How the Paris Metro Works | Getting around Paris

If you're taking the Paris Metro, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself

will it be quicker to walk? See, let's do a little experiment

I got a subway stop right behind me here at Saint-Michel. And let's walk to Cité

Start the clock. And we got Notre Dame right here. We got the Saint-Chapelle behind us and we got the subway behind us

2 minutes 20, probably not where it was. The Paris metro is the second busiest metro in Europe with over 300 stations and 226 km

of track. It's also the densest subway system in the world. The average distance between stops is a mere 730 meters

That's two times shorter than the London Tube. The metro is the fastest way to get around Paris if you are traveling further than a kilometer

And it's an icon of the city. I'm Loic with Brightrip and I want to show you how to master the Paris metro

So let's start with a little bit of history. This idea for a city subway emerged in the mid 1800s to answer the need of a growing population

From 1860 to 1900, the inner Paris population had gone from about 1.8 million people to

2.8 million. And with the industrial revolution in full swing, creating a way for people and goods

to move about the city was crucial. On top of this, Paris wanted to prove it could keep up with other

major booming cities like New York and London. But building this was no small task. They had to

tear apart major streets to build tunnels through the center of the city and then fill it up and put

everything back together. In some cases, like to cross the Seine river, they would pre-build full

sections of the tunnel in a nearby location that they would then transport to the building

site to bury underground. In 1900, when the city was hosting both the world's fair and the Olympic games, Paris

unveiled its metro to the world, with one line in operation. 120 years later, the system has grown into a sprawling, dense collection of tunnels and

tracks with most stops within two minutes walking distance of one another

Although the system is mostly an underground system, there are a few above ground lines

in Paris. So, sail till the end of the video and I'll share with you which line to ride to get the

best view of the city. Let's master this beast in three steps

How to read the map, how to find your way around and how to pay for your ride

First, the map. Mapping a subway system is one thing and mapping it is another

All around the world, metro maps can often be abstract and not reflect the actual landscape

For example, look at this map of New York next to a map of its subway

But the Paris metro map strikes actually a pretty good balance, so being familiar with

it can generally be useful for navigating above ground too. Just know that it still isn't a perfect representation of the city

And although this is a subway map it will actually be showing you three types of public transport The Metro which uses numbers the RER which uses letters and the Tramway which also uses numbers but with a T in front of them

The Metro is the main subway system you will be using. The RER and suburban trains are sort of bigger, faster Metro

that goes out further out of the city. and the tramway is an above-ground rail that circles the city mostly

I'll get back to the RER and tramway later. For now, let's focus on the metro

There are a total of 16 metro lines in Paris, numbered from 1 to 14 plus 3 bis and 7 bis

lines that were initially part of line 3 and 7 but were separated later

You will most likely be using almost all the different lines if you move around the city a lot

But some that might be more key in the layout are the line 2, 1 and 6 crossing the city east to west

and the 13, 12 or 7 that line the city north to south

If you travel in Paris, you will also pass by Châtelet, Montparnasse, République or Saint-Lazare

at some point to change trains. If you plan a trip with the metro, you'll find that you will almost always have to switch lines at some point

The whole system is designed to get you anywhere, and I really mean you won't be walking more than five minutes anywhere

with a maximum of two train changes. So it really is a network with multiple lines linked by major hubs so that the whole city is covered

Again, this might seem complicated, but once you get it, it's crazy powerful

It might be clearer with an example. So let's take a look at those two stops on the map, Place de l'Etoile and Nation

They are connected with three lines, line 2 in the north, line 1 along the Seine, and line 6 in the south

If you just want to go from one to the other, the quickest way will be line 1

But these lines are also the building blocks to move efficiently from one corner of the city to the other

If from that same spot you wanted to go to Saint-Lazare, then you would take line 2 then 3

If you want to go to République, then you would take line 1 then 8

And if you are going to a tennis match at Roland-Garros, then you take line 6 then 10

With the Paris subway, you are almost always changing trains when going from A to B

Looking at a map, you'll notice these white bubbles. This means that it is a connection spot between two lines

Some are just between two lines, and some are a bit messier

This is because they might also connect with other transport. This is where the RER comes in, the thicker lines right here

These will help you reach the greater area of Paris from the city itself

If you took a train from or to one of the major airports, then you've most likely taken

the RER B. If you want to visit Disneyland, you'll have to hop on the RER A

Inside Paris, you can use the RER with a regular subway ticket, and the general approach is

exactly the same as for the metro. It sometimes makes sense to hop on the RER because they go faster

