Thalys and other Paris, France Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: There are many ways to get to Paris, but the one we took from Belgium was by the fast train, Thalys. The Thalys leaves Brussels every half hour and takes about 1 hour 25 min. There are also trains leaving from Antwerp, Liege, Namur and Ostend. Check the website.
It's a comfortable way to travel and the earlier you make reservations, the cheaper the tickets are. The end station in Paris is Gare du Nord.

Leave a Comment

Website: www.thalys.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: Paris is a big city and the easiest and fastest way to get from one end to the other is by metro. There are 14 lines. They all have a number and the name of the beginning or end station.

Buy a ticket for one or more days, called Paris Visite, you even get a little book with coupons. When entering the metro, you need to slide the ticket into a small slit in the front of the turnstile and it will pop up on top of the machine, pull it out and walk through the turnstile.

Some lines have connecting lines, on the map shown as big circles. Follow the "corespondance" sign to get to the other line. Sometimes you need to walk quite a distance to get to the other line though, and very often there are no escalators.
When you want to leave the metro follow the "Sortie" sign.

I think the metro is quite safe. There are always a lot of people, but guard your belongings because the metros can be very crowded, giving pickpockets a good opportunity to steal.

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.ratp.fr