Help with Paris metro!!
May 23rd, 2005, 08:38 AM
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Help with Paris metro!!
I know that this is the cheapest and most efficient way to move around Paris. However, 1) I have never, never used a metro. Have no experience. 2)Never been to Europe before. Not knowing the language and worried about getting lost is what really intimidates me.Of course I am practicing words and phrases, but it still worries me. I would hate to depend on taxis all the time when I heard this is the best way to travel around Paris.
Can anyone help??? As always, THANKS!!
Can anyone help??? As always, THANKS!!
May 23rd, 2005, 08:47 AM
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Go to the ticket window at any Metro station, smile and ask if they speak English. Chances are good they can help you buy you tickets and find your train. Paris is pretty small and easy to negotiate on the Metro. The front desk or concierge at your hotel should also be able to help you.
May 23rd, 2005, 08:54 AM
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The Metro is EASY! You won't know what you are doing the first day, but you'll be an old hand by the 2nd, believe me.
Do read something in a guidebook about how it works, as not all public transportation systems are the same. But it's very logical and easy and you won't get lost. You can ask anyone for help and chances are good you'll find someone who speaks English. But even if they don't, you can simply point on the map to your destination and they can tell you if it's the right train. No English needed.
You can also ask at your hotel and they will be able to give you instructions.
Do read something in a guidebook about how it works, as not all public transportation systems are the same. But it's very logical and easy and you won't get lost. You can ask anyone for help and chances are good you'll find someone who speaks English. But even if they don't, you can simply point on the map to your destination and they can tell you if it's the right train. No English needed.
You can also ask at your hotel and they will be able to give you instructions.
May 23rd, 2005, 09:00 AM
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i dont think getting lost or not has to do with knowing or not knowing french.
it has to do with your ability to read maps. each metro car in paris has a metro map stuck on the door.as you approach each stop you can see where you are as there are huge signs with the metro name displayed
i am obsessed with maps and navigation and everywhere i go i buy huge wall maps as souvenirs.
but if you find maps confusing or greatly dislike getting lost then it might be least stressfull to hire a cab.
it has to do with your ability to read maps. each metro car in paris has a metro map stuck on the door.as you approach each stop you can see where you are as there are huge signs with the metro name displayed
i am obsessed with maps and navigation and everywhere i go i buy huge wall maps as souvenirs.
but if you find maps confusing or greatly dislike getting lost then it might be least stressfull to hire a cab.
May 23rd, 2005, 09:02 AM
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If you're staying in Paris for a week or more, get the Carte Orange for about $15 Euro...gives you free run of the bus and Metro system for a week (Mon-Sun). The pass covers central Paris.
Get a map of the subway system -- the Metro lines have numbers, and they're also known by where their end of the line stops. Once you're in the station, you'll see signs directing you to the train going in your direction (for example, "La Defense"
.
You put your ticket in the automatic turnstile, walk through, and reclaim your ticket (keep it with you until you exit the system) Transfers are free and can be made wherever the lines cross.
Signs for "Sortie" are exits.
The RER is basically the same, only is the regional subway...goes to the burbs, including Versailles.
The bus system in Paris is good too, a little trickier. Bus 69 is a great east-west run between the Eiffel Tower and Pere Lachaise Cemetery -- goes by Rue Cler, Orsay, Louvre and the Marais.
Get a good guide book (like Rick Steves Paris 2005, much of the info above was culled from my experience and reading that book).
I hadn't taken many subways before London and Paris, and found them absolutely the best way to get somewhere quickly. If you have a phrasebook and learn how to say "please," "thank you," "where is..?" you'll get plenty of help from fellow subway users and the guys at the booth.
Happy travels...
Julie
Get a map of the subway system -- the Metro lines have numbers, and they're also known by where their end of the line stops. Once you're in the station, you'll see signs directing you to the train going in your direction (for example, "La Defense"
.You put your ticket in the automatic turnstile, walk through, and reclaim your ticket (keep it with you until you exit the system) Transfers are free and can be made wherever the lines cross.
