Getting Around Paris
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- Travis
by Wiki » 05 August 2005
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.
Métro
Paris has an excellent subway train system, known as the Métro. There are 14 lines (lignes) on which trains travel all day at intervals of a few minutes between 5am and 1.30am, stoping at all stations on the line. In addition there are 5 express lines called RER A, B, C, D, E. They can be used within Paris with a regular subway ticket. RER trains run at intervals of about 6 - 7 minutes, and stop at every station within Paris. For stations which are outside of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, check the information board on the platform.
A single ticket cost 1.40€; for shorter visits a carnet of ten tickets can be bought for 10.50€ at any station, that will bring the price per ticket down to 1.05€. There are also 1 to 5 day passes, called Paris Visite, available, starting at 8.35€ for one day of unlimited travel within Paris and inner suburbs.
If you're staying a bit longer it might be interesting to get a Carte Orange Hebdomadaire (1 week pass, 15.4€ for Paris and inner suburbs) or Mensuelle (1 month pass). For the Carte Orange you need one small photograph -- you can use a photomat in a larger métro station or photocopy and trim your passport photo. 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. There is some confusion about whether tourists are permitted to buy the Carte Orange rather than the more expensive Paris Visite passes. The Carte Orange info has been removed from the English-language metro (RATP) website but is still on the French version as of April 2005. If one agent turns you down for the Carte Orange try going to a different window.
RATP (http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/index.php) is responsible for public transport including metro, buses, and the high speed inter-urban trains (RER). Current fares can be found at their website.
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 the line toward "end station 1", change at "station", take the line toward "end station 2". The metro system has started implementing signs carrying line numbers, a color code, and N E S W directions. They are apparently ignored by the locals.
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.
Bicycle
Renting a bike is a very good alternative over driving or using public transport. 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. The Paris bike network now counts over 150km of either unique or shared lanes for the cyclist.
You can find an excellent map of the bike network called Plan des itinéraires cyclables at the information center in the Hôtel de Ville.
Bikes can be rented in from numerous private vendors, but the best deal is available from Roue Libre, a joint project of the Mayor's office and the RATP. In addition to operating a number of bike rental busses, they have some permanent locations, including:
* Roue Libre Les Halles, (http://www.rouelibre.fr/site/core.php4?page=1.1.3.1.1). 1 passage Mondétour (face au 120 rue Rambuteau), Métro: Les Halles. : +33 8 10 44 15 34. Opening hours from 9 am until 7 pm. Bikes can be rented for one weekend (€20), Monday to Friday (€15), a working day (€6), or one day in the weekend (€12).
* Roue Libre Bastille, (http://www.rouelibre.fr/site/core.php4?page=1.1.3.1.4). 37, boulevard Bourdon, Métro: Bastille. +33 1 44 54 19 29. Opening hours from 9 am until 7 pm. Bikes can be rented for one weekend (€20), Monday to Friday (€15), a working day (€6), or one day in the weekend (€12).
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. 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 Noctambus, 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
Taxis are relatively cheap, especially at night, when there are no traffic jams to be expected.
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.
Métro
Paris has an excellent subway train system, known as the Métro. There are 14 lines (lignes) on which trains travel all day at intervals of a few minutes between 5am and 1.30am, stoping at all stations on the line. In addition there are 5 express lines called RER A, B, C, D, E. They can be used within Paris with a regular subway ticket. RER trains run at intervals of about 6 - 7 minutes, and stop at every station within Paris. For stations which are outside of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, check the information board on the platform.
A single ticket cost 1.40€; for shorter visits a carnet of ten tickets can be bought for 10.50€ at any station, that will bring the price per ticket down to 1.05€. There are also 1 to 5 day passes, called Paris Visite, available, starting at 8.35€ for one day of unlimited travel within Paris and inner suburbs.
If you're staying a bit longer it might be interesting to get a Carte Orange Hebdomadaire (1 week pass, 15.4€ for Paris and inner suburbs) or Mensuelle (1 month pass). For the Carte Orange you need one small photograph -- you can use a photomat in a larger métro station or photocopy and trim your passport photo. 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. There is some confusion about whether tourists are permitted to buy the Carte Orange rather than the more expensive Paris Visite passes. The Carte Orange info has been removed from the English-language metro (RATP) website but is still on the French version as of April 2005. If one agent turns you down for the Carte Orange try going to a different window.
