Getting around Paris

Public transport in Paris is plentiful, relatively easy to understand and (when compared to other capital cities) pretty good value for money. The Paris Metro serves most tourists’ needs. Stops for the main sights and attractions are clearly signposted. Free transport maps are available at Paris metro stations, bus terminals and tourist offices and are usually available as leaflets at most hotels.

To link it all together, there’s the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) (tel: 3424, in France only; www.ratp.fr) an integrated, five-zone system of bus, metro and trains that is both cheap and efficient (except during strikes, which are something of a national hobby). ‘Paris Visites’ offer one-, two-, three- and five-day visitor passes for Paris and its immediate suburbs (zones 1-3), which can include transport to the airports, Versailles and Disneyland Paris (zones 1-5).

For the Paris Metro, one ticket covers one journey, whether you travel for one stop, 20 stops, change trains or fall asleep and wake up at the end of the line. The one great failing, however, is the relative lack of lifts or escalators and the narrow ticket barriers. Trying to get around with prams, suitcases, crutches or wheelchairs is a challenge that you might decide you’d rather skip.

If you know that you’ll be making several journeys on the Metro, you can save money by buying a carnet (a batch of 10 tickets) instead of paying for each ticket one by one.