PARIS: GETTING THERE AND
AROUND Go back to
Paris guide The public transport system in
Paris is very efficient with metros, buses, and taxis.
It is operated by RATP.
This network of transport is divided into zones. Ticket
prices reflect the zone you travel to. If you travel further
out of the city into the suburbs the RER usually works
out cheaper than the mètro.
TO / FROM THE AIRPORT Charles de Gaulle Airport (Roissy, zone 5)
Roissy Rail is the quickest way to the city. Take a free shutle bus from the
airport terminal to the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle RER (commuter rail) station.
At RER stations tickets are available for Charles de Gaulle (€7.47 from
central Paris). Tickets are not available on metro stations. You will need to
buy a ticket when you change to the RER. The RER stops at Gare du Nord, Chatelet,
Saint Michel, Luxembourg and Denfert Rochereau in the city centre and continues
south through the suburbs where you can transfer at Antony station for a light
rail service to Orly Airport. A Carte Orange or Paris Visite pass valid for zones
1 to 5 can be used to get to the airport.
A slower option is the Air France bus No. 2 goes to Porte Mailot (metro Porte
Maillot) and to Ave Carnot near the Arc de Triomphe. Cost €9.91. Bus No.
4 goes to Blvd de Vaugirard at the Gare Montparnasse. €11.43.
Roissybus (RATP bus no. 352) goes to the American Express office near Place de
l'Opèra. (Cost €7.32). Carte Orange and Paris Visite passes covering
zone 5 can be used.
RAFTP bus no. 350 goes to Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est, 351 goes to Nation.
Cost €6.50 or five métro tickets. A Carte Orange covering zone 5
can be used.
Buses and trains from the airport start running from 5am or 6am and continue
to 11 or 11.30pm Free shuttle buses link the terminals CDG1, CDG2 and T9.
A Taxi to / from the airport will cost about 110 to 150 FF plus extra for heavy
bags.
Orly Airport
This airport handles mostly domestic and European flights. Orly Rail is the quickest
way to the Left Bank. Take the free shuttle bus to the Ponte de Rungis-Aèroport
d'Orly RER station (C2 line) and get a train to the city. It stops at Gare d'Austerlitz,
Saint Michel, Musée d'Orsay, Invalides, Champ de Mars-Tour Effiel and
Porte Maillot. These trains run every 15 minutes and cost €4.95. Carte Orange
(zones 1-4) and Paris Visite (zones 1-5) are valid on this route.
Alternatively take the Orlyval shuttle train to Orly-Sud's Porte F which links
with the Antony RER station (B4 line). This is a faster but more expensive option
at €8.69. Make sure you purhcase the tickets as a combined fare. the Carte
Orange is not valid on the Orlyval shuttle train. Paris Visite tickets from zone
1 to zone 5 are valid.
Orlybus takes you to the Denfert-Rochereau metro station. The 25 minute journey
costs €5.64.
Air France buses go to Ave du Maine at the Gare Montparnasse and to the Aèrogare
des Invalides. A one-way ticket is €7.62
RATP bus no. 183 goes to Porte de Choisy. This runs every 30 minutes and takes
about an hour, followed by half an hour ride on the metro. But it is a cheaper
option at €3.90 or you can use a 1-4 zone Paris Visite or Carte Orange pass
on this bus route or validate three métro tickets when you board the bus.
Jetbus links both terminals with the Villejuif-Louis Aragon metro. It departs
every 15 minutes and costs €4.80
All services to the city run about every 15 minutes but are less frequent at
night. They start from 5am or 6am and continue to 11 or 11.30pm.
To getbetween the two terminals take the free Orlyval light rail system.
Beauvais Airport
Beauvais Airport is an hour north of Paris and is used for charter flights (like
Ryan Air). An express coach link service departs from outside the terminal building
to Paris - Porte Maillot. The coach departs approximately 20 minutes after each
Ryanair flight arrival. On return, the coach departs from Porte Maillot (on boulevard
Gouvion St-Cyr beside the James Joyce Pub) 2 hours 25 minutes prior to a Ryanair
flight departure. Tickets cost €10 and can be purchased at Beauvais Airport
and the James Joyce Pub near Porte Malliot.
BUS
The public bus system is also a good way of gettting around, although some visitors
find it not as convenient or easy to follow as the clearly marked mètro.
