Becoming at least somewhat familiar with the Paris Metro and a Paris Metro map is essential to any Paris visitor. However the map of the Metro may as well be in Greek, if you don’t know basic facts about taking the Paris Metro.

So, you’ve come to the right place because by the time you finish reading this, you’ll get access to the official Paris Metro map, you'll actually be able to decipher it, and you’ll know all the ins and outs of “…riding on the Me-tro!” (lol… that Berlin song really stays with you, doesn’t it?

Paris Metro Facts

The Métropolitain was born July 19, 1900 and is as much a part of the charm of Paris as the more celebrated Eiffel Tower and other glamorous landmarks. Blame this inequity on its more purely utilitarian function, but some exquisitely decorated Metro stations, notably the veritable art gallery look of the Louvre station among others, beg to tell a different story.

From the Art Nouveau style of its distinctive earliest entrances, to the unique design and architecture of stations competing for originality, the Paris Metro is the quintessential showcase of Parisian life.

Civil Engineer Fulgence Bienvenüe supervised the construction of the original Metro. You’ll recognize the surname in metro Montparnasse-Bienvenue, which was named in his honor. Renowned architect Hector Guimard was behind the Art Nouveau look of the signature Paris Metro entrances.

Today, the Paris Metro still blends style and modernity, as exemplified by the latest all automated (no driver) Météor line, to serve a new Parisian cocktail of European, African, Asian faces and the innumerable tourists, all commuting silently.

Despite the silence or the usually muted conversations, the roaring Metro truly has a life of its own, an inescapable groove spiced up by the vivid billboards on the platforms, the impromptu performances of musicians and artists in interchange walkways or trains, and the diverse shops in many stations. If you care to watch, the Metro is truly quite a scene.

It is not uncommon for people to flawlessly know their way underground even without a Paris Metro map, and be almost clueless above ground. So, given all its intricacies, I won’t fault you for figuratively getting lost in the Metro, but I’ll show you how to not literally get lost in it.

Taking the Metro

To ride the Paris Metro is a fact of Parisian life. From 5:30 am to 12:30 am every day, the Metro serves 6 Million out of the 10.5 Million citizens of Paris - unless operations get disrupted by a strike of some sort. Barring that, the Metro is so efficiently thought out that you would be hard pressed to walk a quarter mile in any direction without finding a “bouche de métro” (mouth of the metro) and go anywhere your heart desires.

Before the Metro swallows you to spit you out some place, there is pertinent information the unfamiliar user needs beyond just looking at a Paris Metro map. (Some of the following benefits primarily visitors who are new to mass transit. Feel free to skip over it, or simply pick and choose the information you need).

[Brief Paris Metro Tutorial]

On a Paris Metro map, you’ll see 14 metro lines crisscrossing all over Paris, and complemented by the ever-expanding (RER) suburb-bound Express lines. Metro lines used to be known only by the names of the final stop at each end.

One example is Nation – Porte Dauphine (Line 2). If you entered a Metro station somewhere in the middle of this line and your destination is a stop in the general direction of Porte Dauphine, you would look for signs naming the final stop of the line (Porte Dauphine). Those signs would lead you to the correct platform for your train.

If your destination is not on your current line, your trip requires a change of lines. On the Paris Metro map, you’d want to identify the line your stop is located on, as well as the final stops at each end of that line. (The ones that give you the name of the line).

Then, you’d want to find a station where your current line and the other line cross, so you can switch lines there. That line transfer is called “correspondance”. You’ll see orange correspondance signs inside the stations where these transfers are made. Once your correspondance completed, you’ll be on the correct platform and in the right direction.

Whether you’re navigating with the help of a Paris Metro map or not, the key to not getting lost in the Paris Metro is to keep track of the end stations (the name of the line) in the direction where you’re headed. As you approach platforms, a blue sign on the wall will show that name and list your stop among all the stops left in that direction.

Note: A correspondance may be just a quick hop to the next platform, while the longest ones like metro Châtelet could (although rarely) involve up to a 3 or 4 minute walk, often up and down steep stairs, and some older stations have no escalators. Guess why Parisians stay so slim…

For better clarity, lines have been given numbers and color codes on Paris Metro maps. This will help you recognize your targeted lines more easily. The lobby of each Metro station usually has a Paris Metro map electronic itinerary. On it, you locate your metro stop and push the matching button. Your chosen stop and itinerary will light up in a dotted string of all the stations in your trip, including line changes.

