Transportation in FranceParis Subway (Metro)

Paris has one of the best subway systems in the world. Not only does it run often, a 'long' wait is considered five minutes! But, no matter where you are in Paris your never more that 500 meters from a subway station. The Paris subway is a great way to get around and see Paris, all stations have free maps and some even have machines that sell tickets in English.

The Paris subway, known as the metro (short for Metropolitan) to locals, consists of 14 lines numbered 1 to 14. The Paris subway should not be confused with the RER (Reseaux Express Reginale) that has 5 lines (lettered A through E). Whereas the subway only runs in Paris the RER runs in Paris and its suburbs.

Once you get the hang of things, getting around with the Paris subway is easy. If your are going to be using the Paris subway a lot it would be advisable to buy your tickets in groups of ten. Know as a 'Carnet' as this is much cheaper than buying tickets one by one.

Related Links:
Paris Pages; Metro / RER / Bus
THE PARIS METRO