Paris: By Métro

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By Métro

The métro is by far the quickest and most efficient way to get around. Trains run from 5:30 AM until 1 AM (and be forewarned -- this means the famous "last métro" can pass your station anytime after 12:30 AM). Stations are signaled either by a large yellow m within a circle or by their distinctive curly green Art Nouveau railings and archway entrances bearing the subway's full title (Métropolitain). It's essential to know the name of the last station on the line you take, as this name appears on all signs. A connection (you can make as many as you like on one ticket) is called a correspondance. At junction stations illuminated orange signs bearing the name of the line terminal appear over the correct corridors for correspondances. Illuminated blue signs marked sortie indicate the station exit.

In general, the métro is safe, although try to avoid the larger, mazelike stations at Les Halles and République if you're alone late at night, and try and ride in the first car behind the conductor. Access to métro platforms is through an automatic ticket barrier. Slide your ticket in and pick it up and retrieve it as it pops up. Keep your ticket during your journey; you will need it to leave the RER system, and you'll be glad you have it in case you run into any green-clad inspectors when you are leaving -- they can be very unpleasant and will impose a big fine on the spot if you do not have a ticket.

Speaking of unpleasant, many readers have written to us about being mugged in the métro system. A favorite mode is for muggers to "sandwich" you as you attempt to exit the rather tricky turnstiles; others make their attack on the lengthy escalators at the métro exits. Pickpockets are close enough and nimble-fingered enough (think Oliver Twist) to rob you in a split second. These pickpockets work in groups, never alone -- one will divert your attention (think the Artful Dodger) while the other whisks away your wallet or your passport (which should not be in your back pocket or shoulder purse). Prevention of petty crime is the same all over the world. Just use discretion and caution while maintaining your physical comfort zone in crowded places. Happily, as large cities go, Paris remains -- for the most part -- a safe place.

Fares & Schedules

All métro tickets and passes are valid for RER (within Paris) and bus travel as well; tickets cost EUR 1.40 each, but it makes more sense to buy a carnet (10 tickets) for EUR 10.70. If you're staying for a week or more, the best deals are the weekly or monthly carte orange (orange card), sold according to zone. Zones 1 and 2 cover the entire métro network; tickets cost EUR 15.70 a week or EUR 51.50 a month. If you plan to take suburban trains to visit places in the Ile-de-France, consider a four-zoner (Versailles, St-Germain-en-Laye; EUR 25.70 a week) or a six-zoner (Rambouillet, Fontainebleau; EUR 34.80 a week). Weekly and monthly passes are available from rail and major métro stations, and require a passport-size photograph.

An alternative for métro travel is to purchase one- two-, three-, or five-day unlimited-travel tickets (Paris Visite). Unlike the carte orange "hebdo" (the weekly pass for unlimited travel beginning on a Monday and ending on a Sunday evening), the unlimited ticket is valid starting any day of the week and gives you discounts on a limited number of museums and tourist attractions. The prices are, respectively, EUR 8.35, EUR 13.70, EUR 18.25, and EUR 26.65 for Paris only; for Paris and the suburbs, prices are nearly twice as much. The one-day transportation-only ticket is called mobilis and costs EUR 5.40 (Paris only) or EUR 7-EUR 18.40 (Paris plus suburbs).

Métro Information

RATP (08-92-68-41-14. www.ratp.fr).