A multiple correspondance itinerary can get hairy. Having lived in Paris a long time, I just quickly memorize my transfers. But if you have to, there’s nothing wrong with writing the details on a piece of paper or putting check marks on your Paris Metro map.

Some travelers prefer to carry a small Paris guide that includes a Paris Metro map and other useful info. I think that’s smart! A good pocket guide will enrich your Paris experience.

Official Paris Metro map foldouts are freely handed out at any Paris Metro station upon request. In French, just ask for a “plan du métro”.

Another option is to look up your itinerary online prior to going out. The Paris transit authority (RATP) has a fancy page that gives you detailed routes for linking any two points you wish, in the Paris region. The itinerary includes the Metro, RER, city buses and even neighborhood maps for the short walk outside. Go to RATP.fr and click on International passengers, then Itinerary.

For online access to the official Paris Metro map, go to RATP.fr and click on International passengers, then Interactive map.

Metro Tickets

The Paris Metro costs €1.40 to “get in”. What I mean by that is, you could ride all day on one ticket as long as you don’t exit the metro. However, once you get out, even if you exit at the wrong stop by mistake, you need a new ticket (unless the attendant really thinks you’re cute).

Thankfully, for those who tend to wander around, deep discounts are offered the more frequently you use the Metro.

A book of 10 tickets called “un carnet” costs €10.70.

An even better deal, if you anticipate going in and out of the Metro and/or other RATP transport networks many times during the course of one day, is the Mobilis card.

It costs €5.40 for unlimited one-day travel within central Paris (zone 1 and 2). The cost increases slightly and incrementally if you travel further out of Paris (zone 3 through 8).

The Mobilis card requires your signature on it for validation. Also, note that it does not include airport transfers or night buses (i.e. between the hours of 00:30 am and 5:30 am).

The unlimited weekly pass Carte Orange costs €15.70 for the same travel area, and incrementally more if you leave central Paris. For instance, a weekly pass for zone 1, 2 and 3 will cost you €20.80.

The Carte Orange pass is also available as an unlimited monthly pass widely used by Parisians. At €51.50 for Zone 1 and 2, it may not make economic sense for visitors.

Carte Orange users need their name as well as an ID photo on the card. The card comes with a plastic holder. The actual ticket fits in a pocket inside the holder. To use the Carte Orange in the Metro or RER, pull the ticket out and insert it in the turnstile slot, the same way you would a regular Metro ticket. Then, retrieve and put your ticket away safely.

This pass is valid for any public transport but be careful when using it on a bus. A regular Metro ticket is to be punched into the ticket machine for validation, but NOT your Carte Orange ticket. This will puncture and demagnetize it. All you need to do is show your Carte Orange to the bus driver.

Finally, there is a cut-off day to buy a weekly Carte Orange. No cards are sold on Thursdays. Any purchase prior to Thursday entitles you to ride for that entire week. After Thursday, the following week applies.

The Paris Visite pass customizes your Paris transportation for 1,2,3 or 5 days. It features unlimited travel on any mode of public transportation, day or night. You only have to select your zones as shown on your Paris Metro map.

For instance, the one-day pass for zone 1 to 3 of your Paris Metro map (Central Paris and vicinity) costs €8.35, 1/2 price for kids 4 to 11 years old. Let’s say that on the day you’re leaving Paris, you wish to ride around all day and head for Charles de Gaulle Airport (located in zone 5) in the evening, your day pass will then cost €16.75 (half for kids).

2, 3 or 5-day option of the Paris Visite card and info on all fares are available at RATP.fr

Some Paris Metro turnstiles are now equipped with an electronic eye which scans the futuristic Navigo Pass. With this card that is quickly replacing the Carte Orange and other long-term subscriber passes, inserting a ticket in the turnstile slot is becoming a thing of the past.

This technology, which seems to be an indication of things to come in mass transit, allows users to validate their trip pass in the blink of an eye and walk right through to the vehicles. It’s not hard to imagine a future without a Paris Metro map, where your pass will work the same as a GPS and help you navigate the Metro.

Between the Navigo Pass and the Météor Line, the future has arrived in the Paris Metro, and so have you.

Web www.myparistrips.com

Back to top