Paris Metro

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Posted by Ed
Last updated on Sat, 09/04/2011 - 6:22pm
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Introduction

Changing trains in Paris will often require a cross-city Metro ride. The precise route will vary depending on the stations involved. An up-to-date metro map can be found here.

Stations:

There are five principal mainline rail stations in Paris:

  • Gare du Nord
  • Gare de l'Est
  • Gare Saint-Lazare
  • Gare d'Austerlitz
  • Gare de Lyon

The most common route is between Gare du Nord and Gare d'Austerlitz, as the Eurostar service terminates at Gare du Nord, whilst access to much of the south of Europe is reached through Gare d'Austerlitz.

The journey between these two stations only takes around half an hour, although you should allow plenty of time to make the journey, as it can be a little confusing if it's your first time using the metro. If travelling between Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est, you can easily walk it in 10-15mins, although make sure you give yourself enough time, especially if carrying lots of luggage.

There may well be check-in time requirements for train services, although this generally only applies to Eurostar (check-in at least 30mins before departure).

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Timetable

There are so many Metro services, that run so frequently, that there isn't much point in writing the timetables down.

The first metro runs from 05.20, with the last at 01.20 (02.20 on Saturday). Frequencies vary depending on the line.

If you want to plan your journey, visit the Paris Metro website.

Pricing

Metro tickets can be purchased one at a time, or in a pack of ten (carnet). Generally, most travellers will buy individual T+ Tickets, which are a more expensive way of doing it, but the simplest to buy, and perfectly fine if you only want to use the Metro system as a one-off.

  • Adult single metro tickets cost 1.70 €
  • Child single metro tickets cost 0.80 €
  • A carnet of 10 tickets costs 12 €

Metro tickets can be bought from any of the Paris Metro stations (including the mainline rail stations). Alternatively, if you are travelling on the Eurostar from London, you can purchase tickets from the Eurostar sales desk (although this is more expensive than buying at the Metro station). 

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