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Paris Travel Guide

Sources :

 Attractions  Transport  Entertainment  Hotels

 Wikitravel – CC BY-SA 3.0)  Wikimedia Commons -- Various Licenses  Flickr – Various Licenses  Airpano – Images/ Videos – Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Fashion , it is home to the world's finest and most luxurious fashion designers and cosmetics, such as Chanel , Dior , Yves Saint-Laurent , Guerlain , Lancôme , L'Oréal , Clarins , etc. A large part of the city, including the River Seine, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has the second highest number of Michelin restaurants in the world (after Tokyo) and contains numerous iconic landmarks, such as the world's most visited tourist site the Eiffel Tower , the Arc de Triomphe , the Notre-Dame Cathedral , the Louvre Museum , Moulin Rouge , and Lido , making it the most popular tourist destination in the world with 45 million tourists annually.

Paris , the cosmopolitan capital of France, is one of the largest agglomerations in Europe, with 2.2 million people living in the dense, central city and almost 12 million people living in the whole metropolitan area. Located in the north of France on the river Seine, Paris has the well- deserved reputation of being the most beautiful and romantic of all cities, brimming with historic associations and remaining vastly influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, food and design. Recent events in late 2015 have done little to damage that reputation and if anything, parisians have shown their true spirit despite the trouble.Dubbed the City of Light ( la Ville Lumière ) and Capital of

Districts

The city of Paris itself is officially divided into 20 districts called arrondissements , numbered from 1 to 20 in a clockwise spiral from the centre of the city (which is known as Kilometre Zero and is located at the front of Notre Dame). Arrondissements are named according to their number. You might, for example, stay in the "5th", which would be written as 5e in French. The 12th and 16th arrondissements include large suburban parks, the Bois de Vincennes , and the Bois de Boulogne respectively. You can print your own using our maps. The various tourist information centres and hotels in Paris also provide various city and metro maps

for free: they have all the necessary details for a tourist. Each arrondissement has its own unique character and selection of attractions for the traveller:

The Layout of Paris by district

 1st (1 er ). The geographical centre of Paris and a great starting point for travellers. The Musée du

Paris, France

Pont des Arts, Paris, Photo by Andrés Nieto Porras Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Louvre , the Jardin des Tuileries , Place Vendôme , Les Halles , Palais Royal , Comédie- Française , and Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel are all to be found here.  2nd (2 e ) . The central business district of the city - the Bourse (the Paris Stock Exchange), Opéra-Comique , Théâtre des Variétés , Passage des Panoramas , Théâtre des Bouffes

Soubise , the Former Temple fortress, and the northern, quieter part of the Marais can be found here.  4th (4 e ) . Notre-Dame de Paris , the Hôtel de Ville (Paris city hall), Hôtel de Sully , Rue des Rosiers and the Jewish Quartier, Beaubourg , Le Marais , Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville , Mémorial de la Shoah , Centre Georges Pompidou , l'atelier Brancusi , Place des Vosges , Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal , Saint-Jacques Tower and Parisian island Île Saint-Louis can be found here.  5th (5 e ) . Jardin des Plantes , Muséum National d'Histoire

Parisiens and the former Bibliothèque Nationale are located here.

 3rd (3 e ) . Archives Nationales , Musée Carnavalet , Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers , Hôtel de

Naturelle , Musée de Cluny , The Panthéon , Quartier Latin , Universités , La Sorbonne , Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève , Église Saint-Séverin , La Grande Mosquée , Le Musée de l'AP-HP are located here.  6th (6 e ) . Jardin du Luxembourg as well as its Sénat , Place Saint- Michel , Église Saint-Sulpice and Saint-Germain des Prés can be found here.

Le Bon Marché can be found here.

 8th (8 e ) . Champs-Elysées , Arc de Triomphe , Place de la Concorde , le Palais de l'Elysée , Église de la Madeleine , Jacquemart-Andre Museum , Gare Saint-Lazare , Grand Palais and Petit Palais can be found here.  9th (9 e ) . Opéra Garnier , Galeries Lafayette , Musée Grévin , and Folies Bergère can be found here.  10th (10 e ) . Canal Saint-Martin , Gare du Nord , Gare de l'Est , Porte Saint-Denis , Porte Saint- Martin , Passage Brady , Passage du Prado , and Église Saint-

 7th (7 e ) . Tour Eiffel and its Parc

du Champ de Mars , Les Invalides , Musée d'Orsay ,

Assemblée Nationale and its subset administrations, Ecole Militaire , and Parisian mega-store

Vincent-de-Paul can be found here.

