Paris is a city for strollers who enjoy rambling through unexpected alleyways and squares. Only when you're dead tired and can't walk another step, or have to go all the way across town in a hurry, should you consider using the Métro, a swift but dull means of urban transport.
By Metro & Rer
A century old, the Paris Métro will soon become one of the most modern and efficient in the world. Recently some 200 of the system's nearly 300 stations were refurbished. The Métro (tel. 08-36-68-77-14) is the easiest and most efficient way to get around Paris. Most stations display a map of the system at the entrance. Within Paris, you can transfer between the subway and the RER regional trains for no additional cost. To make sure you catch the right train, find your destination, and then visually follow the line it's on to the end of the route and note its name. This is the sign you look for in the stations and the name you'll see on the train. Transfer stations are known as correspondances (note that some require long walks -- Châtelet-Les Halles is the most notorious).
Few trips will require more than one transfer. Some stations have maps with push-button indicators that'll help you plot your route by lighting up when you press the button for your destination. A ride on the urban lines costs 2€ to any point within the 20 arrondissements of Paris, as well as to many of its nearby suburbs. A bulk purchase of 10 tickets (bound together into what the French refer to as a carnet) costs 10€. Métro fares to outlying suburbs on the Sceaux, the Noissy-St-Léger, and St-Germain-en-Laye lines cost more and are sold on an individual basis depending on the distance you travel. At the entrance to the Métro station, insert your ticket into the turnstile and pass through. Take the ticket back, because it may be checked by uniformed police officers when you leave the subway. There are also occasional ticket checks on the trains, platforms, and passageways. If you're changing trains, get out and determine which direction (final destination) on the next line you want, then follow the bright orange CORRESPONDANCE signs until you reach the proper platform. Don't follow a SORTIE sign, which means "exit." If you exit, you'll have to pay another fare to resume your journey.
The Paris Métro runs daily from 5:30am to 1:15am, at which time all underground trains reach their final terminus at the end of each of their respective lines. Be alert that the last train may pass through central Paris as much as an hour before that time. The subways are reasonably safe at any hour, but beware of pickpockets.
Money-Saving Public Transportation Passes
You can buy a Paris Visite pass, valid for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days on the public transport system, including the Métro, the city buses, the RER (regional express) trains within Paris city limits, and even the funicular to the top of Montmartre. (The RER has both first- and second-class compartments, and the pass lets you travel in first class.) The cost is 8.50€ for a 1-day pass, 14€ for a 2-day pass, 19€ for a 3-day pass, or 30€ for 5 days. The card is available at the Services Touristiques de la Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP), with offices at place de la Madeleine, 8e (Métro: Madeleine), and 54 quai de la Rapée, 12e (Métro: Gare de Lyon). For information about these passes or any aspect of public transport in or around Paris, call tel. 08-36-68-41-14 for information in English, or tel. 08-36-68-77-14 for information in French; or consult the RATP website at www.ratp.fr. Passes are sold at either of the addresses immediately above, at the Champs-Elysées branch of the Paris Tourist office (see earlier in this chapter), or at the ticket counter of any Métro station.
Another, more economical pass that's available to visitors is the Carte Mobilis, allowing unlimited travel on bus, Métro, and RER lines in Paris during a 1-day period. Depending on the zone you travel within, it costs a minimum of 6€ to 12€. Other variations exist in denominations of 7€; 9€ (which will carry you from central Paris to Versailles); and 11€ for a 1-day pass that will include transit to the far-flung site of Marne-la-Vallée, site of Disneyland Paris. You can buy these passes at any Métro or RER station in Greater Paris.
Most economical for anyone planning a full week's visit to Paris with a lot of public transport is a Carte Orange. Sold at any Métro station, it allows 1 full week of unlimited Métro or bus transit within Paris (the 20 arrondissements plus a wide swath of the outlying suburbs) for 14€. To get one, you'll have to submit a passport-size photo. Cartes Oranges are valid from any Monday to the following Sunday, they're sold only on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of any given week, and they're valid only for the week in which they're sold.
Officially, Cartes Oranges can only be sold to residents of the Ile de France, but according to a spokesperson at the RATP, 99% of RATP salespeople never ask for a carte d'identité, and the sale of Cartes Oranges slipped long ago into general usage, including by smart out-of-town visitors.
By Bus
Bus travel is much slower than the subway. Most buses run from 7am to 8:30pm (a few run until 12:30am, and 10 operate during the early morning hours). Service is limited on Sundays and holidays. Bus and Métro fares are the same and you can use the same carnet tickets on both. At certain stops, signs list the destinations and numbers of the buses serving that point. Destinations are usually listed north to south and east to west. Most stops along the way are also posted on the sides of the buses. To catch a bus, wait in line at the bus stop. Signal the driver to stop the bus and board.
Most bus rides (including any that begin and end within Paris's 20 arrondissements and nearby suburbs) require one ticket. For bus travel to some of the more distant suburbs, an additional ticket might be required. If you intend to use the buses a lot, pick up an RATP bus map at its offices on place de la Madeleine or quai de la Rapée or at any tourist office. For details on bus and Métro routes, call tel. 08-36-68-77-14 for information in French, or tel. 08-36-68-41-14 for information in English.