RATP (http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/index.php) is responsible for public transport including metro, buses, and the high speed inter-urban trains (RER). Current fares can be found at their website.
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 the line toward "end station 1", change at "station", take the line toward "end station 2". The metro system has started implementing signs carrying line numbers, a color code, and N E S W directions. They are apparently ignored by the locals.
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.
Bicycle
Renting a bike is a very good alternative over driving or using public transport. 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. The Paris bike network now counts over 150km of either unique or shared lanes for the cyclist.
You can find an excellent map of the bike network called Plan des itinéraires cyclables at the information center in the Hôtel de Ville.
Bikes can be rented in from numerous private vendors, but the best deal is available from Roue Libre, a joint project of the Mayor's office and the RATP. In addition to operating a number of bike rental busses, they have some permanent locations, including:
* Roue Libre Les Halles, (http://www.rouelibre.fr/site/core.php4?page=1.1.3.1.1). 1 passage Mondétour (face au 120 rue Rambuteau), Métro: Les Halles. : +33 8 10 44 15 34. Opening hours from 9 am until 7 pm. Bikes can be rented for one weekend (€20), Monday to Friday (€15), a working day (€6), or one day in the weekend (€12).
* Roue Libre Bastille, (http://www.rouelibre.fr/site/core.php4?page=1.1.3.1.4). 37, boulevard Bourdon, Métro: Bastille. +33 1 44 54 19 29. Opening hours from 9 am until 7 pm. Bikes can be rented for one weekend (€20), Monday to Friday (€15), a working day (€6), or one day in the weekend (€12).
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. 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 Noctambus, 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
Taxis are relatively cheap, especially at night, when there are no traffic jams to be expected.
- Wiki
Paris Districts
by wiki » 05 August 2005
Paris Districts
Central Paris is officially divided into 20 districts called arrondissements, numbered from 1 to 20 in a clockwise spiral from the centre of town. Arrondissements are named according to their number. You might, for example, stay in the "5th", which would be written as 5ème (SANK-ee-emm) in French. The 12th and 16th arrondissements include large suburban parks, the Bois de Vincennes, and the Bois de Boulogne respectively. Additionally the newer skyscraper district La Défense is also an official district of Paris.
The very best cheap pocket map you can get for Paris is called "Paris Pratique par Arrondissement" which you can buy at any news stand. It makes navigating the city easy, so much so that one can imagine that the introduction of such map-books might be part of what made the arrondissement concept so popular in the first place.
Each arrondissement has its own unique character and selection of attractions for the traveller:
* 1st (1er), (Map). the geographical centre of Paris and a great starting point for travellers. The Louvre Museum, the Jardin des Tuileries, Place Vendôme, Les Halles and Palais Royal are all to be found here.
* 2nd (2e), (Map). The central business district of the city - the Bourse (the Paris Stock Exchange) and the Bibliothèque Nationale are located here.
* 3rd (3e), (Map). Archives Nationales, Musée Carnavalet, Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, the northern, quieter part of the Marais
* 4th (4e), (Map). Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Hôtel de Ville (Paris town hall), Beaubourg, le Marais (gay Paris)
* 5th (5e), (Map). Jardin des Plantes, Quartier Latin, Universités, La Sorbonne, Le Panthéon
* 6th (6e), (Map). Jardin du Luxembourg, Saint-Germain des Prés
* 7th (7e), (Map). Tour Eiffel, Les Invalides, Musée d'Orsay
* 8th (8e), (Map). Champs-Elysées, the Palais de l'Elysée, la Madeleine
* 9th (9e), (Map). Opéra Garnier, Grands Magasins
* 10th (10e), (Map). Canal Saint-Martin, Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est
* 11th (11e), (Map). the bars and restaurants of Rue Oberkampf, Bastille, Nation, New Jewish Quarter
* 12th (12e), (Map). Opéra Bastille, Bercy Park and Village, Promenade plantée, Quartier d'Aligre, Gare de Lyon, the Bois de Vincennes
* 13th (13e), (Map). Quartier Chinois, Place d'Italie, La Butte aux Cailles, Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF)
* 14th (14e). Montparnasse Cemetery, Denfert-Rochereau, Parc Montsouris
* 15th (15e). Montparnasse Tower, Gare Montparnasse, Stadiums
* 16th (16e). Palais de Chaillot, Musée de l'Homme, the Bois de Boulogne
* 17th (17e). Palais des Congrès, Place de Clichy
* 18th (18e). Montmartre, Pigalle, Barbès
* 19th (19e). Museum of Science and Industry, Parc de la Villette, Bassin de la Villette, Parc des Buttes Chaumont
* 20th (20e). Père Lachaise Cemetery
* La Défense. The skyscraper district on the western edge of town.
