Paris Travel Guide - HTML5

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Artwork © August 2018 by Go Travel Publications, Inc. 409-1885 Barclay St., Vancouver, B.C. V6G 1K7.

Cover photo by Andrés Nieto Porras. (CC BY-SA 2.0). ISBN 978-1-988944-39-5.

Pont des Arts, Paris, France - Andrés Nieto Porras. (CC BY-SA 2.0).

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 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. 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:  1st (1 er ) . The geographical centre of Paris and a great starting point for travellers. The Musée du 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 Parisiens and the former Bibliothèque Nationale are located here.  3rd (3 e ) . Archives Nationales , Musée Carnavalet , Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers , Hôtel de 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 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.  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 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-Vincent-de-Paul 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 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.  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' 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. must-see lists for its modern architecture and public art.

Palace of Versailles, France

Those to the northeast are poorer communities, often populated by immigrants. 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 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 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 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 rights. Notable events during and following the revolution were the storming of the Bastille 4 th

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

Paris - airpano

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

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. 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. Terminal 1

Terminal 2E

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 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 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.

Airport transfers

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, 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 these 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

Paris, France

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.  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)

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.

Contact

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

(Platform 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-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 Airline Shuttles

after landing, catch 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, and put it in the appropriate compartment. Then, at the 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. 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

Western part of Île de la Cité - DXR (CC BY-SA 4.0). .

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. By train 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 a hotel and plan for transport within the city.  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), 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 , (12th), Métro: 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 to Italy and regular trains to Auvergne.  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 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 buy tickets up to two months in advance. There are significant 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 ( 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.  Intercités : A bundling of the former Intercités , Téoz , and 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 (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.  Thalys A high-speed train service 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.  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. 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  from a reduced price. You Pancras directly and Brussels indirectly, as well many other

must arrive at the station 30 minutes before the departure of the train to complete security and passport controls.  CNL : The overnight services ( 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.

Transfer between train stations

From Gare du Nord

 Gare du Nord - Gare de l'Est (8min): Metro line 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge. 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

Paris, France

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 Mairie de Montrouge  Gare du Nord - Gare de Bercy (25min): Follow the directions for

Gare de Lyon, then switch to Métro line 14 direction Olympiades to Bercy .

From Gare de l'Est

 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.  Gare de l'Est - Gare Montparnasse (30min): Metro line 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge.

 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 .  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 Aéroport Charles de Gaulle/Mitry Claye to Gare du Nord .

From Gare de Lyon

 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 Mairie de Montrouge. Alternatively, Metro line 14 to Bercy then line 6 direction Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.  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 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 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 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 station, next to the Palais des Congrès in the 17th .  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 Brest, Nantes, Rennes and Lyon. The station is located at Paris Porte Maillot . 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. By car

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). Another interesting walk in the city let you discover the top sights of Montmartre in a few hours. This includes the Sacré-Coeur, Place du Tertre, the Bateau Lavoir, the Moulin de la Galette and all the sights that made Montmartre world famous. The smartest travellers take advantage of the walkability of this city and stay above ground as much as possible. A metro ride of less than 2 stops is best avoided since walking will take about the same amount of time and you'll be able to see

Notre Dame Cathedral North Rose Window

more of the city. That said, pay attention to the Métro stations that you may pass by on your journey; the Métro network is very dense within the city and the lines are virtually always located directly underneath major boulevards, so if you become lost it is easy to regain your bearings by walking along a major boulevard until you find a Métro station.

Despite fines as high as €180 and extensive street cleaning operations, dog droppings persist across the city, so walk with caution. It's always fun to experience the city by foot, and there are numerous walking tours around Paris, whether self-guided (with the help of a guidebook or on-line guide) or with a touring guide (booked through your travel agency or hotel). The city is best explored by foot, and some of the most marvellous memories you will have of Paris is walking through secret found places.  Localers , 10 Rue Saint Marc, ☎ +33 1 83 64 92 01, [6] . offers a wide selection of walking tours around Paris  By Métro Paris has an excellent

underground train system, known as the Métro (short for Chemin de fer métropolitain , Metropolitan Railway). Although you will probably take the RER train from the airport (CDG) to Paris, don't be confused: RER is a French-language acronym that translates to "Regional Express Network," and is mostly used by commuters. Look for the Métro stations, marked either with a large "M" sign or by one of Hector Guimard's remarkable Art Nouveau station entrances. However, crossing Paris can be much faster by RER than by Métro, and within the city of Paris, there is little functional difference between the RER and Métro (there are numerous transfers between the two networks, and a

ticket for the Métro is also valid for the RER within the city limits).

By train

Paris and its surrounding areas are served by different rail systems:

 Métro (short for Chemin de fer métropolitain , Metropolitan Railway) Look for the Métro stations, marked either with a large "M" sign or by one of Hector Guimard's remarkable Art Nouveau station entrances.  RER Regional Express network used by suburban commuters anf services to airports (notably CDG Charles de Gaulle)

other regional lines

 While sharing a single system of tariffs, you have to take care to

validate your ticket when switching from one system to another. Keep your ticket or pass with you at all times as you may be checked . Strangely, there's no sign, audio or message written on the tickets or stations to inform you that it's obligatory to keep the ticket until you go out the metro. You will be cited and forced to pay on the spot (between 35-50 euros, depending on the officer, they accept credit cards and usually won't speak English) if you do not have a ticket. The most likely spots for being checked are just behind the turnstiles at big Métro stations or during Métro line changes ( correspondances ). RATP agents may be present in the Métro stations even on Sunday nights.