The same entity that maintains Paris's network of Métros and buses, the RATP (tel. 08-36-68-77-14), has initiated a motorized mode of transport designed as a means of appreciating the city's visual grandeur. Known as the Balabus, it's a fleet of big-windowed orange-and-white motor coaches whose major drawback is their limited hours -- they run only on Sunday and national holidays from noon to 9pm, April to September. The coaches travel in both directions between the Gare de Lyon and the Grande Arche de La Défense, encompassing some of the city's most monumental vistas and making regular stops. Presentation of two Métro tickets, each priced at 2.60€, a valid Carte Mobilis, or a valid Paris Visite pass will take you along the entire route. You'll recognize the bus and the route it follows by the "Bb" symbol on each bus's side and on signs posted beside the route it follows.
By Car
Don't even think about driving in Paris. The streets are narrow, with confusing one-way designations, and parking is next to impossible. Besides, most visitors don't have the ruthlessness required to survive in Parisian traffic. Think about renting a car only if you plan to explore the Ile de France and beyond.
You can rent cars from locally based agencies like Autorent, 98 rue de la Convention, 15e (tel. 01-45-54-22-45; Métro: Boucicaut), or from competitors like Rent-a-Car, 62 bd. Malesherbes, 8e (tel. 01-45-22-28-28; Métro: Gare St-Lazare) and Inter Touring Service, 117 bd. Auguste-Blanqui, 13e (tel. 01-45-88-52-37; Métro: Glacière). Budget (tel. 800/472-3325 in the U.S. and Canada; www.budget.com) maintains about 30 locations in Paris, with its largest branch at 81 av. Kléber, 16e (tel. 08-25-00-35-64; Métro: Trocadéro). Hertz (tel. 800/654-3001 in the U.S. and Canada; www.hertz.com) has about 15 locations in Paris, including offices at the airports and the main office at 27 place St-Ferdinand, 17e (tel. 01-45-74-97-39; Métro: Argentine). Ask about promotional discounts. Avis (tel. 800/331-2112 in the U.S. and Canada; www.avis.com) has offices at both airports, and a headquarters at 5 rue Bixio, 7e (tel. 01-44-18-10-50; Métro: Ecole Militaire), near the Eiffel Tower. National (tel. 800/227-3876 in the U.S. and Canada; www.nationalcar.com) is represented in Paris by National Citer, whose largest office is at 165 bis rue de Vaugirard, 15e (tel. 01-44-38-61-61; Métro: Pasteur). It has offices at both airports as well.
By Taxi
Taxi drivers are organized into an effective lobby to keep their number limited to around 15,000, and it's nearly impossible to get one at rush hour. You can hail regular cabs on the street when their signs read LIBRE. Taxis are easier to find at the many stands near Métro stations.
The flag drops at 2.15€, and you pay .60€ per kilometer. At night, expect to pay 1.15€ per kilometer. On airport trips, you're not required to pay for the driver's empty return ride. Be warned that many taxis can refuse to take a fourth passenger except for a child. It is their legal right. Although drivers can refuse a fourth passenger, some taxis are large enough to take up to five. You're allowed several small pieces of luggage free if they're transported inside and don't weigh more than 5 kilograms (11 lb.). Heavier suitcases carried in the trunk cost 1.50€ to 2€ apiece. Tip 12% to 15% -- the latter usually elicits a merci. To radio cabs, call tel. 01-42-03-50-50 or 01-44-52-23-58; you'll be charged from the point where the taxi begins the drive to pick you up.
By Bicycle
To bike through the streets and parks of Paris, perhaps with a baguette tucked under your arm, might've been a fantasy of yours since you saw your first Maurice Chevalier film. In recent years, the city has added many miles of right-hand lanes designated for cyclists as well as hundreds of bike racks. (When these aren't available, many Parisians simply chain their bikes to fences or lampposts.) Cycling is especially popular in the larger parks and gardens.
Paris-Vélos, 2 rue du Fer-à-Moulin, 5e (tel. 01-43-37-59-22; Métro: Censier-Daubenton), rents bicycles by the day, weekend, or week, charging 15€ to 26€ per weekday, 27€ to 35€ Saturday and Sunday, and 72€ to 98€ per week. You must leave a 400€ deposit. It's open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 12:30pm and 2 to 7pm.
By Boat
From April to mid-October, the Batobus (tel. 01-44-11-33-99), a series of 150-passenger ferries with big windows for viewing the riverfronts, operates at 15- to 25-minute intervals daily from 10am to 7pm (until 9pm during June, July, and August). Boats chug along between the quays at the base of the Eiffel Tower and the quays at the base of the Louvre, stopping at the Musée d'Orsay, St-Germain-des-Prés, Notre-Dame, the Hôtel-de-Ville, and what the management refers to as the Champs-Elysées, but which is actually a stop at the base of the Pont Alexandre-III. Transit between any two stops costs 3.35€ for children and adults, and 2€ for transit between any additional stops, although passengers who intend to use the boat as a sightseeing opportunity usually opt to pay a flat rate (good all day) of 10€ for adults and 5.50€ for persons under 11 (children under 3 ride free), and then settle back and watch the monuments. Photo ops are countless aboard this leisurely but panoramic "floating observation platform." Anyone wanting a 2-day exposure to the delights of waterborne Paris can buy a 2-day pass for 13€ for adults and 7.10€ for children under 12.
