Paris Metro System - Overview
The Paris Metro is cheap, fast and practical - all in all, it’s by far the best way to get around the city. 14 metro lines connect more than 380 stations, scattered across Paris’ twenty arrondissements. The stations are very densely packed throughout the city - some barely a few hundred metres apart - ensuring that only very rarely will you come across a location not within easy reach of the metro system.
It isn’t the most modern subway in the world (the first line opened in 1900), but it runs quickly and efficiently. Indeed, it has a certain antiquated charm - white tiled station walls, advertising boards framed with green porcelain borders, even wooden floors in some of the oldest carriages. Particularly famous are the art nouveau station entrances - red lamps and twisted green railings still hang over the staircases of some of the older stations.
It’s also a very safe underground system, in general. Certainly the central stations are sufficiently busy at all times of day to ensure that problems are very rare - if you receive any hassle at all it’s likely to be in the outer districts, late in the evening. As with all subway systems, simple rules apply: don’t hang around on empty platforms, and if you’re travelling late (and alone) it’s sensible to ride in the first carriage.
Mind you, begging on the network does remain a significant nuisance. Beggars regularly tour carriages with tales of hard luck, and it’s not hard to spot vagrants snoozing on the platforms - both minor inconveniences on a network generally free from both graffiti and vandalism.
Paris Metro - Tickets and Fares