Signs for "Sortie" are exits.
The RER is basically the same, only is the regional subway...goes to the burbs, including Versailles.
The bus system in Paris is good too, a little trickier. Bus 69 is a great east-west run between the Eiffel Tower and Pere Lachaise Cemetery -- goes by Rue Cler, Orsay, Louvre and the Marais.
Get a good guide book (like Rick Steves Paris 2005, much of the info above was culled from my experience and reading that book).
I hadn't taken many subways before London and Paris, and found them absolutely the best way to get somewhere quickly. If you have a phrasebook and learn how to say "please," "thank you," "where is..?" you'll get plenty of help from fellow subway users and the guys at the booth.
Happy travels...
Julie
May 23rd, 2005, 09:07 AM
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yeah, I think being able to figure out maps and public transportation customs in general, are the issue.
Clerks in the metro booths are not going to escort people to help them find their train, forget that. They will probably speak English enough to sell you the ticket you want correctly (as long as the request is pretty clear).
This is a tough one for someone who literally has never been on such a system and never been to Europe. The odds are if you are in a central location, you can walk to many things, though. There are also buses which I imagine you have ridden on sometime in your life? It may be harder to figure out routes and where there is one going where you want, etc., than the metro, though.
I think you can probably do it fine, but it would be a little difficult for someone all alone who had never seen such a system and didn't even understand the general practices of underground systems (such as to follow signs on the walls to the quai for the train you want, and making sure you are on the quai going the right direction, not the reverse, etc)
Clerks in the metro booths are not going to escort people to help them find their train, forget that. They will probably speak English enough to sell you the ticket you want correctly (as long as the request is pretty clear).
This is a tough one for someone who literally has never been on such a system and never been to Europe. The odds are if you are in a central location, you can walk to many things, though. There are also buses which I imagine you have ridden on sometime in your life? It may be harder to figure out routes and where there is one going where you want, etc., than the metro, though.
I think you can probably do it fine, but it would be a little difficult for someone all alone who had never seen such a system and didn't even understand the general practices of underground systems (such as to follow signs on the walls to the quai for the train you want, and making sure you are on the quai going the right direction, not the reverse, etc)
May 23rd, 2005, 09:16 AM
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A couple more tips: If a ticket agent doesn't speak English (and you'll have a hard time finding one who doesn't in Paris), or is rude to you, just go to another booth and you'll probably find the help you need.
Also, if you get on the wrong way (you'll know because the next stop won't be the one you're expecting), just get off, get across the tracks and take the same train going the other direction. I've done that a few times.
Good luck,
Jules
Also, if you get on the wrong way (you'll know because the next stop won't be the one you're expecting), just get off, get across the tracks and take the same train going the other direction. I've done that a few times.
Good luck,
Jules
May 23rd, 2005, 09:18 AM
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Required reading:
<b>http://www.atkielski.com/PDF/data/ParMetro.pdf
</b>
Read it. Print it. Carry it.
Happy trails!
<b>http://www.atkielski.com/PDF/data/ParMetro.pdf
</b>
Read it. Print it. Carry it.
Happy trails!
May 23rd, 2005, 09:22 AM
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Claudis, I suggest you use the Fodor's website to answer many of your questions and to put you at ease. If you click on "DESTINATIONS" above and follow the instructions you will end at a site devoted solely to Paris.
Wonderful information on buses, Metro, taxis, river cruises. Times of openings. Best things to do in 3 days, 5 days. Tipping. Shopping. Prostitutes (Well, maybe not those).
Wonderful information on buses, Metro, taxis, river cruises. Times of openings. Best things to do in 3 days, 5 days. Tipping. Shopping. Prostitutes (Well, maybe not those).
May 23rd, 2005, 09:24 AM
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First, go to http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/index.php
Study and print the metro map. Keep in mind that the train you want will be marked with the LAST stop on that line. And don't get confused by the colors for the various lines; they may be different on different maps (unlike the metro in Washington DC which are called by colors, not numbers). If you know exactly what trips you want to take, you can use the point to point function at the Rapt site; print and take with you.