France (BNF) , Gare d'Austerlitz , Manufacture des Gobelins , Butte- aux-Cailles and Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital can be found here.  14th (14 e ) . Cimetière du Montparnasse , Gare Montparnasse , La Santé Prison , Denfert-Rochereau , Parc Montsouris , Stade Charléty , Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris , and Paris Catacombs can be found here.  15th (15 e ) . Tour Montparnasse , Porte de Versailles , Front de Seine , La Ruche and quartiers Saint-Lambert , Necker , Grenelle and Javel can be found here.

 11th (11 e ) . The bars and

restaurants of Rue Oberkampf , Bastille , Nation , New Jewish Quarter , Cirque d'Hiver , and Église Saint-Ambroise can be found here.  12th (12 e ) . Opéra Bastille , Bercy Park and Village, Promenade Plantée , Quartier d'Aligre , Gare de Lyon , Cimetière de Picpus , Viaduc des arts the Bois de Vincennes , and the Zoo de Vincennes can be found here.

 13th (13 e ) . Quartier la Petite

Asie , Place d'Italie , La Butte aux Cailles , Bibliothèque Nationale de

Versailles-Chateau-Jardins.jpg - Wikimedia Commons-0001

 16th (16 e ) . Palais de Chaillot , Musée de l'Homme , the Bois de Boulogne , Cimetière de Passy , Parc des Princes , Musée Marmottan-Monet , Trocadéro , and Avenue Foch can be found here.  17th (17 e ) . Palais des Congrès , Place de Clichy , Parc Monceau , Marché Poncelet , and Square des Batignolles can be found here.  18th (18 e ) . Montmartre , Pigalle , Barbès , Basilica of the Sacré Cœur , Église Saint-Jean-de- Montmartre , and Goutte d'Or can be found here.

 19th (19 e ) . Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie , Parc de la Villette , Bassin de la Villette , Parc des Buttes Chaumont , Cité de la Musique , Canal de l'Ourcq , and Canal Saint-Denis can be found here.  20th (20 e ) . Cimetière de Père Lachaise , Parc de Belleville , and quartiers Belleville and Ménilmontant can be found here.  La Défense . Although it is not officially part of the city, this skyscraper district on the western edge of town is on many visitors'

must-see lists for its modern architecture and public art.

Beyond central Paris, the outlying suburbs are called Les Banlieues . Schematically, those on the west of Paris (Neuilly-sur-Seine, Boulogne- Billancourt, Saint Cloud, Levallois) are wealthy residential communities. Those to the northeast are poorer communities, often populated by immigrants.

occupied by the Cathédrale Notre- Dame . It takes its present name from the name of the dominant Gallo-Celtic tribe in the region, the Parisii . At least that's what the Romans called them, when they showed up in 52 BCE and established their city Lutetia on the left bank of the Seine, in what is now called the "Latin Quarter" in the 5th arrondissement. The Romans held out here for as long as anywhere else in the Western Empire, but by 508 CE they were gone, replaced by Clovis of the Franks , who is considered by the French to have been their first king. Clovis' descendants, aka the Carolingians, held onto the expanded Lutetian state for nearly 500 years

Understand

The 105 km² area of the central city is densely packed with more than 2 million inhabitants and parking is tough.

History

Paris started life as the Celto-Roman settlement of Lutetia on the Île de la Cité, the island in the Seine currently

through Viking raids and other calamities, which finally resulted in a forced move by most of the population back to the islands which had been the centre of the original Celtic village. The Capetian Duke of Paris was voted to succeed the last of the Carolingians as King of France, ensuring the city a premier position in the medieval world. Over the next several centuries Paris expanded onto the right bank into what was and is still called le Marais (The Marsh). Quite a few buildings from this time can be seen in the 4th arrondissement. The medieval period also witnessed the founding of the Sorbonne. As the "University of Paris", it became one of

the most important centres for learning in Europe -- if not the whole world, for several hundred years. Most of the institutions that still constitute the University are found in the 5th, and 13th arrondissements. In the late 18th century, there was a period of political and social upheaval in France and Europe, during which the French governmental structure, previously a monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical

change to forms based on Enlightenment principles of nationalism, citizenship, and

inalienable rights. Notable events during and following the revolution were the storming of the Bastille 4th

arrondissements, and the rise and fall of Napoleonic France. Out of the violent turmoil that was the French Revolution, sparked by the still known Passion des Français , emerged the enlightened modern day France. The Paris of today was built long after the Capetian and later the Bourbon Kings of France made their mark on Paris with the Louvre and the Palais Royal , both in the 1st. In the 19th century, Baron von Hausmann set about reconstructing the city, by adding the long straight avenues and replacing many of the then existing medieval houses, with grander and more uniform buildings.

