Means of Transportation

On foot

Going on foot is the ideal option if you want to visit the most characteristic areas of the city one by one (Ile de la Cité - Ile Saint Louis, Les Halles - Beaubourg - Marais, Saint Germain - Saint Michel - Luxembourg, Montmartre...), but the centre of the city is huge, and it’s much wiser to other means of transportation if you have to visit places that are a little far apart.

By bike: "le vélo"

For the same reason, going around by bike requires a sporty attitude, since distances are big; furthermore, going by bike can be quite unpleasant do to smog and pollution, if you’re anywhere near the main transit routes.

The Underground: "le Métro"

The Paris Underground covers the whole Paris administration area, as well as a significant part of the suburbs. The Company that runs Paris public tranport (the RATP) makes a point of honour the fact that there is no point in the city which is further than 500m from an Underground station: this claim is actually easy to believe. The urban lines are 14, the last of which (line 14, from the Madeleine to the Bibliothèque François Mitterand) is a masterpiece of technology, and a little bit spooky also, since it is totally computer-controlled, and has no drivers on board. Most lines run every 5 minutes (10 at most for minor lines and in the evening). The last trains starts from each end of the line at half past midnight, so there’s no chance of finding a train at one in the morning - you can use the night buses instead, which run around the city with a system of radial routes which converge on Châtelet, or consider the option of taking a taxi. The Underground network includes also a number of suburban lines, called RER. The RER is a series of fast trains that cross the centre of the city, transporting thousands of commuters. They’re a little lest frequent than normal lines, but they’re extremely quick if you need to cross the city along its main axes (East-West on lines A and C, and North-South on lines B and D). You can buy tickets which are valid for a few days, such as the Paris Visite card or the Carte Orange, which is very useful if you stay for a week or more. For further details, visit the RATP site. It is recommended not to try to get in without tickets, since controls are frequent and the conductors are merciless.

Taxis: "les taxis"

Taxis are not that expensive in Paris, especially if you share the expense with friends (a maximum of three, since it is not allowed to sit beside the driver!). They’re also very handy at night, when the Underground stops running. Remember that you will have to pay an extra for each piece of luggage that you put in the taxi’s trunk.