But if you stick to using only the metro within Paris, you will be fine

Just know that because the ROR can sometimes go further out of Paris

and that means it can be slightly more expensive than your normal ticket

use the ticket again to get into the ROR zones inside the transport hubs if you staying within Paris itself your normal ticket will work to get in and out of those zones

and you won't have to pay anything more but if you go further out you will need to buy a ticket

in advance to figure out if you're staying within the normal price limits for the RER look out for

this symbol on the map. If you cross it, it is more expensive. Then these guys with the square

station markers are tramways. If one of the stops is highlighted by a thin black square on the map

it means it connects with the metro or RER. The lines you most likely will use are the ones that

basically circle the entire city. Okay, so that's the map. Now let's cover how to actually get around

riding the trains. To get on the metro, find any entrance mark with a bright yellow M or with the famous Art

Nouveau signs. Above ground, you'll find a sign with the name of the station, what trains run in it

and a map. You can enter using any entrance as long as you already have a ticket, as some entrants

won't have access to a vending machine to buy tickets. Once you're in, you'll be able to follow signs that show a line number and a direction

corresponding to the final destination of the train you want to board

Each line has a tunnel going in both directions. You can double check that you're in the right place in multiple ways

First, there are those signs before heading down onto the platform that tell you which

line you are on and which direction you are going. Here you can find the name of all the upcoming stations for this direction, as well as connecting

lines printed next to each station on the list. Then on the platform itself, you'll find a sign showing on what line you are, what direction

you're going and when the two next trains are coming. If you're using the two lines that have a branch, line 7 and 13, this sign will also

let you know on what side of that branch are the next train going

If you are on a station and you realize that you've messed up and you're on the wrong destination

side, most of the time you can just go to the end of the platform, you can just walk

up and get back down on the other side to take the train to the right destination

So it's quite easy. Then on some of the trains themselves, you will also have maps with dots lit up to indicate

which stop are up next or you'll have announcements. So you really have to actively not pay attention to get it wrong and not realize it

When you get to the final subway stop of your journey, look out for those maps on the platform

Those are like the walk around area of the map. At the center you'll have the subway station where you're in and then around it that blue circle

It represents about 5 minutes of walking at a leisurely pace. and one thing that I love on this one specifically in Gare de Lyon you have one two three four

subway stations basically within seven minutes of slow walking of each other

Okay so now we know our way around a little better. Finally let's go over the tickets and how to pay for your ride

Up until very recently, the general norm was to pay for the ride with single-use disposable

paper tickets. Basically in the era of smartphones Parisians and visitors were using 1900s technology Fortunately Paris is slowly retiring this ticket and replacing it with a metro card Welcome to the 21st century Paris it nice to see you here

You can buy this card for a small fee and then recharge it as needed. If you

have a new-ish phone, you can download an app to get a virtual card or to load

tickets onto your normal metro card. Otherwise, there are vending machines that you can use to buy tickets or passes. If you are just passing through

individual tickets are just shy of a couple of euros so it's still pretty

affordable. You can buy them individually or in packages and load them onto your

metro card. If you are staying on holiday and planning on moving around the city

a lot with the metro, which I do recommend, then just go ahead and take an

unlimited pass valid for one to five days. You see the Paris train system is actually divided between the center of Paris and then

sort of like the suburban wider areas and it's divided in zones, a total of five zones

which you can see with those white and gray areas here. Paris itself is zone 1 and the immediate suburbs are zone 2 and 3

Those are the base level for any ticket. But if you plan to visit Disneyland Paris, Versailles, the Fontainebleau Forest or using

the RER to get to one of the airports, those are all in zone 5

So depending on your program, you can choose between unlimited paths for zone 1, 2 and

3 or an all zone everything unlimited pass. All right, so that covers how you can pay for your ride

One last piece of information you should be aware of is that the Parisian subway system is not a 24-hour system

Trains usually start running around 5.30 a.m. and stop at 1.15 a.m. on weekdays

an hour later on Fridays, Saturdays, and bank holidays eve. Also, if trains run every two to five minutes during the day, they get a little sparser as the night goes on

So take all of that into account if you go and enjoy the city's nightlife

I know this might seem like a lot of information, but after just a few times using the system

you'll realize that you can travel all over the city in a pretty efficient way

And on this, I have to recommend the RATP app. It's the official app and it's a must if you're visiting the city as it will always give you the

best way to go from point A to point B, where to take which line, when the next trains are

and even what exit to take out of the subway station when you get to your destination

If you're here as promised, you have to ride Line 6. It's one of those mostly above ground lines with

beautiful views of the city. And the most iconic place to ride it is between Passy and Biarracane

You're going to be on this bridge above me. You'll have this beautiful view with the Eiffel Tower on the side

You have beautiful Lausmane buildings all around. It's really nice, it's really beautiful

You should ride it one way and then walk back down the other way

I hope this gives you a little bit more clarity on how to use the Parisian metro

And if you're looking for inspiration on Paris, we've made a whole course with Nathaniel Drou on the history of the city

through its most famous monuments. you should go and check it out

Remember to like, share, subscribe, do all the things. And I'll see you next time

Ciao