New wonders arrived during La Belle Époque , as the Parisian golden age of the late 19th century is known. Gustave Eiffel's famous tower, the first metro lines, most of the parks, and the streetlights (which are partly believed to have given the city its epithet "the city of light") all come from this period. Another source of the epithet comes from Ville Lumière , a reference not only to the revolutionary electrical lighting system implemented in the streets of Paris, but also to the prominence and aura of Enlightenment the city gained in that era. The twentieth century was hard on Paris, but thankfully not as hard as it could have been. Hitler's order to burn

Paris, France

Eiffel Tower, airpano http://www.airpano.com

the city was thankfully ignored by the German General von Choltitz who was quite possibly convinced by a Swedish diplomat that it would be better to surrender and be remembered as the saviour of Paris, than to be remembered as its destroyer. Following the war, the city recovered quickly at first, but slowed in the 1970s and 1980s when Paris began to experience some of the problems faced by big cities everywhere: pollution, housing shortages, and occasionally failed experiments in urban renewal. During this time however, Paris enjoyed considerable growth as a multi-cultural city, with new immigrants from all corners of the

world, especially La Francophonie , including most of northern and western Africa as well as Vietnam and Laos. These immigrants brought their foods and music, both of which are of prime interest for many travellers. Immigration and multi-culturalism continues in the 21st century with a marked increase in the arrival of people from Latin America, especially Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. In the late 1990s, it was hard to find good Mexican food in Paris, whereas today there are dozens of possibilities from lowly taquerias in the outer arrondissements to nice sit-down restaurants on the boulevards. Meanwhile Latin music from salsa to

samba is all the rage (well, alongside Paris lounge electronica). The 21st century has also seen vast improvements in the general liveability of Paris, with the Mayor's office concentrating on reducing pollution and improving facilities for soft forms of transportation including a huge network of cycle paths, larger pedestrian districts and newer faster metro lines. Visitors who normally arrive car-less are the beneficiaries of these policies as much as the Parisians themselves are.

moderating effect of the Atlantic Ocean helps to temper temperature extremes in much of western Europe, including France. Even in January, the coldest month, temperatures nearly always exceed the freezing point with an average high of 6°C (43°F). Snow is not common in Paris, although it will fall a few times a year. Most of Paris' precipitation comes in the form of light rain year-round. Summers in Paris are warm and pleasant, with an average high of 25°C (77°F) during the mid-summer months. Spring and fall are normally cool and wet. With the weather being so pleasant in the summer, it's a great time to visit.

Climate

Being located in Western Europe, Paris has a maritime climate with cool winters and warm summers. The

reachable via navette/bus in 10-15min (bus leaves every 20min) so allow extra time. The free CDGVAL shuttle train connects the terminals together. Everything at this airport is very expensive, especially food. If you're travelling from Terminal 1 it's also worth noting that the food court is located at the CDGVAL floor, before the security check. There are hardly any benches around. There are no public shower facilities in the airport. Air France lounges have such facilities, and the departure lounges have showers. Lounge access is included for Air France business and first class travellers. The members of the Air France and cooperating frequent flyer programs may gain

Get in

By plane

Paris is served by three international airports - for more information, including arrival/departure times, check the official sites. Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Roissy) IATA: CDG . The major hub airport to the north-east of the city. It's notoriously confusing, so allow plenty of time for transfers. There are three terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2 (which is huge and subdivided into 2A through 2G), and Terminal 3 (formerly T9 ). The newest exception is terminal 2G which is a separate building and is only

access with sufficient status. There is a possibility that some lounges may grant access to travellers on their flights for a fee. If you consider paying for access to the lounge, inquire when checking in for your departure. If you must have a shower and your frequent flyer status (and charm) are insufficient to gain entry to a lounge, the airport hotels generally have rooms available (in Sep 2009, the Sheraton in Terminal 2 at the train station charged €155). When you arrive at CDG, you should note what terminal you arrived at (2A, 2D, etc.), because when you come back to the airport to depart at the end of your trip, the RER subway train makes two stops at CDG to cover the

three terminals, but there are few indications of which airlines are at which terminals. Have a close look at your air ticket to figure out which terminal you are departing from. Air France and associates leave from Terminal 2. The RER B has the airlines serviced by each terminal on a not so obvious chart posted by the door of the train.

