Helpful Hints-English

Helpful Hints

Walking

Walking around Paris is very pleasant. The usual caution about not looking too much like a tourist applies (no expensive-looking cameras or other electronic gadgets carelessly waived about), but apart from that, Paris is a modern and safe city.

Underground

Getting around Paris on the city's world famous underground railway system, the "métro" (short for "métropolitain", the French word for metropolitan), is very convenient. The métro is organized by lines ("lignes" in French), numbered 1 to 14. Every line is two-way, with the final stop used to show which direction the trains run. Each stop has two platforms, one for each direction the line runs. Get métro maps and directions by clicking on the link. (in French, English, Dutch, German, Spanish and Italian)

Buses

A slightly slower way of getting around than the métro, but not by much thanks to special bus-lanes built to allow buses to cut through the Paris traffic.

Trains

Paris has several train stations and in addition to the Paris underground system, there's a wider-reaching train system called the "RER" which connects the city to its suburbs.

Bicycles

Paris has been running an innovative rent-a-bike scheme for over a year called "Vélib" (the two French words "vélo" (bike) and "liberté" (freedom) brought together). Docking stations have been built literally all over Paris, the end result being that the next docking station is almost never more than 300 meters away from the last one. Vélib operations round the clock and is extremely cheap. Non-subscribers will need to use their credit cards to pay a refundable deposit, but after that, the first 30 minutes' rental are free. Vélib will be a fantastic way to get around Paris in June. Connect to their website for more info (in French, English and Spanish).

Taxis

Parisian taxis don't have the best reputation in the world. They aren't enough of them to start with, so expect to have to wait at peak times. Paris taxis can be identified by the "taxi lights" fixed to their roofs, but the cars themselves aren't painted a specific color and don't come in a specific model. A taxi is available for hire only when its roof like is switched on.

Tipping

Tips are welcome in France. (isn’t that so everywhere you go?) However, there’s no obligation to tip and the French use tips exactly the way they were originally intended: to show their appreciation for good service. As restaurants and bars include a service charge in the bill anyway, tipping is never compulsory. If you choose to tip, between 5 and 10% is the norm.