Paris is the most mysterious and romantic city on the planet. Millions of tourists from all over the world visit this wonderful place every year. Most of the population has ever dreamed of visiting this city as Paris has wonderful architecture as well as delicious food.
The capital of France is considered a place where something interesting almost always happens. You will definitely not be left without an event during your arrival, every time there is something.
Of course, there are a lot of architectural sights in Paris, this number also includes the metro. It is quite interesting and beautiful here.
Metro in Paris
Metro in Paris is considered one of the easiest and most budgetary ways to travel. In addition, the metro of the capital of France is one of the historical architectural sights.
The metro was built at the beginning of the twentieth century and is considered one of the oldest in the world. Most tourists point out thatthe subway here is quite convenient and comfortable. It is considered a big plus that it is possible to meet stations on the streets of the city at almost every step.
Trains run every two minutes during business hours and every five minutes during non-working hours. It is known that in many European cities the traffic interval is very large, but this is not about Paris at all.
As you know, the metro in the French capital is the second busiest in Europe after the Moscow metro. About four million people visit here every day.
At the moment, more than three hundred metro stations have been built in the French capital and about sixty have a transfer station. There are also sixteen branches here. It is believed that this is quite a lot for Europe. Lines 1 and 14 are operated by high-speed trains, which have no drivers and are controlled automatically.
The Paris Metro runs mostly through tunnels. Many stations can also be seen along the historic streets of the city. For example, the first line passes through the Champs Elysees.
Paris Metro: History
As mentioned above, the subway in Paris was built at the beginning of the twentieth century. In Europe, it was the fourth in a row, which suggests that this subway is one of the oldest in Europe. Before him, the underground was built in England (London and Glasgow), as well as Budapest.
It is interesting that the first stations of the city were built exclusively along the streets and avenues, since there were cellars everywhere, as well ascellars of houses. Because of this, many stations in the French capital are not very level, and the platforms are a little crooked.
The construction of the very first line lasted a little more than a year and a half. The presentation of the Paris metro stations was timed to coincide with the World Exhibition in 1900. All visitors to the event could ride for free along the branch line from the Château de Vincennes station to Port Mayo.
It is known that almost all existing lines in modern times were built before the twentieth century of the last century. In the central part of Paris, the construction of stations took place very carefully and densely.
By 1969, RER trains were running in Paris. They run to this day and are fast.
The difference between Paris metro and RER
What is the difference between the regular Paris metro and RER trains? The fact is that RER corporation trains run not only within the city. They also go to the suburbs.
As for the electric trains of this company, they are very comfortable, and with the help of them, citizens and tourists have the opportunity to get from the city center to the nearest cities and suburbs. Moreover, the price for the trip is not very different. For excellent speed you will need to pay about two euros.
How to understand that the trains are RER?
RER trains are drawn with colored lines on the Paris Metro maps. Branches are indicated by Latin letters, and ordinary ones by numbers. RER has 5 lines - A, B, C, D, E.
Subway stations
Howwe said above, most of the stations are underground, as well as in historical places. Many travelers sometimes find it quite difficult to find them. Remember, the entrance to the station is marked with the letter "M" or the sign of the Metropolitan. So you definitely won't get confused.
By the way, interesting entrance groups, once made in the Art Deco style, have been preserved at the oldest stations of the city.
It cannot be said that the lines of the Paris metro are an example to follow, since only fifty stations out of the existing three hundred are equipped with special elevators for the sick and the elderly.
Many tourists, unfortunately, cannot find their way out of the subway very often. In this case, you just need to find the Sortie sign, and the problem will be solved quickly. The main thing is not to panic.
And if you don't know which exit you need, you need to look at the map of the Paris metro (it is not available in Russian) in the station lobby.
The most interesting facts about the metro in Paris
Here are some interesting facts:
- The Paris metro has several stations named after events that once took place in the Russian Federation. For example, there is a station "Stalingrad". As you might guess, the name was given in honor of the famous bloody Battle of Stalingrad, which took place during the Second World War. In addition, there are stations "Sevastopol" and "Crimea". The second - as a tribute to the events of the Crimean War in the nineteenth century.
- Average train speedin Paris is only 30 km/h, which is quite a bit.
- Practically every branch of the Paris metro has trains with only five cars. The exception is the first branch, as well as the fourteenth.