Terminal 1

Say that again, please? The RER B station named "Aeroport Charles de Gaulle 1" is a misnomer - it actually serves Terminal 3, not Terminal 1. However, the CDGVAL train (free of charge)

be confused by a single queue splitting between currency exchange and tax refund office: choose tax refund if you prefer euros--while currency exchange refunds only in USD or your national currency, both buy at a robbery rate (and with no rollback to the refund window after you realize the rate). The line can take a long time, expect several minutes per customer. At either office, you can also receive refund for your spouse if you have their passport and refund forms. Duty-free shopping: There are no shops before security check zone. When you shop in post-security check zone, it's not genuinely taxfree, as you

links Terminals 1, 2, and 3.

There are quite a few points with power outlets specifically for charging passengers' laptops/mobiles, both down by the food court and by some of the gates. VAT Tax refund: First, have your tax refund papers stamped at the tax refund counter in the main terminal area, before you check in with your airline. Although displaying purchase is officially mandatory, it's usually only required for high priced items. To locate the tax refund counter in the terminal, look for the signs or ask any airline employee for directions. Don't Terminal 2E

Les Garnements, Paris 2 June 2015.jpg - Wikimedia Commons-0001

can receive a tax refund for those purchases as well. Contrary to what one may expect, there is no L'Occitane; cheese is limited to soft sorts (and there are no ripe varieties); wines starts at €11 and some popular sorts like Chinon can't be found; the sausage selection is extremely limited. There are no mid-range clothes or shoes stores, only luxury brands. For getting to or from Paris, the RER commuter train, line B, has stations in T3 (from where you can take the free CDGVAL shuttle train to T1) and T2. Trains to Paris leave every 7-8 minutes and stop at Gare du Nord, Airport transfers

Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Luxembourg, Port- Royal, Denfert-Rochereau and Cité Universitaire. Adult tickets cost €10 (February 2015), and for children between 4-10 the fare is €6.65 each; day tickets are not valid for travel to and from the airport. The train takes around 35 minutes to Gare du Nord and 45min to Denfert-Rochereau, making this the fastest way to get to the city. Tickets can be purchased either through green (sometimes blue) automated ticket vending machines ("Billetterie Ile-de-France") or through the ticket office serviced by transport authority personnel. Engineering works near CDG Terminal-1 and Aulnay-Sois-Bois stations are

conducted between 11pm and midnight every day, so you must take a coach (bus) from Terminal 3 to the station where you can take the RER B train to Paris. The fare is included in the train ticket you purchase. The automated ticket machines accept Euro coins of €2, €1 and 50, 20, 10 cent denominations and give change... Euro notes not accepted . Credit card payment is OK on this machines though. There is one separate automated machine which changes €20, €10 and €5 notes to €2 and €1 coins. However, due to the high demand, the machine frequently runs out of coins. There are currency exchange centres, but they explicitly state notes will not be changed for

coins. Alternatively, except for some non-European credit cards, many smart-chip credit cards can be used on the ticket machines . Because of these limitations, purchasing tickets from the ticket office may seem to be an attractive method. Although there are many counters, the queues can be very long. On Sunday at smaller stations, don't count on its ticket office being open. Although it is a nuisance, the fastest way to get some tickets is to take a lot of Euro coins with you. It is also possible to explain the situation to a European buying a ticket with a working credit card, and ask them to buy one for you in exchange for a paper note.

Trains for Paris usually leave from platforms 11 and 12. Look for signs saying "RER B" or "All trains go to Paris". When using the ticket from and to the airport (as with tickets for the RER commuter trains in general) you have to use it to enter and to exit the train. Always keep the ticket handy as the SNCF officials sometimes check for tickets, and if you are without one you may be fined €40. This means that after you put the ticket into the entry gate and are cleared to pass, you must retrieve the ticket from the machine and keep it with you until you leave the train system including any connections. There is also a TGV station in T2 for high-speed connections, mostly

towards Lille and Brussels, but there are also some trains that head west to eg. Rennes and Nantes, bypassing Paris. Alternatively, the Roissybus service (€11) connects all terminals directly to Opéra Garnier in central Paris, but it's subject to traffic jams and rush hour, so it averages 60-90 minutes even on a good day. 350 and 351 require three t+ tickets per passenger (about €5.10 or €5.70 if the tickets are purchased on the bus). The tickets can be purchased at newspaper stands, at ticket machines, or from the driver for a higher price and they need to be validated with a device next to the driver's seat. Night bus services are available on Noctilien lines N140 (1-

