Public Transport in Paris

On the road in Paris
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The French capital Paris is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. It is therefore not surprising that it has an excellent transportation system. Although visitors to the City of Love can explore a large part of the city on foot, it is worth using public transport for longer distances between individual sights.

  1. Means of transportation in Paris
  2. Tickets and prices
  3. The metro: orientation for tourists

Means of transportation in Paris

As befits a large city, Paris has an extensive subway system, the Metro. Another transportation option is the use of Parisian city buses. There are also fast connections to neighboring urban areas and suburbs.

The metro

The first port of call for getting around the French capital is the metro. Locals and tourists alike rely on the 16 metro lines, which serve over 300 stations in the city. Two lines (1, 14) are even driverless and run automatically. Service starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 1:15 a.m., one hour later on Saturdays and Sundays and before public holidays.

Please note: It can get very crowded in the morning and evening. Travelers should avoid rush hour at all costs. More than 5 million people use the subway every day.

Buses

There are also 353 bus routes in Paris. The bus stops are not always easy to find, but if you pay attention to the signs, you will soon find your way. On the bus, passengers must either show their ticket to the driver or validate it at one of the ticket machines.

During the hours when the metro is not running, night buses, known as Noctilien, provide transportation. This means that night owls do not necessarily have to walk. Between midnight and 5:30 a.m., 47 night bus lines run between the Parisian center and the surrounding area. Night buses are therefore a great help for visitors who live outside the core area.

Trains and RER

The RER (Réseau Express Régional) trains take you to the suburbs of Paris. The RER has five lines (A,B,C,D,E) that serve important points around Paris, such as the airport (line B from Gare du Nord to CDG airport).

In addition to regional trains, suburban trains are also operated. One of these suburban trains takes passengers to one of the capital's most spectacular sights, the Palace of Versailles.

Visitors can also hop on one of the streetcar lines. Although the streetcar is not as popular as the metro, it offers a much more scenic ride.

Tickets and prices

You can buy tickets for the metro and the RER at one of countless ticket machines around Paris and at the airport. These machines are usually bright green and therefore hard to miss. Purchasers of a one-way ticket can transfer from the RER to the metro and vice versa. Unfortunately, it is not possible to transfer from the RER or metro to the bus or streetcar.

With one ticket, passengers can use all metro lines and RER lines in city zones 1 and 2 for two hours. You can change trains as often as you like. For buses and streetcars, one ticket entitles you to travel for up to 1:30 hours.

The price per single journey is 1.90 euros for the metro and RER as well as for buses and streetcars. You can also buy tickets in packs of ten for 14.90 euros, saving 4.10 euros. A one-way ticket to the Palace of Versailles costs 3.65 euros. It is possible to buy a weekly pass for the metro and RER. This can only be obtained at the ticket counter as it is provided with a personal photo.

There are also various other ticket options, including a weekend day pass for young people under 26 and the Mobilis day ticket for short trips. Further information can be found here.

The metro: orientation for tourists

Anyone coming to Paris for the first time will naturally have some difficulty navigating the huge city. For this reason, we have compiled some important waypoints and the corresponding stations for you:

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