The Metro

 

The Metro, which was built during the Paris Exibition of 1900, is certainly the best way to get round Paris. The buses give you better scenery but can be very slow, especially during rush hours.

The bus, Metro and RER network is divided into 5 zones for the whole of the Paris region. Zones 1 and 2 correspond to the city of Paris itself and a little of the suburbs. Make sure you buy a ticket with the right number of zones when you travel outside Paris. If stopped with the wrong ticket, you could play the Dumb-American-Tourist, but they'll probably fine you anyway.

 

In Paris the same ticket is used for the Metro, buses and RER. Hold on to your ticket for the entire journey as it may be checked at any moment by inspectors. There are ticket offices at every RATP and RER station; tickets can also be bought at the "tabacs", that is, where you buy your smokes.

A Metro ticket costs 8 francs or 48 for a carnet of 10 tickets. If you are going to use the Metro alot other formulas could prove more economic.

Carte "Formule 1": This ticket allows you to travel as much as you want during one day. The tarif depends on the number of zones you choose.

Carte "Paris-Visite": This ticket allows you travel first class (though you won't notice the difference) as much as you want during 2, 3, or 5 days. It also offers you reductions of between 20 and 35% on many of the tourist sites in Paris. It is quite expensive and only worth considering if you want to shove a helluva lot of culture into a short space of time.

Carte orange hebdomadaire: This ticket allows you an unlimited number of voyages (second class, but again you won't notice the difference) for a whole week from Monday to Sunday. The Parisains choice and probably the best value for money.

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