4am on the hour, 1½ hours) and N143 (midnight-5am on the half-hour, 55 minutes) to/from Gare de l'Est for €8, which can be purchased from the driver. The cheapest bus option to the airport is the easyBus service from 4:30am to 1am to/from Palais Royal, with tickets as low as €1.95 subject to availability and taking 45-60 minutes. BE CAREFUL when using buses to get to CDG. There are frequent traffic jams on the motorways leading to the airport - the Air France bus normally may need 50 minutes to get to CDG, but it may take 1½ hours as well. Your best bet for arriving on time with the buses is to take them very early in the

morning or during other times when there isn't much traffic. Air France buses offer two stops in Paris (Porte Maillot, Montparnasse) from CDG for a 50-minute ride. To reach a specific address into the city, this shared shuttle service costs €19 per person. Non-shared (limo service) transfers are also available and can be booked on-line:  T2 Transfer offers CDG airport transfers to Paris city centre for up to 4 people for €60.  Top Paris Transfer offers CDG transfers to Paris city centre for up to 4 people for €60.

Paris, France

Paris, airpano http://www.airpano.com

 Blacklane offers airport transfers in Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series or similar, for three people to/from CDG or Orly to/from central Paris for around €60 and €70.  Cab Service Prestige offers a Mercedes E transfer for up to 4 people for €150 from CDG to the city  Easy Private Taxi offers a sedan from CDG to the city up to 2 people for €60, up 4 people for €70 and up to 8 people for €90  LeCab offers a sedan to and from CDG for up to 4 people for €48, and to and from Orly for up to 4 people for €37

 Paris airport shuttle offers a cdg to and from CDG for up to 4 people for €48, and to and from Orly for up to 4 people for €37  Private Car Service Paris offers luxury Mercedes Class E and S airport pickups from CDG and Orly to the city or Hotel for €120 and private chauffeur services for €70.  TaxiLeader.net offers CDG to and from Paris for €48 1-3 people, Orly to and from Paris €55 1-3 people  AbiTransport offers for group and family, CDG to and from Paris from €70 (1-4 people) to 90€ (8 peoples) , DisneyLand paris to

and from CDG from €69 (1-4 people) to 93€ (8 peoples)

branch of the RER-B line that heads in the direction of Saint-Rémy-les- Chevreuse ( not Robinson). This older international airport is used mainly by Air France for domestic departures, and international departures by European carriers. Orly is roughly 30 min from Paris via the OrlyBus , which departs from Métro Denfert- Rochereau (ligne 4, 6); the price is €7.70. There are buses every 10 minutes from the Orly Sud (Platform 4) and it stops at Orly Ouest on its way to the city. Tickets can be bought at a counter near the baggage claim area or directly at the counter in Platform 4. The tickets need to be validated once on the bus. Another option is to take Metro 7 to Villejuif-

Do not get into a taxi which is not clearly marked "taxi." Taxi services between CDG and Paris should not exceed €150; scammers will try to charge you €225 or more. A post office only exists in B and D terminals. However, you can send postcards buying post stamps in a newspaper stand, and dropping them into a post-box (both exist in every terminal). Contact

Orly International Airport

IATA: ORY . This airport is southwest of the city, and served by a southern

Louis Aragon then Tram T7 (bound for Athis-Mons, Porte de l'Essonne) to Aéroport d'Orly (not Cœur d'Orly); you need 2 tickets as there is no free transfer between the Metro and the tram, but it is considerably less expensive than the RER B and Orlyval. The tram is slow but nice, opened in 2013. The Orlyval light rail connects the two terminals to each other and to the RER B line at Antony. It runs every 4- 7min and cost €10.75 for transfer to Paris, including connections to central area metro stations. The RER B from Antony runs through Paris to Aéroport Charles de Gaulle.