- In the early years of the metro in Paris, there were two classes. Their prices varied greatly.
- You can always ask for a mini-map from the Paris metro staff to make it easier to navigate the stations and metro lines.
- Most of the cars are opened manually. To do this, just press the green button located on the door, and pull the lever. Automatic door opening occurs on line 1 as well as 14.
- In the new trains in Paris, the announcer announces the station to which the car has arrived, as well as the next one. It is interesting that in the old trains, stops, unfortunately, are not announced. In order not to miss your stop, you need to carefully monitor the traffic.
- The name of the branch in Paris is determined by the names of the final stops, as well as the number.
- At almost all stops there is a sign with the time of arrival of the train, as well as the duration of the route in kilometers.
Purchasing tickets
As you know, tickets in the city are valid for all transport. That is, if you buy a card inside any station, it will be valid for a tram, bus, trolleybus. Remember that these cards must be kept until the end of the trip, because if the controller comes to you and you do not have a ticket, youyou will be fined.
At the moment, the price for one trip in the metro of Paris is 1.90 euros. This pass is called ticket+. You can buy tickets in special vending machines located at every station in the city. In no case do not try to slip through the turnstiles in the subway, because you are more likely to be caught immediately and imposed a huge fine. Compared to many other cities in Europe, there are many discreet controllers walking around here. You are taking a big risk. The fine for traveling without a ticket is one hundred euros.
The purchased ticket is valid for ninety minutes from the moment you apply it to the turnstile. Such cards allow you to make only one transplant. Here is such a system in the metro of the capital of France. Not many countries practice this.
Many people would think that these tickets can only be used on ordinary old trains in the capital, but no. You can use the RER trains, which run only within the city. To travel outside of it, you need to buy separate tickets. For example, if you want to go to Disneyland or to Versailles. This can be done in the same machines, but then you need to choose another direction or ask the station workers to help you with this. This system also applies to the RER trains, which many ride from the airport.
Favorable travel card for long stays - NaviGo
Many travelers like to come here for two weeks or even a month. Then buying a regular travel card is not particularly profitable. Coststhink about buying a special card in the Paris metro (photo above).
This pass is called NaviGo. With it, you can buy a weekly ticket at a bargain price of 22 euros. If this is not done, you will have to pay much more, and this is not very profitable.
This wonderful card is valid for absolutely all transport within the French capital. If you want to buy a ticket immediately for a month, then its price will be 88 euros.
To top up the card, you need to do it either through the machine or using the cash register.
To pass through the turnstile with this pass, you need to put it on top of a special field.
Great Paris Pass
There is another very interesting travel card called the Paris Pass. This card is designed only for tourists, local residents do not use it. In addition to favorable travel, it has the opportunity to visit some museums for free. In addition, you are guaranteed a discount on many services in the city.
These cards are usually for two, four and six days. They are sold in several places. It is possible to purchase at any RER metro station, at tourist offices, as well as at newspaper and tobacco kiosks. Occasionally found in FNAC stores.
Important metro information
In many countries, not only in France, strikes sometimes take place. Therefore, it happens that getting to one or another station will not work at all.
And the government behind the subwayquite carefully monitored, and often many stations undergo repairs. All this is done for the benefit of the citizens, as well as tourists.
It is also important to remember that many RER train stations close quite early.
Paris metro opening hours
As you know, the metro in Paris is open from Sunday to Thursday from half past five in the morning until half past one at night, on the remaining two days - until 1:40. It's pretty standard. This is the case in most countries and cities, including St. Petersburg.
As for the holidays, at this time the work of the subway is slightly extended, and it is possible to ride through the Paris metro stations until half past one in the morning. After festive events or festivities, it will be possible to get home without problems.
Unfortunately, using the metro in Paris late enough is not very safe. As you know, there are a lot of migrants in the capital of France, and it is in the evenings that not the most pleasant situations occur. If you don't want to be robbed, get into a bad situation and so on, come home early.
Conclusion
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If you are in doubt about the trip, in no case should you do it. People who once saw this city always want to return to it again. The capital of France is very graceful and attractive.
We hope that the article was interesting for you, and you were able to find answers to all your questions about the subway of the French capital, because this is really a very interesting topic.