Then, you need to buy metro tickets once you are down in the system; either from a machine or the window with a clerk. Or, you can buy a Paris Visite (either in the metro or at any of the
Tourist Offices)which is a card with one metro pass good for various lengths of time (1, 3, 5 days); it is a little more expensive than buying separately but for a first time user it might be easier because you can use it on the metro (you take the ticket out of the plastic carrier and put it in the slot in the metro gate, then retrieve it and put it back in the pastic for next use) or for buses where you just flash it at the driver.
There are maps inside each metro car so you can follow your progress and the stations are well marked on the walls as you come into them. Some of the older cars do not have automatic doors so you need to actually turn the handle and push it open.
Then you look for the signs on the walls of the metro with the name of the street/entrance you want and follow them up to street level; exit signs are "sortie." "Correspondence" means the walkway from one line to another; again just watch for the name of the last stop on the line you want and keep walking until you get to the tracks (in some stations you will think you have walked to London-it can be long).
You should try the system, if only to go one stop so that you can't get lost. Knowing French doesn't enter into riding the metro - no one talks to anyone anyway! Actually, people might be very helpful; when my friends and I would be discussing where to exit, someone would usually help. More people understand English than you might expect.
And keep your bags close and don't stand by the door so that your bag can be snatched and the thief only needs to step out. (This has never happened to me in five vacations, but there are others who tell a different story.)
You really should do it at least once so you can have the full Paris experience. But, you will most likely be walking for the majority of your time. Have fun! Paris will become part of your soul.
Study and print the metro map. Keep in mind that the train you want will be marked with the LAST stop on that line. And don't get confused by the colors for the various lines; they may be different on different maps (unlike the metro in Washington DC which are called by colors, not numbers). If you know exactly what trips you want to take, you can use the point to point function at the Rapt site; print and take with you.
Then, you need to buy metro tickets once you are down in the system; either from a machine or the window with a clerk. Or, you can buy a Paris Visite (either in the metro or at any of the
Tourist Offices)which is a card with one metro pass good for various lengths of time (1, 3, 5 days); it is a little more expensive than buying separately but for a first time user it might be easier because you can use it on the metro (you take the ticket out of the plastic carrier and put it in the slot in the metro gate, then retrieve it and put it back in the pastic for next use) or for buses where you just flash it at the driver.
There are maps inside each metro car so you can follow your progress and the stations are well marked on the walls as you come into them. Some of the older cars do not have automatic doors so you need to actually turn the handle and push it open.
Then you look for the signs on the walls of the metro with the name of the street/entrance you want and follow them up to street level; exit signs are "sortie." "Correspondence" means the walkway from one line to another; again just watch for the name of the last stop on the line you want and keep walking until you get to the tracks (in some stations you will think you have walked to London-it can be long).
You should try the system, if only to go one stop so that you can't get lost. Knowing French doesn't enter into riding the metro - no one talks to anyone anyway! Actually, people might be very helpful; when my friends and I would be discussing where to exit, someone would usually help. More people understand English than you might expect.
And keep your bags close and don't stand by the door so that your bag can be snatched and the thief only needs to step out. (This has never happened to me in five vacations, but there are others who tell a different story.)
You really should do it at least once so you can have the full Paris experience. But, you will most likely be walking for the majority of your time. Have fun! Paris will become part of your soul.
May 23rd, 2005, 09:27 AM
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Oh, by the way: there is a wonderful map of the system at
<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/tous_plans_pdf.php</b>
click on <i>Métro (avec rues)</i>. This map is also available for free at any Métro station (ask for the Grand Plan de Paris).
If you don't have a Palm Pilot, get an old model for $15 and a copy of this program:
<b>http://nanika.net/metro</b>
It will compute both the fastest and the easiest route from any station to any other in 1/10 of a second.
<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/tous_plans_pdf.php</b>
click on <i>Métro (avec rues)</i>. This map is also available for free at any Métro station (ask for the Grand Plan de Paris).