Beauvais (Aéroport de Beauvais Tillé) IATA: BVA . This airport, a distance north of the city, is a smaller regional airport that is used by some low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and WizzAir. Like many small airports there is a cartel in operation in the form of the airport operated shuttle service connecting with the Métro at Porte Maillot station. Buses run even during the small hours of the morning (06:00). Buses leave 20min after each flight arrives, and a few hours before each flight departs. Exact times can be found on the Beauvais Airport website. The journey will take about an hour in good traffic conditions, and costs €17 (or €15,90 if bought online in advance) each way, there is no

reduced price for children over the age of 2 years. Unless you hire a car this is the most realistic way to head toward Paris, hence why the airport charge the price they do. In addition to public transport, Air France operates shuttles (Les Cars Air France) between Charles de Gaulle and Paris (€17), Orly and Paris (€12) and between the two airports (€20). Discounts apply for young/group travellers and online booking. Note that if you have connecting Air France flights that land and depart from different airports, you would still generally need to collect your luggage after landing, catch Airline Shuttles

either the Air France shuttle or a taxi (readily available at all airports) to the other airport and check-in again. This altogether could take up to 2 hours particularly if traffic is at its worst. It is also common to lose time during disembarking, as passengers often need to get off at the tarmac and get on buses which will bring them to the terminal building. Be sure to have sufficient time between flights to catch your connection. Note that check-in desks usually close 30min before the flight departs, longer if flights are international carriers. You can buy Les Cars Air France tickets online (note: don't worry about barcodes not showing up on your tickets, although the website mentions

them - the driver didn't care - 2014), on the bus, or at the automated machines in their waiting area at CDG. There is a designated, well- labelled stopping spot for each shuttle line, so make sure you're in the right place. Someone will take your luggage, ask you where you're going, destination, a porter will take out all the luggage destined for that stop. If you want to take RER B and catch an early flight, make sure you bring enough change , because you can only buy tickets at the coins-only machines before the counter opens. and put it in the appropriate compartment. Then, at the

If you arrive to CDG Airport at night you'll need a Noctilien bus to get to the city centre. The bus stops in all three terminals (in terminal 2F it will be the second level in departure section - it is very difficult to find, but it really exists). The bus leaves every 30min after 12:30 (see timetable ).The buses you'll need are N121 and N120; the price is €7. Paris is well connected to the rest of Europe by train. There is no central station serving Paris and the six different stations are not connected to each other. You will probably want to know in advance at which station your train is arriving, so as to better choose By train

Rue Traversière and Rue Michel-Chasles, Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 2.0)

a hotel and plan for transport within the city.

Spain and Portugal and arrival of majority of the night trains.  Gare de l'Est , (10th), Métro: Gare de l'Est - ICE/TGV to and from Luxembourg, Saarbrücken, Kaiserslautern, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart, Munich in Germany. Gare de Lyon - regular and TGV trains to and from Southern and eastern France: French Alps, Marseille, Lyon, Dijon, Switzerland (by TGV Lyria ):Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchatel - Bern - Interlaken, Basel - Zurich, and Italy.  Gare de Bercy , (12th), Métro: Bercy . Overnight trains from and  Gare de Lyon , (12th), Métro:

 Gare du Nord , (10th), Métro: Gare du Nord - TGV trains to and from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Cologne, Germany (Thalys), and the United Kingdom (Eurostar) and regular trains from Northern Europe. Passengers coming in by train from Charles de Gaulle Airport can also get off here.  Gare d'Austerlitz , (13th), Métro: Gare d'Austerlitz - regular trains to and from the centre and southwest of France (Orléans, Limoges, Toulouse the long way),

to Italy and regular trains to Auvergne.

Netherlands and Germany. TGV Lyria is a joint service offered by the French and Swiss railways (SBB-CFF-FFS - Swiss Federal Railways) for TGV Lyria trains running between Paris and Switzerland. There are also a few local lines of high touristic interest which are privately owned. All SNCF, Eurostar and Thalys tickets can be bought in railway stations, city offices and travel agencies (no surcharge). The SNCF website allows to book and discounts if you book weeks ahead. Reduced ticket prices are different for each day and each train and can be used only on the train the reservation is for. Surprisingly, round trip tickets buy tickets up to two months in advance. There are significant

 Gare St Lazare , (8th) Métro: St-

Lazare - trains to and from Basse-Normandie, Haute- Normandie.

 Gare Montparnasse , (15th), Métro: Montparnasse-Bienvenüe - TGV and regular trains to and from the west and south-west of France (Brest, Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse the fastest way and Spain). The SNCF (French national railways) operates practically all trains within France excluding the Eurostar to St Pancras, London and the Thalys to Brussels and onward to the

( aller-retour ) with a stay over Saturday night can be cheaper than a single one-way ticket ( aller simple ). A very limited selection of last minute trips are published on the SNCF website every Tuesday, with discounts of more than 50%. There are a number of different kinds of high speed and normal trains:  TER : The regional trains ( Train Express Régionale ); cheapest tickets, though prices are variable on the time of day of departure (and the day of departure as well). TER are slower, stopping at almost all stations.

