It's a confusing system that needlessly complicates navigating the Paris Metro. However, travelling around the Paris Metro has become easier thanks to the introduction of a contactless pay-as-you-go card for visitors, the Navigo Easy.
People Also Ask
The Paris metro really is quite easy to use and even if you end up going the wrong way or if you need help finding the right platform, other passengers are happy to point you in the right direction. Just be sure to start with a simple “Bonjour, excusez-moi”!
Paris enjoys a dense public transport network with trains, buses, and trams that mostly operate efficiently and to schedule. Nothing is perfect, however, and there are drawbacks such as overcrowding on buses and trains during peak hours and a Metro service that lacks air-conditioning.
It is also one of the world's oldest train systems, having been opened in 1900. Luckily, Paris has renovated the metro several times since it's opening, making it easier and easier to use for non-French speakers. Signage is both French and English, as are voice announcements.
While the metro subway system is extensive, it's generally safe and easy to use once you familiarize yourself with it a bit. Trains usually arrive on time; buses are well-appointed and spacious, and commuter express (RER) trains service the city's most important stops in record time.
There are two ways to buy Paris Metro tickets: at station ticket windows or vending machines. If you're using the vending machine, pay with euro coins, or a European debit or credit card that has a smart chip. If you're carrying euro bills or a non-European credit card, head to the staffed ticket windows for payment.
Tipping in France is not mandatory. Even though it is always appreciated, it's up to the customers to decide if they want to tip or not. Unlike other countries, the price of the service is included in the total cost of the bill. You will never be asked to tip, but it's common to leave one if the service was good.
Yes, tap water in Paris is perfectly safe to drink and is readily available wherever you go, even at public water fountains. As long as taps aren't labeled eau non potable—meaning “not for drinking” in French—everything else is potable. In fact, drinking water from the fountains of Paris has been encouraged.
The Metro trains run on rubber wheels for the most part, so the trains themselves are quiet. It is the enclosed spaces with lots of people, the occasional accordian player and seller of chocolates or tissues who add to the noise. But in tunnel, compared with a train in Sydney's underground areas, much quieter.
Tipping is not considered etiquette by French people in French restaurants, but if you enjoyed your meal, it's nice to leave 5 - 10%. If you really enjoyed the meal, or plan on returning to the restaurant and want the wait staff to like you, 15% is a generous tip.
Spring (especially April and May) and autumn (particularly September and October) are ideal for visiting Paris, as crowds will be thinner, but the weather will be nice.
Eat at the right hoursAs for dinner, we're a bit more flexible. We don't eat as late as our Spanish neighbors by any means, but most people won't sit down to dinner before 8 p.m., and in most places, looking for a full dinner after 10:30 p.m. can get complicated, as well.
From 16 May 2022, wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory on public transport in Paris and in France, but will still be recommended. Just for information, since 14 March 2022, it has no longer been compulsory to wear a mask indoors (museums, monuments, cultural and leisure venues, restaurants, etc.)
You can buy Metro Paris tickets at all the metro stations, only at the ticket vending machines. The kiosks located at the metro entrance usually don't sell metro tickets. The Metro staff in the kiosks only inform metro users and eventually help them if there is a problem with their tickets or Paris Metro pass.