How crowded is public transportation in Paris this time of year?

Public transport is very crowded and several friends of ours who have been traveling in Europe recently have come home COVID positive. We are older than your father and will be spending a few weeks in Paris. We too have had RSV vax and recent COVID booster and flu shots. The one time we did get COVID last spring it was so mild we would not have known if not for a day of fever and a positive test. If he has paxlovid it will knock the virus in 24 hours; my husband cannot take it because of other meds he takes and he still was very mildly ill. Rebound is likely but when I got the rebound I didn't get symptoms, just a positive test. In Paris there are doctors who make house calls to hotels for about 100 Euro so if he needs assistance he can get it.

https://www.sosmedecins.fr/en/sos-medecins-home-visits/#:~:text=SOS%20MÉDECINS%20EMERGENCIES%20AND%20HOME,Paris%2C%2092%2C%2093%20et%2094

If the doctor who visits feels it is serious enough for hospitalization which is very very unlikely, they can arrange it. He should travel with an O2 meter, thermometer and tylenol and cough medicine.

And then not really worry about it. This stuff is going to be around forever. It is mostly mild when vaccinated. No one is wearing masks on plane or metro BUT it is certainly something he can do if it makes him more comfortable.

We just spent about four or five days in Paris, and didn’t find the Metro too crowded. The few times we thought it was more crowded than we were comfortable with, we just waited a few minutes for the next one.

I will say that very few people were wearing masks, one reason we did back off on the few crowded trains we saw. We’re a little older than your husband, but with no health concerns. I wore a mask in the Metro, on the train, on the bus, and in the train and metro stations; almost nobody else did, including my husband.

Please remember the STAIRS and long hallways in the Paris Metro. I used it for 3 days in July 2023. I am an older cyclist and found it close to exhausting at times. Also found there is no place to sit anywhere especially including Gare du Nord. It seems they removed seating to prevent loitering during C*VID.
Also remember while a trip to Sacre Coeur is quite rewarding the stairs from the Metro is significant even for those in shape. Take an Uber/Taxi.

Taxis are always an option.

Taxis are indeed an option, and the metro is not crowded between 10.00-5.00 weekdays and all morning at weekends. Also, the rides are short: the usual 20-minute ride wearing an N95 mask seems like a negligible risk.

I’ve gone to Paris twice this year and worn a mask on the subway at all times. I have not brought anything Home wearing a mask on the metro and in crowded places. I’ll keep doing it.

Also remember while a trip to Sacre Coeur is quite rewarding the stairs from the Metro is significant even for those in shape.

You can also take the funicular, which uses a metro ticket. No reason to have to take a taxi.

I started taking buses in Chicago during COVID long before taxis. A taxi strikes me as the most risky transport for COVID. Taxi drivers don't get paid if they don't work; I assume that they will drive if they are not too sick to drive including if they are COVID positive and there you are in a small contained box they are breathing in all day.

We have used masks on the metro in the last few trips -- but pretty much no one is now. Since masks are very effective at preventing you from spreading your virus but much less so in protecting you from other people's, it is probably less and less effective. We may still do it this trip, but I suspect we will be alone. It was down to about 10% or less mask wearers in April.

A good well fitting N 95 or KN 95 mask is very effective at preventing you from catching stuff. . Your surgical mask ot the cute cloth mask that has your school logo on it does nothing besides help you protect others

“Wearing an N95 or KN95 mask reduces the odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 by 83%. This is compared with 66% for surgical masks and 56% for cloth masks, further pushing the need to swap out such face coverings for an N95 or KN95 mask for protection from SARS-CoV-2.”

https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-wearing-n95-masks

I want to reiterate capecodtrains's comment above. Elevators can be difficult to find in Metro stations. Your husband may want to research the possibilities before leaving.

A year ago in Paris, I picked up a sinus infection - not Covid. I work out almost daily including strenuous Stairmaster sessions, running, and weights. Despite being in great shape, with that temporary respiratory trouble, I could hardly manage the flight or two of stairs in some of the Metro stations. I would be concerned that Metro access could be very demanding for someone who is asthmatic.

Thank you so much everyone for the terrific advice and things to consider. My husband will be staying in a studio apartment rather than a hotel so all of the suggestions will make his stay a lot safer and easier to navigate alone. Much appreciated.

We are a good deal older than the Op's husband and always use the metro. Yes it is exercise but it is super efficient. The metro always involves steep stairs. There are escalators for some steep multiple stair sets and sometimes they aren't working. There are almost never elevators except on line 1 and 14. There are a few steep stations with elevators from platforms to surface and you REALLY want to use those. Two are Abbesses and Lamarck Caulaincourt. I think Telegraph as well and maybe Cite. People who cannot manage stairs can use the buses. We rarely do.

Of course it isn't only COVID that you can pick up traveling. My husband got some sort of cold like thing last year that had him feeling miserable for a couple of weeks and we have several French friends who reported similar illnesses last year -- all with negative COVID tests. But since the OP's husband has asthma, I'd sure be wearing a mask on the metro.

