Here's a video of the western terminus at La Défense. Note the intervals between successive trains' doors opening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUtor-DtlYw

Can you imagine trying to get on one of those cars a couple of stops up the line?

One of my colleagues does this in reverse -- she takes the train from Versailles to La Défense and then takes the metro to the office.

A few facts about La Défense:
--population 20,000
--office workers 150,000
--9 out of 10 workers at La Défense use public transport.
--Metro line 1 should be completely automated by 2010 and will have even more frequent trains.
--3 more skyscrapers of more than 300 meters are under construction or about to begin (Eiffel Tower= 300 meters)
--La Défense is also served by several SNCF lines out of Saint Lazare, Tramway T2, and the RER A. The RER E will be extended to La Défense in the coming years.

La Défense needs all the transportation solutions it can get.

Despite the crowds, I've always been surprised how many regular Paris visitors have never been to La Defense. The arch itself is rather spectacular, there is an interesting exhibit and great views at the top, there are lots of nice outdoor restaurants (in the warmer months, anyway) in some beautiful plazas, and a couple of interesting museums and other exhibits.

We actually walked back from there to Etoile one day -- an interesting but LONG walk.

La Defense yes offers sweet views of Paris towards the Arc de Triomphe and also has i think one of the Ile de France's largest shopping malls with a huge hypermarche - either Auchan or Carrefour je pense

I guess the Defense Arch was made to line up with the Arc de Triomphe and an axis straight from there down the Champs to the Carousel in the Tuileries (not sure but what i heard) and was one of Mitterand's so-called Grand Projects legacy, along with the TGB (Tres Grande Bibliotec sp?) now the Mitterand National Library, Citroen Park and La Villette (not again sure of all of this) but these were bold modern initiatives in a Paris that had had staid 1800s Hausmann architecture and was rather controversial

The Arc de la Defense yes is greatly neglected by tourists as is La Defense IMO

We went out there once on a Saturday, but it was deserted so we're going again soon on a weekday to see it in a more 'normal' light.

I don't get it - why is this 'unbelievable'? Isn't that normal in large cities? It is in London.

Kay

Travelnut - did you notice if the shops were all open on Saturday or closed because there was no one there?

Kay

sort of like Canary Wharf in London;
not many tourists visit because it is "new" and a place of business.
I think both CW and La Defense are worth a visit ( provided one is not in the city for the first time and/or for a short period)

Canary Wharf is much much more spectacular to me than La Defense, basically a vast cement plaza when i was there some years ago - not the most inspiring architecture. Canary Wharf is truly amazing and the Docklands Light Railway gives a great view of it all from its elevated tracks.

The shopping mall Quatre Temps at La Défense was the largest shopping mall in Europe until the Part-Dieu shopping mall in Lyon was built. I have no idea what is currently the largest shopping mall in Europe, but probably it is no longer in France.

The hypermarket there is an Auchan and not really adapted to the 21st century, in my opinion. It was one of the biggest hypermarkets in France when it opened and now it seems really small and cramped to me.

As for the shopping mall itself, it was aging rather badly, but it has been totally renovated over the last two years and has greatly improved.

As for Canary Wharf, it is a much more recent development than La Défense, so I am not the least bit surprised that it is more pleasant. La Défense started in the 1950's with the "CNAC" -- the largest building in the world with only 3 points of support. It was an exhibition center, but now it is more or less of an annex to the Quatre Temps mall, with a very nice FNAC, other shops and restaurants, and a Sofitel (although with Accor Hotels rebranding so many places recently, perhaps it is already something else).

Nothing beats Tokyo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0A9-oUoMug&NR=1

i understand why most tourists in paris don't go to la defense....it's not very interesting and it's not very quick to get to from most locations in paris. perhaps you might find it worth visiting if you have a special interest in urban design (not that it's a particularly good example, however). it doesn't make sense to try to visit a place like this for less than about a half day (including to and from travel)....and it's not worth taking a half day visit it considering all the other choices.

i worked there for almost a year and know many people who live in the area so i know it well.

walkinaround, assuming you were referring to my post with the comment "i understand why most tourists in paris don't go to la defense", please note what I said specifically:

"I've always been surprised how many REGULAR Paris visitors have never been to La Defense."

I certainly am not suggesting La Defense for a tourist on a first trip to Paris or one with only a few days. I was referring to those who spend weeks there every year exploring all the neighborhoods of Paris and priding themselves on that, but yet have never been to Defense. Maybe my term "regular" wasn't clear.

a couple of people presented the view that it's under-visited by tourists. something i disagree with. but yes, i did misunderstand 'regular'. i agree that anyone who regularly visits paris would find their way to la defense at least once (and probably shrug and scratch it off their list). just my opinion.

Yes, I agree, although we had thoroughly planned to revisit it for the car museum there last summer -- we just never made it.

In terms of volume of people, that's just a normal rush hour for any city I think. What stands out for me is how clean and efficient everything is. That metro station is gorgeous, beautifully laid out in how it controls the flow of human traffic. And the trains actually arrive every 30 seconds, that is amazing. Having the business/financial district of the city away from downtown is genius.

Where I live, rush hour trains are often over 2 minutes apart, longer delays are the norm, and the floor of the station is already covered with litter by 8:30 am.

There was a clip of a subway in a city in China making the email rounds a few months ago, with transport workers literally physically pushing people into the train cars, reminded me of how I pack my suitcase, squeezing and pushing just more thing in.

"Where I live, rush hour trains are often over 2 minutes apart, longer delays are the norm, and the floor of the station is already covered with litter by 8:30 am.
"

Hehe I WISH rush hour trains in Dublin were 2 minutes apart. Irish Rail's idea of 'rush hour schedule' is a train every 10-15 minutes. I love the Paris metro system, so efficient!

When I took some (then in their early teens) nieces and nephews for their first trip to France a few years back, La Defense was absolutely top of the things they enjoyed in 2 Paris days. I stopped off there for the Paris views: they loved it because they just liked the buildings

The hypermarket in the Quatre Temps was open on a Saturday: many other shops in the centre - not just the equivalent of sandwich bars, but Etams and the like - as well as the post office, weren't. I don't think I've ever seen an indoor mall before or since that allowed some shops to close when other shops were trading.

<font color="blue">NeoPatrick</font>, we also wanted to go to the car museum but it was closed. (2001) So do you or anyone have recent knowledge about it? I would put it on the plans if I knew it was open again.

Travelnut, what an interesting question. I just did a bunch of Googling and although I find information on it, it is often shown in conjunction with the IMAX Dome at La Defense which I'm pretty sure has been closed for some time -- so it doesn't sound like the information is very current. Perhaps it is no more?