If you don't have a Palm Pilot, get an old model for $15 and a copy of this program:
<b>http://nanika.net/metro</b>
It will compute both the fastest and the easiest route from any station to any other in 1/10 of a second.
May 23rd, 2005, 09:36 AM
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Paris' Metro have 14 main lines, 1-14, each color coded. On a Metro map, the places you can switch lines for free are marked as a white circle, not just a color dot. You don't need to keep your ticket within the Metro. Just need one to get in and that's it.
However, there's also the RER system, and their routes are usually displayed on Metro maps. There are 3 lines, A-C. Within central Paris, you can transfer between the Metro and RER with your regular Metro ticket, but you need to keep it to enter/exit the RER, and to enter the Metro system for the first time.
When you look at a Metro map, you need to know the name of the last stop on the line you want to take. Since the lines go in all directions, and some have semi-circular routes, you can't just go by north, east, south or west; and it's unlike Manhattan where you go "uptown" or "downtown". Therefore, to know which of the two trains to take, you go by the last station on that line.
A pack of ten tickets is called a carnet. [I'm no French speaker, but it sounds more or less carn-NEI]. If you're staying for just a few days, that's the easiest way to get Metro tickets, and they are sold at a discount compared to single ticket.
However, there's also the RER system, and their routes are usually displayed on Metro maps. There are 3 lines, A-C. Within central Paris, you can transfer between the Metro and RER with your regular Metro ticket, but you need to keep it to enter/exit the RER, and to enter the Metro system for the first time.
When you look at a Metro map, you need to know the name of the last stop on the line you want to take. Since the lines go in all directions, and some have semi-circular routes, you can't just go by north, east, south or west; and it's unlike Manhattan where you go "uptown" or "downtown". Therefore, to know which of the two trains to take, you go by the last station on that line.
A pack of ten tickets is called a carnet. [I'm no French speaker, but it sounds more or less carn-NEI]. If you're staying for just a few days, that's the easiest way to get Metro tickets, and they are sold at a discount compared to single ticket.
May 23rd, 2005, 09:53 AM
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Follow-up to what palette said about the Paris Visite card:
There is <i>almost always</i> a cheaper way to travel around Paris. The card is a tourist rip-off. A one-day pass called <b>Mobilis</b> costs €5.30 for the central area of the city (Zones 1 & 2), compared to these daily costs of the Paris Visite for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days:
1 - €8.35
2 - €6.85
3 - €6.08
5 - €5.33
If your <u>entire</u> transit cost will exceed €15.40, then a weekly Carte Orange is the way to go.
There is <i>almost always</i> a cheaper way to travel around Paris. The card is a tourist rip-off. A one-day pass called <b>Mobilis</b> costs €5.30 for the central area of the city (Zones 1 & 2), compared to these daily costs of the Paris Visite for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days:
1 - €8.35
2 - €6.85
3 - €6.08
5 - €5.33
If your <u>entire</u> transit cost will exceed €15.40, then a weekly Carte Orange is the way to go.
May 23rd, 2005, 10:41 AM
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I just got back from Paris. My French is pitiful, and I was traveling solo---my husband usually guides us through undergrounds around the world. I had never been to Paris.
First I would suggest you get a carnet (said like car-nay) at the ticket counter. Just say car-nay please (in French) and they'll give you 10 tickets. It is much cheaper than buying them individually and it will keep you from having to re-buy and stressing. Also---just take your time. Look at the metro met and your own map--once, twice, three times---whatever until you are sure you are going the way you want to go. The metros run so often you won't have to wait long for the next one. I cannot stress enough---take your time! I am a bad map reader, bad sense of direction and I survived both the metro just fine. You can too.
