Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [108]
It’s essential to know the name of the last station on the line you take, as this name appears on all signs. You can make as many connections as you wish on one ticket.
Keep your ticket during your journey; you’ll need it to leave the RER system and to avoid being fined, as inspectors appear regularly.
In general, the métro is safe, although try to avoid the larger, mazelike stations at Châtelet-Les Halles and République if you’re alone late at night.
Parisian pickpockets are famously discreet, so be aware of your surroundings.
TAXI TRAVEL
On weekend nights after 11 PM, and during the morning rush, it’s nearly impossible to find a taxi—you’re best off asking hotel or restaurant staff to call you one, but, be forewarned: you’ll have to pay for them to come get you and, depending on where they are, the fare can quickly add up.
If you want to hail a cab on your own, look for the taxis with their signs lighted up (their signs will be glowing white as opposed to the taxis that are already taken whose signs will be a dull orange).
There are taxi stands on almost every major street corner but again, expect a wait if it’s a busy weekend night.
Taxi stands are marked by a square dark blue sign with a white T in the middle.
There’s a basic hire charge of €2.10 for all rides, and a minimum voyage charge of €5.60.
Expect a €1 supplement per bag after the second piece, and a €2.70 supplement for a fourth person.
Taxi G7 (01–47–39–47–39) is one of the most reliable taxi companies in Paris.
TRAIN TRAVEL
Paris has five international train stations run by the SNCF: (3635; outside of France, 00338–92–35–35–35 [€0.34 per min] | www.sncf.fr). Gare du Nord; Gare St-Lazare; Gare de l’Est; Gare de Lyon; and Gare d’Austerlitz. Trains heading outside of Ile-de-France are usually referred to as Grandes Lignes, while regional train service is referred to as trains de banlieue, or Le Transilien.
RER (3246 [€0.34 per min] | www.ratp.com) trains travel between Paris and the suburbs and are operated by the RATP.
When they go through Paris, they act as a sort of baby métro —they connect with the métro network at several points—and can be great time-savers.
Access to RER platforms is through the same type of automatic ticket barrier (if you’ve started your journey on the métro, you can use the same ticket), but you’ll need to have the same ticket handy to put through another barrier when you leave the system.
BUS TOURS
For a two-hour orientation tour by bus, the standard price is about €25. The two largest bus-tour operators are Cityrama (4 pl. des Pyramides, 1er | 75001 | 01–44–55–61–00 | www.ecityrama.com) andParis Vision (214 rue de Rivoli, 1er | 75001 | 01–42–60–30–01 | www.parisvision.com | 53 bis, quai des Grands-Augustins, 6e | 75008 | 08–92–68–41–14 | Pl. de la Madeleine, 8e | 75008) ; for a more intimate tour of the city, Cityrama also runs several minibus excursions per day with a private multilingual tour operator for about €80. Paris Vision runs nonstop two-hour tours with multilingual commentary available via individual headphones with more than 10 languages for €24, or €38 for a 2.5 hour night tour with boat ride.
Paris L’Open Tour (13 rue Auber, 9e | 75009 | 01–44–55–61–00 | www.pariscityrama.com) gives tours in a double-decker bus with an open top; commentary is available in French and English on individual headphones. Get on or off at one of the 50 pickup points indicated by the lime-green sign posts; tickets may be purchased on board and cost €29 for one day, €32 for unlimited use for two days.
Les Cars Rouges (01–53–95–39–53 | www.carsrouges.com) offer double-decker London-style buses with nine stops—a ticket for two consecutive days is available for €24.
RATP (Paris Transit Authority) also offers economical, commentary-free excursions; the Montmartrobus (€1.80) departs from métro Anvers and zips through the winding cobbled streets