Le METRO and other Paris, France Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The following is (imho) not an exaggeration:

Unless you are blessed with:
- unlimited funds for taxis;
- the patience of a saint for Paris TRAFFIC;
- the health, conditioning, feet/knees of an Olympic walking athlete:
- a bicycle
- an unlimited amount of days / weeks to explore
all of Paris on foot (the best way):

... I still think the quality of your trip to Paris will be almost directly proportional to your knowledge and use of the Paris Metro.

I know it's hot, claustrophic & crowded at times (especially afternoon rush hour) but for me it has always been the quickest way to get from point A to B, and my time in Paris is so valuable to me. Then I can enjoy strolling in the area I want to be, and it saves wear & tear on my worn defective peds.

Paris is my favorite city to walk, and I spend most of my time wearing out my mephistos on the sidewalks, but the Metro for me is always the first step.
Imagine walking from the Louvre to Tour Eiffel.... doable sure, but most of the time will be spent humping along busy and sometimes-unattractive boulevards, and it will blow almost half the afternoon.

Here's the new sexy interactive metro map:

Metro point&click map

TIP: Try to avoid riding the metro if possible during Paris "rush hour" in the afternoon (5-6pm), especially if Paris weather is hot.
During afternoon rush hour on really warm days, the metro can become a claustrophobic furnace, especially at the big stops (Montparnasse Bienvenue, etc.)
Chill out at a cafe instead until 6 - 6:30 pm or so till the commute is over.

Here is the link to the interactive BUS MAP
(if time is not important to you, you can enjoy the slower but more scenic bus routes).

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Website: http://www.paris.org/Metro/gifs/metro01.map.jpg

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: I planned my Paris transportation ahead of time this trip instead of buying carnets when I need 'em.

Choice was Paris Visite or carte Orange.

I chose Carte Orange as imo it's cheaper & I don't think the few sites Paris Visite gives you are worth the xtra euros.
I ended up buying Carte Musee for all the many museums & monuments Paris Visite does not cover so Carte Orange worked better for me.
All you need to do is either goto a Kinkos / whatever & get a passport foto before you go, or it's even cheaper to just hit a foto booth at the CDG airport RER term or Gard du Nord.

For zones 1 & 2 (most of Paris) it's dirt cheap:
One full week (HEBDO) is only 16,30 euros, costing significantly less than 2 carnets. After 7 days, you stop at any metro booth and they renew it for another week @ same price & it takes only seconds for them to refresh it.

Paris Visite is 31,50 ($50) for only 5 days to zones 1-3
:P pppttt...

If anyone tells you only French can buy / use Carte Orange, it's bs.

Here's the website where you can compare:
Scroll down to Ticketing

Just my opinion, but to pay the extra for all 5 zones for Carte Orange so you can use it for RER to Versailles or CDG airport imho may not be worth it, but if you wanna' spring the 31 euros for it, what the hell.

And lastly, I tried this just to see what it was like:
I don't recommend EVER taking RER in the morning from CDG airport to central Paris on your arrival day to save money.

It is not fun: It's crowded, painfully long & slow, you have to put your bag(s) on overhead rack to free up seats on the crowded train, then pray they don't get copped by a thief right before the door shuts at some of the northern Paris suburb stops.

Too stressfull, too tiring after a long flight, too uncomfortable - cucaracha.
Spring / splurge 50 Euros for a cab. Trust me on this one.

(I knew this and probably so did you, but like a bullethead I had to prove it to myself). Barff!!

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Website: http://www.ratp.fr

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Scenario:

(Just exiting a club at 2:00am on Friday night )

oops... Metro closed an hour ago.... No problem, just flag down a passing taxi.


....me: " Taxeee..."

.....taxi: "ZZZOooooooooommmm"....

.......me: "..merde!...."..

Even when their lights indicate they are vacant, they don't always stop like in NYC.

Know where taxi stands are, taxi phone numbers, and what 4-star hotels are close to the club you just left. There should be a taxi stand or the concierge at a 4-star hotel can call you a cab.
Paris isn't NYC, and despite what the doorman or bartender says, you can't always just flag a taxi on the street at 4:00 am.

Some Paris hotels will tell you avoid taking a taxi during the day, and notably in the morning until 11:00, and in the late afternoon from 4:00 to 8:00. (in other words, avoid rush-hour.)
Streets are jam-packed during those periods, and seeing the meter run while you're a sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic is a pain.

note: the taxis stands outside the hot clubs in St.-Michel move very slowly when the clubs let out. Sometimes it is smarter to hoof it to a hotel nearby.

Taxi stands and phone numbers for Paris taxis listed at the web site below:

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Website: http://www.parisby.com/transpor/taxi.htm

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: I have ridden in a car as a passenger and lots of taxis in Paris, but I likely will never drive there even as a resident unless I absolutely have to.

Like all cities Paris has mucho traffic, but the way Parisians drive make it even more special.

I took this quick foto near the freeway entrance on west side near Bois de Boulogne.

Paul Orleman has an excellent tip about "Les Bouchons" here:

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Website: http://www.v-trafic.com/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: I get a kick out of this online taxi fare calculator for Paris:

http://www.worldtaximeter.com/paris/

When I put in CDG to your destination I get this: -(assuming you arrive in am):

Estimated Fare using meter at 08:43

Distance: 29.58 km. | Duration: 29 min.
jump in the taxi 2.10 € (this is probably wrong - should be 5,60 ?)
29.58 km. x 1.10 € per km 32.55 € (should be 30km x 0,83 euro?)
waiting in traffic (~11 min.) 5.55 € (thought this was clever)
Total 40.20 €

Sounds close but who knows? Anke-Thea
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/1b9be7/
is probably more accurate.

Either way, it's a fun tool to play with for estimating Paris fares & my hat's off to whoever put this little taxi fare site together. Supposedly works in Amsterdam Barcelona Berlin Boston Chicago Dublin London Los Angeles Madrid New York Paris Prague Rome San Francisco Toronto. It would be fun to know if you think it's accurate in your city. Best regards!

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Website: http://www.parisby.com/transpor/taxi.htm

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bicycle
Getting TO/AROUND: Saro - thanks much for the posts.

Supposedly, popping up on the web lately are threads "claiming" that Velib now accepts cards (without the chip) from American Express. The threads usually read:
"UPDATE (25 October 2007): The system now accepts American Express and JCB cards that do not have the EU smart chips! Good news for visitors that do not have an EU bank card."

Found one such thread / link here:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Velib_station_(887339707).jpg

and another here:
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/10/15/11502/473/travel/Even+Americans+Can+Ride+Velib+Bikes

You might want to check into it.

How a velib terminal can discriminate and accept a non-chip card from AMEX vs one from (e.g. Chase) is not clearly stated. Being an engineer / cynic, I would prefer some proof / verification before I get another AMEX card (most merchants in the US hate them due to high fees, which tells me Velib would also).

But good news IF it's true. I'm still trying to verify through the companies.
I am also contacting Eric Rayman (NYTimes) for proof / verification since he is quoted as the source.

If anyone knows for sure if this is NOT true, please post it here.

Hey Don / (Nemorino) - what's your 2-cents?
Thanks everybody!

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Website: http://www.en.velib.paris.fr/