Lunéa train categories. There are two kinds: the regular trains, which are priced the same as the TER and the trains you'll find yourself on if you have a Eurail or InterRail pass and don't want to pay extra for reservations, and the trains à réservation

obligatoire , which require a reservation and are priced differently from the regular Intercités trains.

 TGV : The world-famous French high-speed trains ( Trains à Grande Vitesse ) run very frequently to the Southeast Nice (5-6h), Marseille (3h) and Avignon (2.5h), the East (by TGV Lyria) to Geneva (3h), Lausanne

 Intercités : A bundling of the former Intercités , Téoz , and

(3h40), Neuchatel (4h) - Bern (4h30) - Interlaken (5h45), Basel (3h) - Zurich (4h) in Switzerland and Dijon (1h15), the Southwest Bordeaux (3h), the West Rennes (2-2.5h) and the North Lille (less than 1h). Eurostar to London (2h15) and Thalys to Brussels (1h20) use almost identical trains. Reservations are obligatory. running daily to/from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. It can be a bit expensive compared to normal trains, but cheap enough if you buy in advance.  Thalys A high-speed train service

 Intercity : Intercity trains leave for all parts of Europe, including overnight trains to San Sebastian in Spain, Porto and Lisbon in Portugal.  Eurostar : The Eurostar service connects Paris with London St. Pancras directly and Brussels indirectly, as well many other destinations indirectly through the various west European rail services. Travel time between Paris Gare du Nord and London St Pancras International currently averages at 2h15min, following the opening of a new rail link in late 2007. Eurail and InterRail passes are not valid for this train, though passholders can benefit

Paris, France

Eiffel Tower, airpano http://www.airpano.com

from a reduced price. You must arrive at the station 30 minutes before the departure of the train to complete security and passport controls. ( City Night Line ) by the German operator Deutsche Bahn which have sleeping berths in addition to the regular coach cars. These are not particularly speedy. They are designed to leave Paris in the late evening and arrive at their destinations at a reasonable morning hour. While the trains themselves are covered by the rail passes, the sleeping accommodation supplements are not, and need to be booked

separately, but what you get is a moving bed which transports you to another city, saving on hotel bills in the process. Paris has 3 departures nightly, all from the Gare de l'Est - to Munich, Berlin and Hamburg.

 CNL : The overnight services

Transfer between train stations

From Gare du Nord

 Gare du Nord - Gare de l'Est (8min): Metro line 4 direction Porte d'Orleans. By foot, it is also about 8 minutes, but you will have to descend a set of stairs.  Gare du Nord - Gare de Lyon (20min): RER D direction Melun/Malesherbes; alternatively, if the RER D is not operational,

RER B direction Robinson/Saint- Rémy-les-Chevreuse to Châtelet Les Halles and then RER A direction Marne-la-Vallée/Boissy- Saint-Léger to Gare de Lyon (this change only involves getting off the RER B train and getting on the RER A train on the other side of the same platform) Gare du Nord - Gare Montparnasse (30min): Metro line 4 direction Porte d'Orleans  Gare du Nord - Gare de Bercy (25min): Follow the directions for Gare de Lyon, then switch to 

 Gare de l'Est - Gare du Nord (8min) : Metro line 5 direction Bobigny. By foot, it is also about 8 minutes, but you will have to climb set of stairs.  Gare de l'Est - Gare de Lyon (20min) : Metro line 5 direction Place d'Italie, stop at Quai de la Rapee and follow pedestrian signs to Gare de Lyon. Alternatively, Métro line 5 in the same direction to Bastille and then Metro line 1 direction Château de Vincennes to Gare de Lyon.

Métro line 14 direction Olympiades to Bercy .

Gare de l'Est - Gare Montparnasse (30min): Metro line 4 direction Porte d'Orleans.



From Gare de l'Est

 Gare de l'Est - Gare de Bercy (25min) : Metro line 5 direction Place d'Italie, stop at Bastille and switch to Metro line 1 direction Château de Vincennes to Gare de Lyon , then switch to Metro line 14 direction Olympiades to Bercy . Alternatively, Metro line 5 to Place d'Italie and then Metro line 6 direction Nation to Bercy .

