Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [292]
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METRO & RER NETWORKS
Paris’ underground network, run by RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisians), consists of two separate but linked systems: the Métropolitain, aka the métro, with 14 lines and 373 stations (one more will open in 2008 and another in 2010); and the RER (Réseau Express Régional), a network of suburban lines (designated A to E and then numbered) that pass through the city centre. When giving the names of stations in this book, the term ‘metro’ is used to cover both the Métropolitain and the RER system within Paris proper.
Information
Metro maps of various sizes and degrees of detail are available for free at metro ticket windows; several can also be downloaded for free from the highly informative, comprehensive and useful RATP website (www.ratp.fr).
For information on the metro, RER and bus systems, contact RATP ( 3246, 0 892 693 246; www.ratp.fr, in French; 7am-9pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun).
Metro
Each metro train is known by the name of its terminus. On maps and plans each line has a different colour and number (from 1 to 14); Parisians usually refer to the line number.
Signs in metro and RER stations indicate the way to the correct platform for your line. The direction signs on each platform indicate the terminus. On lines that split into several branches (like lines 3, 7 and 13), the terminus of each train is indicated on the cars with backlit panels, and often on the increasingly common electronic signs on each platform giving the number of minutes until the next train.
Signs marked correspondance (transfer) show how to reach connecting trains. At stations with many intersecting lines, like Châtelet and Montparnasse Bienvenüe, walking from one train to the next can take a long time.
Different station exits are indicated by white-on-blue sortie (exit) signs. You can get your bearings by checking the plan du quartier (neighbourhood maps) posted at exits.
Each line has its own schedule, but trains usually start at around 5.30am, with the last train beginning its run between 12.35am and 1am (2.15am on Friday and Saturday).
RER
The RER is faster than the metro but the stops are much further apart. Some attractions, particularly those on the Left Bank (eg the Musée d’Orsay, Eiffel Tower and Panthéon), can be reached far more conveniently by the RER than by the metro.
RER lines are known by an alphanumeric combination – the letter (A to E) refers to the line, the number to the spur it will follow somewhere out in the suburbs. As a rule of thumb, even-numbered RER lines head for Paris’ southern or eastern suburbs, while odd-numbered ones go north or west. All trains whose four-letter codes (indicated both on the train and on the lightboard) begin with the same letter share the same terminus. Stations served are usually indicated on electronic destination boards above the platform.
Tickets & Fares
The same RATP tickets are valid on the metro, the RER (for travel within the city limits), buses, trams and the Montmartre funicular. A ticket – white in colour and called un ticket – costs €1.50 if bought individually and €11.10 for adults (half-price for children aged four to nine years for a carnet (book) of 10. Tickets are sold at all metro stations; ticket windows and vending machines accept most credit cards.
One metro/bus ticket lets you travel between any two metro stations (no return journeys) for a period of 1½ hours, no matter how many transfers are required. You can also use it on the RER for travel within zone 1. A single ticket can be used to transfer between buses, but not to transfer from the metro to bus or vice-versa.
Always keep your ticket until you exit from your station; you may be stopped by a contrôleur (ticket inspector) and will have to pay a fine (€25 to €50 on the spot or €47