels, hospitals, large crossings... You can also call for taxis & make a reservation in advance and or book a flat rate [Shuttle Taxi] When a taxi stops, he will sometimes pull down his window and expect you to tell where you go. Sometimes, a taxi can be difficult to stop, and you have to try several times. If the driver can't go where you want, he might tell you so in a somewhat offhand manner -not expected of a taxi driver in other parts of the world —As often as not they'll tell you they're near the end of their working day & can't possibly get you where you want before they have to turn off-duty.
Keep in mind that there is a €5.50 minimum on all taxi rides, mandated by city law, but the meter does not show this amount, which can result in being asked to pay more than the metered amount on short rides.
Also, you might not always expect the taxi to drive you to the doorstep, if they want to let you out a block away if the route is difficult, they will do so (not frequent in my -large- experience). You usually pay still seating in the cab (not through the front window, New York style)-just avoid misunderstandings. The driver will not let you sit in the front seat (save if there's 3 or 4 of you, & they generally don't like that), and will expect you to get in the back. Taxi-drivers come in all types, some nice, some rude, some wanting to chat, some not. Smoking in taxis is generally not allowed, just ask & it might be that the taxi driver himself wants a cigarette. Many taxis won't have you using your cellphone during the ride; if you do have to, make an apologizing gesture & sound, and do make a short call.
- Tip is included in the fare price; If you're especially satisfied with the service, you can give something (basically 10%), but you don't have to.
- A price is added for suitcases.
You don't have to have problems with drivers; just try and be nice. If you wish to file a complaint, note the taxi's number on the sticker on the left hand backseat window.
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