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France Information · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 33 Home Country: france

GETTING AROUND IN FRANCE (PARIS)

Finding your way around Paris is remarkably easy, as the city proper, stripped of its suburbs, is compact and relatively small, with an integrated public transport system - the RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens). The system is cheap, fast and meticulously signposted, comprising buses, underground métro and suburban express trains, known as RER (Réseau Express Régional) trains. The whole network is divided into five zones , though the entire métro system fits into zones 1 and 2.

The métro and RER

The métro (Mº) runs from 5.30am to 12.30am, the RER from 5am to midnight. Stations are far more frequent than on most underground systems, though many entrances are a long way from the platforms and most interchanges involve long walks and lots of stairs. A choice of three free maps is available at most stations: the Grand Plan de Paris for the whole RATP system, which also usefully overlays the métro system onto a map of Paris's streets; the more at-a-glance Petit Plan de Paris ; or the pocket-sized Paris Plan de Poche . In addition, every station has a big map posted.

The métro lines are colour-coded and numbered 1 to 14; the RER lines are designated by the letters A, B, C or D. Within the system, you find your way around by following signs bearing the name of the station at the end of the line in the direction in which you are travelling: Direction Porte Dauphine , Direction Gallieni and so on. The numerous interchanges, or correspondances (look for the orange signs), make it possible to travel anywhere in the city in a more or less straight line.

For RER journeys beyond the city, make sure that the station you want is illuminated on the platform display board

Buses

Free bus route maps are available at métro stations, bus terminals and the tourist office; the best is the Grand Plan de Paris . Every bus stop displays the numbers of the buses that stop there, a map showing all the stops on the route, and the times of the first and last buses. Only the #20 bus is designed to be easily accessible for wheelchairs and prams. Generally speaking, buses run from around 6.30am to 8.30pm, with some services continuing to 12.30am. Many lines do not operate on Sundays and holidays, or run a reduced service.

From mid-April to mid-September, a special Balabus service passes all the major tourist sights between La Défense Grande Arche and Gare de Lyon, on Sundays and holidays between noon and 9pm; the entire route takes about fifty minutes. Bus stops are marked "Balabus"; standard bus fares apply.

Night buses (Noctambus) ply eighteen routes every hour from 1am to 5.30am, linking place du Châtelet, near the Hôtel de Ville, with the suburbs. Again, there is a reduced service on Sunday.

Taxis

Taxi charges are fairly reasonable - between €6.10 and €10.67 for a central daytime journey, though considerably more if you call one out. There are three different fare rates: indicator lights on the roof of the taxi tell you which fare is being applied. "A" indicates the daytime rate (7am-7pm; around €0.53/km) for Paris and the boulevard périphérique; "B" is the rate for Paris at night (7pm-7am), on Sundays and on public holidays, and for the suburbs during the day (around €0.83/km); "C" is the night rate for the suburbs (€1.07/km). When you get into the taxi, check that the meter shows the appropriate fare rate. In addition, there's a pick-up charge and a time charge (around €18.29/hr) for when the car is stationary, an additional €0.76 charge if you're picked up from a mainline train station, and a €0.95 charge per piece of luggage.

Taxis will often refuse to take more than three people (they don't like you to sit in the front seat); if they do take you, they'll charge extra for the fourth person. Tipping is not mandatory, but ten percent will be expected. Finding one of Paris's 470 taxi ranks (arrêt taxi) is usually better than trying to hail one down in the street. The large white light means the taxi is free; the orange light below means it's engaged.

Boats

A passenger boat, known as the Batobus , operates from May to September, stopping at six points along the Seine in this order: port de la Bourdonnais (Eiffel Tower- Trocadéro), quai de Solférino (Musée d'Orsay), quai Malaquais (Saint Germain-des-Prés), quai de Montebello (Notre-Dame), quai de l'Hôtel de Ville (Hôtel-de-Ville-Pompidou Centre) and quai du Louvre (Musée du Louvre). Boats run every thirty minutes or so from 10am to 7pm: total journey time is twenty minutes, and tickets cost €3.05 for the first stop, €1.52 for subsequent stops, or €9.15 for a day pass.

Car Rental

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.

To rent a car, you'll need to present a passport, a driver's license, and a credit card. You'll also have to meet the company's minimum age requirement. (For the least expensive cars, this is 21 at Hertz, 23 at Avis, and 25 at Budget. More expensive cars might require that you be at least 25.)

Note: The best deal is usually a weekly rental with unlimited mileage. All car-rental bills in France are subject to a 19.6% government tax. Though the rental company won't usually mind if you drive your car into, say, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, or Spain, it's often forbidden to transport your car by ferry, including across the Channel to England.

In France, collision damage waiver (CDW) is usually factored into the overall rate quoted, but you should always verify this, of course, before taking a car on the road. At most companies, the CDW waiver provision won't protect you against theft, so if this is the case, ask about purchasing extra theft protection.

Automatic transmission is a luxury in Europe, so if you want it, you'll pay dearly.

Budget (www.budget.com) has about 30 locations in Paris and at Orly (tel. 01-49-75-56-00) and Charles de Gaulle (tel. 01-48-62-70-21). For rentals of more than 7 days, you can usually pick up a car in one French city and drop it off in another, but there are extra charges. Drop-offs in cities within an easy drive of the French border (including Geneva and Frankfurt) incur no extra charge; you can arrange drop-offs in other non-French cities for a reasonable surcharge.

Hertz (www.hertz.com) maintains about 15 locations in Paris, including offices at the city's airports. The main office is at 27 place St-Ferdinand, 17e (tel. 01-45-74-97-39; Métro: Argentine). Be sure to ask about promotional discounts.

Avis (www.avis.com) has offices at both Paris airports and an inner-city headquarters at 5 rue Bixio, 7e (tel. 01-44-18-10-50; Métro: Ecole Militaire), near the Eiffel Tower.

National (www.nationalcar.com) is represented in Paris by Europcar, whose largest office is at 165 bis rue de Vaugirard, 15e (tel. 01-44-38-61-61; Métro: Pasteur). It has offices at both Paris airports and at about a dozen other locations.

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.

Fat Tire Bike Tours, 24 rue Edgar Faure, 75015 Paris (tel. 01-56-58-10-54; www.fattirebiketours.com/bikes/services/bike-rental.shtml; Métro: Blvd. de Grenelle), rents bicycles hourly, by the day, week, or month, charging €2 per hour; €15 per day/24 hours; €25 2 consecutive days/48 hours; €50 weekly; and €65 monthly. You must leave a €200 deposit. This company (formerly Mike's Bike Tours) also provides bike tours, as well as Segway tours.