 However, crossing Paris can be much faster by RER than by Métro, and within the city of Paris, there is little functional difference between the RER and Métro (there are numerous transfers between the two networks, and a ticket for the Métro is also valid for the RER within the city limits - see below).  There are 16 Métro lines ( lignes ) ( 1 - 14 , 3bis , and 7bis ) on which trains travel all day at intervals of a few minutes 05:00-00:30 (Saturday night/Sunday morning: 01:30), stopping at all stations on the line. Times for trains can be seen on an electronic scrollboard above the platform.  Line 14, which is fully automated, is

called the Méteor .  Scheduled times for first and last trains are posted in each station on the centre sign.  Generally, except for early and late hours, travellers should not worry about specific Metro train times; just get to your station and take the next train. Trains usually come 2-3 minutes apart during rush hour and 5-10 minutes apart during other times, depending on the line.  Switching between Metro lines may mean a long underground walk between platforms, often involving stairs. Sometimes it is easier to walk aboveground then to switch to another line for an extra stop or two.

Luggage

Visitors with heavy luggage or handicap should find out in-advance about the facilities at each station to be used. (Specific on-line information about elevators and escalators is hard to find. You may have to ask at ticket counters at major stations, perhaps tourist information kiosks.) Getting to boarding platforms from street level, or going between platforms to change lines can be difficult even at major intersecting stations at most times, and everywhere during rush hours. It usually involves walking up and down multiple flights of busy stairs . Elevators are seldom seen; many aren't working, and in major outlying stations any escalator will likely support only exiting to the street level. If

you have any lingering concern about station facilities, check bus routes and timings to find convenient bus service instead; failing that, use a taxi.

Metro Lines

 Metro lines are identified by their color code and line number (yellow for line number 1).  Direction is indicated by giving the final station. You will need to know the end station in order to find the right platform since tracks usually run between separate platforms, not on either side of one.  Trains often do not show station binders, since platforms are usually not shared by lines.  All lines usually run end-to-end with

some trains terminating at certain stations. Watch out for electronic signs on platforms and listen for (French language) announcements on the train. If you ask the locals about directions, they will answer something like: take line number n toward "end station 1", change at "station", take the line nn toward "end station 2" etc.  In addition, there are five commuter train lines : RER A, B, C, D, and E.  RER trains run at intervals of about 6-7min, and stop at every RER station within Paris; RER stations are equipped with electronic boards or monitors which display the station stops each train makes outside the Commuter lines RER

Eiffel Tower - airpano

city limits.  Although a regular subway ticket can be used within Paris (Zone 1), it is necessary to pass the ticket through the turnstile when passing between the subway and the RER lines, as the two systems are separate networks. This ticket is necessary to enter and exit the RER networks, as

the RER trains travel on to the Parisian suburbs, outside the zone where a regular subway ticket can be used.  Travel outside the city centre without a valid RER ticket will get you fined, and the packs of inspectors who roam the system show no mercy to tourists pleading ignorance. In particular, Charles de Gaulle airport is not within the city; you must purchase an RER ticket to get there (see Get in ). The Métro and RER move staggering numbers of people into, out of, and around Paris (6.75 million people per day on average), and most of the time in reasonable comfort. Certain lines, however, are operating at or near capacity, sometimes being so full that

you'll have to let one or two trains pass before being able to board. If you can help it, avoid Métro lines 1, 4, 9, & 13 and RER lines A & B during rush hours as these are the most congested lines in the system.  In addition to RER, there are many suburban train lines (Transilien) departing from the main train stations.  Two lines of interest are line L from Other lines Gare Saint-Lazare to Versailles Rive-Droite and line N from Gare Montparnasse to Versailles- Chantiers , a quick way to go to Versailles castle (covered by a ticket for at least Zones 1-4). The train from Saint-Lazare stops at La Défense

and offers views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower on the left as you go twoards Versailles after Puteaux. The alternative is to use RER C to Versailles Rive Gauche (this station is the closest to the castle). Do not use RER C8 to Versailles Chantiers; this will do a very long loop in the southern suburbs before reaching Versailles.  For travel outside of the Paris zone, the train arrival times are shown on a monitor hanging from the ceiling inside the RER station above the platform. Information about the stops to be made by the next incoming train is presented on a separate board also hanging from the ceiling. It is important to check this board before boarding the train, as not all

trains make stops at all stations on a given line.  Four-letter-codes (KRIN, DIPA, TORE, etc.) are used for the RER and Transilien trains.  on RER A, B and C the first letter indicates the destination of the train, the second the branch or service type, and the last two are to make the name easier to memorize  on RER D and E, the first letter is destination, the second letter is service type, the third letter is branch, and the fourth letter is direction  on Transilien lines, it's usually one name for every service type.

You can look up what these codes mean

on information panels in the station, but the easiest and fastest way is often to check the information screens along the platforms.

Tip:

 Download a copy of the metro plan to your mobile device, so you can check direction, line numbers and end points at leisure.

Tickets in general

RATP is responsible for public transport including metro, buses, and some of the high speed inter-urban trains (RER). The rest of the RER is operated by SNCF. However, both companies take the same tickets, so the difference is of little interest for most people except in case of strikes (RATP may strike without SNCF doing so or the other way round).