Transport in Paris
There are several ways of getting around Paris. My favourite
way is by walking, but I understand that not everybody can or
wants to do that, and of course the weather can also make it
difficult.
So here are the main alternatives.
Metro
As somebody who is used to the London
Underground, it's always a great pleasure to use the Paris
Metro instead. In total, there are 16 lines, with 300 stations.
Each line is identified by a unique colour and number. You can
buy tickets individually for 1.60 euros, but it
can make sense to buy a carnet of 10 tickets. Not only does it
save you time buying tickets for individual journeys, but it
will also save you money - you get the 10 tickets for 11.60
euros.
Trains run from about 5am to 1am Sunday to Thursday, but until
about 2am on Friday and Saturday, as well as on the nights
before a public holiday. You can buy the tickets at manned
kiosks or from an automated machine at each station.
RER
Paris is also served by the RER
network of suburban trains, and you can use the same tickets on
the Metro and RER. There are 5 lines, identified by the letters
A to E. They run out into the suburbs, and because they have
longer distances between stations than the Metro, they can be a
lot quicker than the Metro in central Paris. Trains run from
about 5.30am through to midnight Monday to Thursday, but run an
hour longer at the weekend.
The Metro and RER are operated by RATP and you can get more
information at the website at http://www.ratp.fr
Bus
You can use the same tickets on the
local buses as you do on the Metro and RER. You see much more
of Paris, if you travel on the bus, but the heavy traffic means
that it is a much slower way to travel. Most bus services
operate between 6.30am and 8.30pm, with some continuing until
around 12.30am. There's a machine on each bus, in which you
have to punch your ticket at the start of your journey.
There is also a night bus service (the Noctilien), which
consists of over 42 routes in and around Paris, which are
available from 12.30am through to 5.30am. You can get more
information at http://www.noctilien.fr
Taxis
You can grab a taxi at one of the
450 or more taxi ranks in the City. They are located at the
railway stations, airports and other sites near main roads. You
can also hail a taxi in the street, if it has its white light
on, and of course, your hotel will always be able to get you
one. There are different rates, depending on location and time
of day, but there is a starting charge currently of 2.20 euros,
a minimum fare of 6 euros, and various extras for heavy luggage
and for 4 passengers or more.
You can get much more information at the website at http://www.taxi-paris.net/
By Bike - Velib
If you are feeling more
energetic, you can use Velib, a self service bicycle service,
made available by the City of Paris. There are about 20,000
bikes for hire from about 1,500 Velib stations, which are
located all around Paris at intervals of about 300 metres (330
yards). The service runs 24/7 and you can pick up a bike from
any Velib station and return it to any other station.
You can buy a 1 day ticket for 1 euro or a 7 day ticket for
5 euros. Either option offers you an unlimited number of
journeys during the course of your subscription, with the first
half hour of each journey being free of charge.
You can find more information at the Velib website.
http://www.velib.paris.fr/
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