Bus routes are indicated on the RATP maps (free from tourist agencies). However
buses are best avoided on Sundays and public holidays. A short trip costs one
bus or metro or RER ticket, longer rides need two tickets. These can be bought
from the driver but must be validated in the machine onboard. Carte Orange, Formule
1 and Paris Visite passes are valid on the buses.
A night service called Noctambus operates after the underground and the day buses
stop. It operates from 1am till 5.50am with 18 lines terminating at Châtelet.
Paris Visite and Carte Orange tickets on Noctambus, otherwise you will need to
pay for a special Noctambus ticket - regular métro tickets can't be used
on the Noctambus service.
For sightseeing get the Balabus from Gare de Lyon to La Defense to see the city's
major sights. An open-top double-decker bus called L'Open Top also does a tourist
circuit.
METROPOLITANA
The metro is possibly the best means of getting around Paris. Stations are conveniently
located and easy to find and identify. Apparently no point in Paris is more than
500m from a stop. And free maps to the mèetro are available at all tourist
information centres and mètro stations.
There are two seperate but linked rail systems. The Metro should not be confused
with the RER or suburban commuter rail network. Although these also operate within
Paris. Sortie signs in the station are for exits, correspondance is a connecting
train. The last metro runs at 12.30am and starts up at 5.30am. Stations best
avoided late at night are Chatelet, Chateau Rouge in Montmarte, Gare du Nord,
Strasbourg-Saint Denis, Rèaumur-Sèbastopol and Montparnasse-Bienvenue.
Metro tickets must be bought for every journey and passed through the machines
barring entry and exit areas at every station. These are usually available at
the metro station or from a vending machine. Ticket prices depend on how many
zones you pass through. Alternatively there are weekly tickets for unlimited
travel which may be worth buying even if you are only in Paris for three or four
days. There are also monthly tickets (Carte Orange) that offer unlimited travel.
You must bring a passport sized photo for these monthly and weekly tickets. They
are available at metro and RER stations and some bus terminals. The métro
runs from around 5.30am to midnight.
TRAINS
For travel on the RER you must have purchased a special ticket before you board
or you could be fined. French inspectors are vigilant. Always keep the ticket
with you. The RER is a suburban train network and runs underground through the
city centre where it acts like an express métro. But regular métro
tickets can be used on the RER within zone one. If you are heading out into the
suburbs, for instance if you want to visit Versailles or get to one of the airports,
you will need to buy a separate ticket to your destination.
There are four lines of the RER
Line A: East/west from the Arc de Triomphe to Nation.
Line B: North/south from Gare du Nord to Cité Universitaire.
Line C: Connects Gare d'Austerlitz with the Notre Dame (St Michel), the Musée
d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower (Champs de Mars), the Statue of Liberty (Javel) and
Porte Maillot.
Line D: express route between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon.
TRAM
There are two tram lines in Paris. These are also listed on the mètro
and RER maps. Line T1 links St Denis with the northern reaches of métro
lines 5, 13 and 7. T2 connects with RER C at Issy val de Seine and runs to Seine
to La Defense.
CAR / MOTORCYCLE
Most visitors to Paris will find they much prefer using the convenient and less
stressful public transport. Crossing roads can be a challenge in Paris, and even
worse if you are behind the wheel.
BOAT CRUISES
Day and night time cruise boats operate along the Seine river. These are used
primarily for tourists, not commuters. Information is broadcast in several languages
for the passengers.
TICKETS
A single ticket anywhere on the metro and zone one on the RER is €1.30.
A carnet of ten tickets is €9.30 and works out cheaper. If you are here
for any length of time buy a weekly or monthly Carte Orange. This is probably
the best value for money with unlimited travel on buses (also night services),
trams, the Montmartre funiculare, suburban trains, RER and the mètro.
A weekly pass is worth it even for a visit of just three or four days. To get
a Carte Orange bring a passport sized photo. The passes are valid from Monday
to Sunday and follow the calendar month so they are best bought at the start
of the week / month.
For unlimited travel on the mètro, RER, suburban trains, trams, buses
(also night buses) and the funicular railway at Montmarte get a Paris Visite.
It can also be bought in zones but requires lots of use of public transport to
make up for the expense. There are one day, 2 day, 3 day and 5 day passes available.
Mobilis are a daily travel card for one day of unlimited travel on suburban trains,
RER, trams, buses and the métro within the zones indicated on the pass.
It is not valid on airport services.
