Public
Transport
The Régie Autonome
des Transports Parisiens or RATP
(telephone number: (08) 9268 4114 for information in English or
(08) 9268 7714) is an integrated, five-zone system of bus,
métro and trains that is
both cheap and efficient (except during strikes, which are frequent).
The 14 métro lines extend into zones one
and two in central Paris. Métros
operate daily 0530 hrs - 0030 hrs, lines are colour-coded and designated
by numbers. They are also clearly signposted with the names of the
terminus station. The newest addition (line 14 métro Météor)
runs from Gare St-Lazare to Bibliothèque
François Mitterrand using brand new driverless trains.
Free transport maps are available at bus terminals, métro
stations, and the tourist office.
The RER (Réseau Express Régional)
suburban express network has five lines (A, B,
C, D and E) covering
five zones and operating daily 0500 hrs-0110 hrs with journey times
generally much faster than the métro for distances covered.
The system is linked to the métro network and some SNCF
trains.
The bus system is easy to use in Paris. Bus routes are numbered
and stops display the buses that stop there, while a map shows all
the stops on the route and the bus times. Most buses run from Monday
to Saturday 0630-2100 hrs; some continue until 0130 hrs. Services
are reduced by approximately half on Sundays and bank holidays.
Night buses, called Noctambuses run on 18 routes, Monday to Saturday
0100-0530 hrs hourly, with a reduced service on Sunday. The night
bus service cuts between place du Châtelet by the Hôtel
de Ville and the suburbs.
Tickets
The same tickets are valid on the bus, métro and RER (within
zones one and two only) but not
night buses (see below). One ticket is sufficient for a single bus
ride, for an RER journey (within zones one and
two only) or a métro journey. One ticket
allows for changes (correspondances) of lines on the RER and the
métro, however, separate tickets are required for changes
between buses or between bus and métro/RER.
Tickets should be validated on entry and kept until the end of the
journey to avoid on-the-spot fines. Cost of single ticket €1.40,
a carnet of ten tickets costs €10.50. Tickets, carnets and
passes are all available for purchase from stations and tabacs and
only single tickets may be purchased from the bus driver.
Night buses require separate tickets, which cost
€2.40 each and allow one change. Weekly or monthly travel passes
(see below) may also be used on night buses.
A mobilis day pass costs €5 for central Paris
and €11.70 for five zones including the airports. Paris
Visites offer one, two, three and five-day visitors passes
at €8.35, €13.70, €18.25 and €26.65 respectively
for Paris and its immediate suburbs (zones 1-3), or €16.75,
€26.65, €37.35 and €45.70 to include transport to
the airports, Versailles and Disneyland Paris (zones 1-5). There
are reductions for childrens tickets. These are available for purchase
at the airports, métro and RER stations and tourist offices.
For longer stays, the Carte Orange, with a weekly
coupon (coupon hebdomadaire), for sale at all métro stations,
provides excellent value. At €15.40, it allows a week of travel
in zones one and two. There is
also a monthly Carte Orange priced at €50.40
for zones one and two. Tickets
covering more zones are also available. The Carte Orange
reusable ticket should be validated at the métro turnstile
and shown to the driver.
Taxis
Taxis can be hailed in the street or at taxi ranks (arrêts
taxis) found at airports, stations and close to main road junctions.
A free taxi can be difficult to find, especially on Friday and Saturday
nights. A yellow light displayed on the roof shows that the taxi
is available for hire and an orange light shows the taxi is in use.
Taxi ranks have telephones, so if there are no cars in the rank
you telephone for one.
A daytime journey in central Paris tends to cost between €6
and €10, on tariff A. Journeys after 1900 hrs, on Sundays,
bank holidays and in the suburbs are more expensive, tariff B. The
most expensive rate is tariff C and this applies to the suburbs
and airports at night and districts outside Paris during the day.
There are additional charges for pick-up (€2) and various other
situations, including extra passengers, luggage (€0.90) and
waiting. The minimum charge for a taxi ride is €5.10. Tipping
is not compulsory but drivers expect around 10 per cent.
Taxi numbers are displayed at the taxi ranks and listed in the yellow
pages. These include:
Alpha Taxis (telephone
number: (01) 4585 8585)
Taxis Bleus (telephone
number: (0891) 701 010)
Taxis G7 (telephone
number: (01) 4739 4739)
Limousines
Major providers are Elite
Limousines (telephone number: (01) 4720 7020); ExecutiveCar
(telephone number: (01) 4265 5431), and Paris
France Limousines (telephone number: (01) 4344 1272). Rates
start at €60 per hour, with driver.
Driving
in the City
Driving in central Paris is not advised and not easy. Most hotels
do not have garages, parking is difficult with illegally parked
cars being towed away and traffic jams (embouteillages) are frequent.
While the average speed in the métro is 27kph (17mph), the
average road speed is 18kph (11mph) and even slower during the rush
hours (Monday to Friday 0730-0900 hrs and 1700-1900 hrs).
Parking prices vary throughout Paris but are in the region of €1.50-€3
an hour, for a maximum of 2 hours. Most legal street-side parking
spaces are marked ‘payant’, coins of
€0.20, €0.50 and €1 may be used for the pay-and-display
parking machines (horodateurs). Paris also has numerous underground
and covered car parks in the city centre, costing around €2.50
per hour or approximately €15 for periods of 12-24 hours. These
include the Arc de Triomphe, place de la
Concorde and near the Forum des Halles. Many municipal
garages close at around 2300 hrs and some are closed on Sunday.
The only good news is that parking is usually free on weekends and
on weekdays before 0900 hrs and after 1900 hrs.
Car
Hire
The minimum age for car hire varies from 21
to 25 years depending on which car hire company is used.
Drivers must have held a national driving licence for at least one
year. It is usually requested that the cost is paid for with the
driver’s credit card.
Major car hire companies include
Avis
(telephone number: (08) 2002 4034 or (01) 4418 1054)
Budget
(telephone number: (01) 4884 6029)
Europcar
(telephone number: (01) 3044 9384)
Hertz (telephone number: (01) 3938 3000 or (01)
4703 4912)
National
Citer (telephone number: (01) 4438 6045)
Sixt
(telephone number: (01) 4438 5552.
Local firms include ADA,
with numerous branches (telephone number: (08) 2516 9169) and Rent
A Car (telephone number: (01) 5358 4000).
Average car hire rates are approximately €60 per day or €200
per week.
Bicycle & Scooter
Hire
The Mairie de Paris embarked on a scheme to introduce
cycle lanes in 1996, which now total 100km (62 miles). Various maps
and cycling guides can be found in bookstores and at some cycle
shops.
Bicycle hire companies include Bike’N Roller, 38 rue Faubert,
7th (telephone number: (01) 4407 3589), Paris
à Vélo C’est Sympa!, 37 boulevard Bourdon,
4th (telephone number: (01) 4887 6001) and Paris Vélo,
4 rue du Fer-à-Moulin, 5th (telephone number: (01) 4337 5922).
Bicycle hire costs from around €12.50 per day.
Scooters and motorbikes are available for hire from Atelier
de la Compagnie, 57 boulevard de Grenelle, 15th (telephone
number: (01) 4579 7724) and SEJEM,
144 boulevard Voltaire, 11th (telephone number: (01) 4493 0403).
Scooter rental costs from €20-€150 a day depending on
the scooter’s cc, the day and place of hire. |