Beyond central Paris, the outlying suburbs are called la banlieue. They are generally more peaceful than the city, and those to the west of Paris (Neuilly, Boulogne, Saint Cloud, Levallois) have the reputation of being the most desirable.
Central Paris is officially divided into 20 districts called arrondissements, numbered from 1 to 20 in a clockwise spiral from the centre of town. Arrondissements are named according to their number. You might, for example, stay in the "5th", which would be written as 5ème (SANK-ee-emm) in French. The 12th and 16th arrondissements include large suburban parks, the Bois de Vincennes, and the Bois de Boulogne respectively. Additionally the newer skyscraper district La Défense is also an official district of Paris.
The very best cheap pocket map you can get for Paris is called "Paris Pratique par Arrondissement" which you can buy at any news stand. It makes navigating the city easy, so much so that one can imagine that the introduction of such map-books might be part of what made the arrondissement concept so popular in the first place.
Each arrondissement has its own unique character and selection of attractions for the traveller:
* 1st (1er), (Map). the geographical centre of Paris and a great starting point for travellers. The Louvre Museum, the Jardin des Tuileries, Place Vendôme, Les Halles and Palais Royal are all to be found here.
* 2nd (2e), (Map). The central business district of the city - the Bourse (the Paris Stock Exchange) and the Bibliothèque Nationale are located here.
* 3rd (3e), (Map). Archives Nationales, Musée Carnavalet, Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, the northern, quieter part of the Marais
* 4th (4e), (Map). Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Hôtel de Ville (Paris town hall), Beaubourg, le Marais (gay Paris)
* 5th (5e), (Map). Jardin des Plantes, Quartier Latin, Universités, La Sorbonne, Le Panthéon
* 6th (6e), (Map). Jardin du Luxembourg, Saint-Germain des Prés
* 7th (7e), (Map). Tour Eiffel, Les Invalides, Musée d'Orsay
* 8th (8e), (Map). Champs-Elysées, the Palais de l'Elysée, la Madeleine
* 9th (9e), (Map). Opéra Garnier, Grands Magasins
* 10th (10e), (Map). Canal Saint-Martin, Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est
* 11th (11e), (Map). the bars and restaurants of Rue Oberkampf, Bastille, Nation, New Jewish Quarter
* 12th (12e), (Map). Opéra Bastille, Bercy Park and Village, Promenade plantée, Quartier d'Aligre, Gare de Lyon, the Bois de Vincennes
* 13th (13e), (Map). Quartier Chinois, Place d'Italie, La Butte aux Cailles, Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF)
* 14th (14e). Montparnasse Cemetery, Denfert-Rochereau, Parc Montsouris
* 15th (15e). Montparnasse Tower, Gare Montparnasse, Stadiums
* 16th (16e). Palais de Chaillot, Musée de l'Homme, the Bois de Boulogne
* 17th (17e). Palais des Congrès, Place de Clichy
* 18th (18e). Montmartre, Pigalle, Barbès
* 19th (19e). Museum of Science and Industry, Parc de la Villette, Bassin de la Villette, Parc des Buttes Chaumont
* 20th (20e). Père Lachaise Cemetery
* La Défense. The skyscraper district on the western edge of town.
Beyond central Paris, the outlying suburbs are called la banlieue. They are generally more peaceful than the city, and those to the west of Paris (Neuilly, Boulogne, Saint Cloud, Levallois) have the reputation of being the most desirable.
- wiki
Re: Getting around Paris
by lsea_717 » 04 June 2010
Hey Travis! For me the best way to get around the city would be by foot or if that's too slow for you then you should ride a bike. The great thing about Paris is that they have special bike lanes, this way you know you are travelling safe and at the same time you can steer avoid the heavy traffic in the city especially during the peak hours. And you also get to help mother earth by not contributing to air pollution! 
- lsea_717
- Paris forums Member
- Posts: 128
- Joined: 26 May 2010
Re: Getting around Paris
by bryan » 17 June 2010
For me, getting around Paris by foot is the best way but at the same time, it is time consuming. It's okay because you can enjoy every minute and every corner of the city.
- bryan
- Paris Forums Visitor
- Posts: 55
- Joined: 15 May 2010
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