Aéroport Charles de Gaulle/Mitry Claye to Gare du Nord .  Gare de Lyon - Gare de I'Est (25min): Metro line 14 to Chatelet, direction St. Lazzare followed by Metro line 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt. Gare de Lyon - Gare Montparnasse (30min): Metro line 14 to Chatelet, direction St. Lazzare followed by Metro line 4 direction Porte d'Orleans.  Gare de Lyon - Gare de Bercy (15min): A free shuttle runs between the two every half hour. Alternatively, Metro line 14 direction Olympiades to Bercy. 

From Gare de Lyon

 Gare de Lyon - Gare du Nord

(20min): RER D direction Orry-la- Ville; if the RER D is not working, take RER A direction Saint- Germain-en-Laye/Cergy Le Haut/Poissy to Châtelet Les Halles and then RER B direction

From Gare Montparnasse

 Gare Montparnasse - Gare du Nord OR Gare de I'Est (30min): Metro line 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt  Gare Montparnasse - Gare de Lyon (30min): Metro line 4 to Chatelet, direction Porte de Clignancourt followed by Metro line 14 direction Olympiades

from across Europe and Morocco to Paris. Generally offers prices significantly cheaper than the train at the cost of much longer journeys. The Parisian office is located at Bagnolet, adjacent to the Gallieni metro station.  Megabus , [2] . A British low-cost bus company that offers fares to Paris from London , Amsterdam , and Brussels . Seats start at €1.00, with through fares available from points on the domestic UK network. Free Wi-Fi is available when the bus is travelling through the United Kingdom. The Parisian terminus is at the Porte Maillot Metro

From Gare de Bercy

For all train stations, either take the free shuttle to Gare de Lyon or Metro line 14 to the same and follow the directions given from Gare de Lyon.

By bus

 Eurolines , [1] . A trans-European bus company that offers trips

Paris, France

The Grande Arche in La Defense Plaza, airpano http://www.airpano.com

station, next to the Palais des Congrès in the 17th .

Brest, Nantes, Rennes and Lyon. The station is located at Paris Porte Maillot .

 iDBUS , [3] . The luxury bus arm of SNCF, introduced in summer 2012. It offers routes to Paris from various destinations in Belgium , France , Italy , the Netherlands and the United Kingdom . Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the journey. The Parisian terminus is at the Gare de Bercy .  FlixBus , [4] . German company, offering routes from Paris since summer 2015 from the station Paris Porte Maillot .  Starshipper , [5] . Company offering national routes toward

By car

Several autoroutes (expresswas/motorways) link Paris with the rest of France: A1 and A3 to the north, A5 and A6 to the south, A4 to the east and A13 and A10 to the west. Not surprisingly, traffic jams are significantly worse during French school holidays. The multi-lane highway around Paris, called the Périphérique (BP), is probably preferable to driving through the centre. Another ring road nearing completion; L'A86 (also A186 and A286) loops around Paris about 10km

further out from the Périphérique . A third, incomplete ring road is much further out and called La Francilienne (N104). It's advisable not to drive in the Paris Metro Area. It's better to drive to a suburban train station with a parking lot and then use the train to continue your trip throughout Paris. Most of Paris' roads were created long before the invention of cars. Traffic inside the city tends to be heavy, especially at rush hour; driving, however, may be rather easy and efficient in the evening. Parking is also difficult. Furthermore, the medieval nature of parts of the city's street system makes it very confusing, and traffic will almost never allow one to stop or slow

down to get one's bearings. If you are unfamiliar with the streets and still insist on driving in the city, make sure you have a navigator in the passenger seat with you. Paris is currently investing in the systemic removal of existing parking spaces to encourage people to use its available and vast public transportation system.

Get around

The best and cheapest way to get around Paris is on foot, and secondly, using the Métro which costs €1.80 for a one way trip of any length.

On foot

Walking in Paris is one of the great pleasures of visiting the City of Light. It is possible to cross the entire city in

only a few hours (only if you can somehow keep yourself from stopping at numerous cafés and shops).

la Concorde.

 On the way towards the obelisk on the square, you'll see the major stores and restaurants of Paris' most famous avenue.  Once you've passed the main shopping area, you'll see the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais to your right.  At Place de la Concorde, you'll be able to see many of Paris' major monuments around you. In front of you is the

Paris walking 101 To get a great orientation of the city on foot while seeing many of Paris' major sights, you can do a West to East walk from the Arc de Triomphe to Ile de la Cite (Notre Dame). This walk takes about 1-2 hours without any stops. Start at

the top of the Champs Elysees (at the Arc de

Triomphe) and begin walking down the Champs Elysees towards Place ('square') de