Paris Metro Pass
Paris Metro Pass (Visite Pass) Unlimited Metro/Train/Bus Travel
METRO PASS INFORMATION:
Paris has perhaps the best public transportation system in the
world. It consists of the Metro (subway), the RER (suburb to
city train), buses, late night buses (Noctilien) and trams.
It is all organized by the RATP, and is highly efficient. This
system will take you ANYWHERE you want to go in and around Paris.
It may be intimidating at first look at the metro map, especially
if you don’t speak French, but the Paris transportation
is very user friendly (they sell the Visite Passes exclusively
for tourists), and after a day of practice you will be a pro.
The RATP has a very useful website, which is available in English
at www.ratp.fr You can click on the English flag for the English language version.
The site has a feature for planning a trip between any two points
identified by station name, street address, or major landmark.
However, you can probably find the most direct route by yourself
just by looking at the maps.
Visite Passes are especially for tourists, but work on all public
transportation just like regular tickets would. The difference
is that you can start using them any day of the week, as opposed
to a weekly pass, and you can buy them ahead of time for your
convenience. Passes are available for zones 1-3 or zones 1-6.
If you're just going to travel within Paris proper, the first
pass is great. The zone 1-6 pass will get you to Versailles
and Disneyland, and the CDG airport. If you will be in Paris
for 4 days, and you are planning to go to Versailles for one
day, for example, you may want to buy a zone 1-3 three day pass,
then a zones 1-6 one day pass, and go there on your last day.
Remember, you have to use them for consecutive days. If you
buy a zone 1-3 three day, those 3 days have to be consecutive.
You can’t use a 1 day pass on the 2nd day and still get
your 3 days out of the zones 1-3. The Visite pass covers all
of RATP's systems, including the Montparnasse funicular, trams,
and even certain suburban trains that are run by the national
railroad.
Entrance is free for kids under 4 and passes are half price
for those 4 to 11 years of age (available when you get there).
The metro is usually your best bet for getting close to your
destination and in the least amount of time. Go over your maps
and familiarize yourself with the stops you will want.
As with most cities in the world, there are pickpockets in the
metro, as well as around popular tourist destinations. Stay
alert, watch your companion's back, keep your valuables (money,
tickets, passports, cell phones) under your clothes, not in
your pockets. You are most vulnerable when you are tired, such
as when you first arrive. Being aware is your best defense.
Also - always keep your pass handy. You may have to show it
to a controller in the tunnels and sometimes you need it to
exit.
THE PARIS METRO:
There are 16 metro lines (lines 1-14 plus 3 bis and 7 bis) and
plenty of metro stations. Most every tourist destination within
Paris has a nearby station. For example, the Louvre is served
by Louvre-Rivoli and Palais Royal Musee du Louvre stations as
well as several others that are within walking distance. The
metro runs from about 5:30 am to about 1:00 am, but you must
carefully note the time of the last trains at the stations you
intend to use.
Riding the metro is easy. Each line has a number and two ends
identified by their station names. For example, line 1 has La
Defense at one end and Chateau de Vincennes at the other. So
all you have to know when you go into the station is whether
you're going in the direction of La Defense or Chateau de Vincennes,
and then just follow the signs to your platform.
If you don’t need to transfer, just get off the train
at your destination station and follow the signs that say "sortie"
to get out. As you get more sophisticated, you'll start to notice
that different sorties go to different locations on the surface,
which can save you time or the hassle of crossing a large boulevard.
If you do have to transfer, you need to know three things: your
transfer station, and the line number and direction of your
next train. When you get off at your transfer station, instead
of following the sortie signs, follow the signs that say "correspondence"
and indicate your new line and direction. For example, "correspondence
M1" or "correspondence M1 direccion La Defense."
If you're transferring to an RER train, look for "correspondence
RER" or something similar. There are always signs posted
in the connecting passages that will show station stops for
the direction you are following just to be sure you are walking
to the right platform.
To plan your trips, consult your free copy of the Paris transportation
map, which we will send with your Visite Passes. Every metro
station has large wall maps of the metro system and the neighborhood
surrounding the station. Or you can see the RATP website to
help with planning.
THE RER:
The RER serves central Paris, but its purpose is to make the
longer trips to and from the suburbs. At the moment there are
5 RER lines, identified by the letters A through E. Planning
a trip on the RER is a lot like planning one on the metro, and
there are even many stations where you can make a "correspondence"
between the RER and metro (for example, Saint-Michel and Gare
de Lyon). However, there are two things to watch out for: 1)
unlike metro lines, RER lines split as they go out into the
suburbs, and 2) not all trains stop at all stations.
The split lines are designated by numbers after the line's letter
identification. For example, in the general direction of de
Gaulle Airport, there is a B3 line and a B5 line. The C line
is the most complicated with 7 split lines (line C5 goes to
the Chateau de Versailles).
Before you board an RER train, be sure it is going to stop at
your destination. First, be sure you are on the right platform
for the line and direction you are headed. Second, know the
complete designation of the line you need (e.g. B3) and be sure
that it displayed on the front of the train as you watch it
come into the station. Third, there is an elaborate four-letter
naming system for the trains. Consult the chart in the station
to find the four-letter designation of the next train that serves
your destination, and make sure is displayed on the front of
the train or on the station's information display as the train
comes in.
And while all this sounds complicated; it is really pretty easy.
It depends on your destination station. But the RER is an express
way across the city too with far fewer stops. For Example Gare
de Lyon or Nation to the Arc de Triomphe (Place Charles de Gaulle
Etoile) where only a few stops versus 10 or more on the metro.
The RER, like the metro, runs from about 5:30 am to about 1:00
am, but you must carefully note the time of the last trains
at the stations you intend to use.
BUSES:
Bus lines are slower that the metro, but the upside is that
you get to see the city through the window instead of the train
tunnel. Bus lines have two digit numbers, and as with the metro
and RER, each end has a name. Bus schedules are different during
the week, on Sundays and holidays, and in the evening.
There are two express airport busses, Roissybus, which goes
from Paris-Opera to Charles de Gaulle Airport, and Orlybus,
which goes from Denfert-Rochereau to Orly Airport.
Late night buses (Noctilen) are designated by an N+route number.
They cover most of the city that the buses do, but at night
when the rest of the transportation system is closed. The hours
are 12:30 am to 5:30 am. The Noctilien route map is also available
at the RATP website and http://www.noctilien.fr/
