Paris Metro: how to move in Paris

This article is also available in: Italian

Paris is an easy city to visit using the excellent public services that serve all areas of tourist interest in the French capital. The public transport system in Paris is one of the most efficient and cheapest in the world, over three billion trips are made every year. There are the Métro, the RER, an efficient bus network, and four tram lines, all of these transport systems are fully integrated with each other.

The Metro (Métro) is the most convenient and fastest way to move around Paris, served by over 300 stations, some of which are true artistic and architectural masterpieces, each place in the city center is at a maximum distance between 300 and 500 meters from a subway station.

As soon as you arrive, take one of the maps of the Métro network that are distributed free of charge at the Métro ticket offices, with these maps in hand it is very easy to orient yourself and choose the right itinerary to reach the chosen place.

The RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) manages, in addition to the subway, also the urban bus network and that of the RER (Réseau Express Régional), a suburban transport network well integrated with the Métro, with several lines crossing the center of Paris .

PARIS METRO

The Paris Métro was inaugurated in 1900, with the entry into operation of line 1, today the Paris underground, is made up of 14 lines, some of which are fully automated, for a total length of over 200 km, most of which underground, which use about 300 stations and transport almost one and a half billion people a year. The frequency of the rides typically varies between two minutes and eight minutes.

Opening hours of the Paris Métro: the first train leaves at 5.30 in the morning. Paris Métro closing times: the last train arrives at the terminus at 1.15am (Sunday to Thursday), 2.15am (Fridays and Saturdays).

PARIS METRO TICKETS

In the Paris transport network, the cost of a ticket varies according to the area from which you depart and where you arrive, the territory is divided into 6 concentric areas, all the stations served by the Métro are located in zones 1 and 2. Tickets are on sale in all Métro stations, there are both normal ticket offices and vending machines, where it is possible to pay in cash or by credit card.

Ticket t+: The most convenient ticket is the one called Ticket t+ which has a unit cost of €1.70, but which is also sold in convenient “books” of 10 tickets at a cost of €12.50 (for children aged 4 at the age of 9 the cost of the carnet is €6.25). A Ticket t+ ticket is valid for journeys within the entire Paris Métro network, on the bus and tram network, and in zone 1 of the RER, tickets have a duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes between first and last last validation. The Ticket t+ ticket is valid not only in the Métro network but also in those of Bus, Tramway, RER, Transilien (for the RER and Transilien only within the city of Paris), and on the Montmartre funicular.

Paris Visite: There are various forms of pass for tourists, the most convenient is the Paris Visite which is valid for one, two, three or five days, and can cover zones 1, 2, and 3 of the center of Paris, or the zones from 1 to 6. With this subscription you can make unlimited rides in the zones included in the pass. The ticket is valid on the Métro network, on the RER lines (RATP and SNCF), on the RATP and OPTILE bus lines (excluding Jetbus, Allobus Roissy CDG networks), on the Orlyval line (which connects Orly airport with the RER B line), and on the Montmartre funicular. The Paris Visite package can be purchased at the ticket offices in the Métro stations and is made up of a magnetic ticket and a name card, it can also be purchased at the automatic ticket machines, but in this case only the magnetic ticket is supplied and is therefore in any case must go immediately to a ticket office to collect the badge. To activate the ticket, it is necessary to fill in the card with name and surname and write its number on the magnetic ticket together with the start and end date of the subscription. The ticket must be validated every time you enter a metro or RER station, or when you board a bus or tram.

RER: THE PARIS SUBURBAN TRANSPORT NETWORK

The RER (Réseau Express Régional), is a suburban transport network made up of 5 lines that extend for almost 600 km and which uses over 250 stations, of modern conception it is the fastest way to cross Paris.

Opening hours of the Paris RER: from 5.00am to 1.20am.

BUS: THE PARIS BUS NETWORK

The Paris bus network is made up of over 350 lines, which form a network of nearly 3,000 km in length on which over 4,000 buses travel, along which over 12,000 stops are scattered. There is also a special night service called “Noctilien” made up of 31 night lines.

Service hours of the Paris Bus network: Monday to Saturday from 5.45am to 0.30am; Sunday from 7.00am to 8.30pm; in the evening an evening service is carried out from 8.30pm to 0.30am. The Noctilien night service runs between 0.30am and 5.30am.

Booking.com

This article is also available in: Italian