First I would suggest you get a carnet (said like car-nay) at the ticket counter. Just say car-nay please (in French) and they'll give you 10 tickets. It is much cheaper than buying them individually and it will keep you from having to re-buy and stressing. Also---just take your time. Look at the metro met and your own map--once, twice, three times---whatever until you are sure you are going the way you want to go. The metros run so often you won't have to wait long for the next one. I cannot stress enough---take your time! I am a bad map reader, bad sense of direction and I survived both the metro just fine. You can too.
May 23rd, 2005, 11:46 AM
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hi...i just returned from paris & italy. my husband & i bought the paris visite card for zones 1 & 2 only (everything we wanted to see were in these 2 zones). We also aren't very familiar with using the metro (we don't have anything like that in miami) and we only know the basic french words that all tourists know.
when we got to our 1st metro stop, we did have some problems communicating with the attendant (he was being rude and wasn't helpful at all). we would have gone to another booth, but there was no one else working...just the rude guy. so we tried to figure it out ourselves and decided the Carte Orange was our best option...when we asked for 2 of them, the attendant said it wasn't available to us because it was Thursday and the card had to be purchased on or before Sunday for the following week.
This confused us even more, so we outweighed our other options & got the Paris Visite card. We definitely got our moneys worth --- we used it about 10 times a day (or more). The first day was confusing...no matter how hard we tried, I know we looked like tourists trying to figure out the routes. but after that, it became quite easy...we felt like professional metro riders by day 4.
good luck and have an awesome trip!
when we got to our 1st metro stop, we did have some problems communicating with the attendant (he was being rude and wasn't helpful at all). we would have gone to another booth, but there was no one else working...just the rude guy. so we tried to figure it out ourselves and decided the Carte Orange was our best option...when we asked for 2 of them, the attendant said it wasn't available to us because it was Thursday and the card had to be purchased on or before Sunday for the following week.
This confused us even more, so we outweighed our other options & got the Paris Visite card. We definitely got our moneys worth --- we used it about 10 times a day (or more). The first day was confusing...no matter how hard we tried, I know we looked like tourists trying to figure out the routes. but after that, it became quite easy...we felt like professional metro riders by day 4.
good luck and have an awesome trip!
May 23rd, 2005, 11:48 AM
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Just print this booklet (all the information you need is there):
<b>http://www.atkielski.com/PDF/data/ParMetro.pdf
</b>
<b>http://www.atkielski.com/PDF/data/ParMetro.pdf
</b>
May 23rd, 2005, 11:50 AM
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The title is:
&n bsp; How to Use
<b>Public Transportation in Paris</b>
A Visitor's Guide to Parisian Mass Transit
&n bsp; How to Use
<b>Public Transportation in Paris</b>
A Visitor's Guide to Parisian Mass Transit
May 23rd, 2005, 01:12 PM
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Repeat: Paris Visite is almost always the <i>worst</i> deal in town.
1. Print out and carry this page from the Paris Office of Tourism so you can convince a surly RATP clerk that you are right:
<b>http://www.parisinfo.com/paris_map/rub6235.html&id_article=6771</b>
and here is the French version:
<b>http://www.parisinfo.com/plan_paris/rub1101.html&id_article=4150</b>
STAND YOUR GROUND. Tie up the line chattering that Cartes Oranges are for anyone, otherwise why would the PIB mention the need for a photograph?
2. Carte Orange is not sold on Thursday. Use either single tickets or Mobilis passes until Sunday if you arrive Thursday-Sunday. The CO they start selling on Friday is valid for the following Monday through Sunday.
1. Print out and carry this page from the Paris Office of Tourism so you can convince a surly RATP clerk that you are right:
<b>http://www.parisinfo.com/paris_map/rub6235.html&id_article=6771</b>
and here is the French version:
<b>http://www.parisinfo.com/plan_paris/rub1101.html&id_article=4150</b>
STAND YOUR GROUND. Tie up the line chattering that Cartes Oranges are for anyone, otherwise why would the PIB mention the need for a photograph?
2. Carte Orange is not sold on Thursday. Use either single tickets or Mobilis passes until Sunday if you arrive Thursday-Sunday. The CO they start selling on Friday is valid for the following Monday through Sunday.