If he is in a hotel, the desk would be able to help him get food delivered if needed. And as noted in my first response, there are reasonably priced house calls by doctors (ENglish speaking ones possible)

For purposes of transmitting COVID the metro is always crowded. The idea that 6 feet protects you has long been shown to be bogus. This stuff is airborne and people sitting on the back seat of a bus have managed to infect people on the front seats.

In the last 10 years I've noticed the metro cars getting fuller and fuller. Perhaps it's because we are more aware of our space now that we've reached the other side of the pandemic---but what used to be somewhat enjoyable (taking the metro), no longer is.

Thank you Janet for info about the specific lines on the metro with access to elevators. My husband is planning on visiting Sacre Coeur so it's good to know that the Abbesses stop has one. We are relieved to know that the SOS service is available to make house calls should he need medical attention. He's going to give the metro a try by sticking to the 10am to 5pm time slot to avoid crowded metro cars and he'll wait to hop on a less occupied one if necessary. If he finds the stairs too difficult, he'll stick to walking. We're looking into getting a pair of Gore-tex waterproof walking shoes and a knee-length raincoat to help him stay dry on those walks. We just checked the weather report and Paris is in for two straight weeks of rain beginning this Wednesday so he'll be prepared come November. Many thanks again everyone for taking the time to post your advice.

“found there is no place to sit anywhere especially including Gare du Nord. It seems they removed seating to prevent loitering during C*VID”.

In 2021 and 2022 (after the worst of Covid) all the many métro stations we were in still had all the seating still in place on the platforms where you get on the trains.

I love the métro (nostalgic from my childhood) but with health issues now i much prefer taking the bus. All the stairs and the long hallways are too much for me now. The plus of busses is you can see Paris during the ride.

FWIW -- here is the best walk to Sacre Couer. He gets off at Lamarck Caulaincourt which has an elevator from platform to surface. turns rights at exit and walks up the gradual hill t the right to Caulaincourt and turns right and walks up about a block or two and crosses the street at Avenue Junot and walks up that gradual hill. there is a lot of interesting architecture along here as well as a 'villa' i.e. private gated community street -- if open it is interesting to walk in here and look at the homes and gardens. At the top of this rise is the little park with the man walking through the wall. Good photo op.

At this point if he continues ahead he ends up in the ugly Place du Tertre tourist trap and if he goes on through he is at the side front of Sacre Couer. If he goes down the steep hill to the left the vineyard will be on the right and he turns right below the vineyard and walks up a pretty street to the back of Sacre Couer.

There is a park to the left to rest or he can walk along the side of Sacre Couer to the front. This all avoids steep hills and is a better path than trying to do Sacre Couer from Anvers or from Abbesses.

We find the buses easier to navigate, too with the views of the city a big advantage over the cavernous metro. Will look into finding a good bus map of Paris. Thanks again Janet for the detailed walk to Sacre Coeur from the Lamarck Caulaincourt metro stop. It sounds great and he'll give it a try.

If the weather is decent when your husband is in Paris, he may also want to consider the Batobus (water bus) as an alternative to a regular bus. I enjoyed the hop-on/hop-off convenience, since the bus stops at many popular sight-seeing spots and I enjoyed the new perspective of seeing the city from the river. https://www.batobus.com/en

Thank you for the reminder. We took the Batobus for the first time July of last year and really enjoyed it. I'd forgotten all about it. I appreciate that it's not covered/enclosed, which will be good for avoiding picking up any viruses.

This website gives the official RATP map of all bus routes in Paris, and individual route maps for every service- https://www.eutouring.com/paris_bus_route_maps.html

Another fan of taking a bus instead of using the Metro here, especially if he's only going a short distance and isn't in a rush to get anywhere. Unless I'm going a long distance, I much prefer being able to gawk at Paris along the way than being jam-packed in a tube underground.

Thank you for the link to the terrific map of the bus routes. Looks great on a computer screen. So much easier to decipher than the small map that comes with travel guides. He'll make good use of this. And yes, the buses won't be anywhere nearly as crowded.

Busses generally aren’t as crowded, as you said, but also good fresh air flow to greatly reduce catching something.

One of the early studies of contagion that helped debunk the idea that 6 feet matters was the spread of COVID from a guy sitting on the back seat of the bus, who infected people sitting in the front seats of the bus.

No one is wearing masks on transport and all of them are crowded. I wore a mask last night because the metro was jam packed but I was the only one literally.

We have not had good luck with buses and really prefer the metro which is just so quick and efficient. Last year we boarded a bus to go to a concert and noted the penultimate stop so we could ring for our stop and the bus literally sailed right past our stop and the next 6, meaning we had to run to get to the concert on time. I have no idea why this occurred. There was nothing I could see on the bus to suggest it was an express and would not do the regular stops. And we have been on other buses that didn't stop at stops that people had rung. I am sure there was a reason, but it was a mystery to us.

How awful janet, luckily i’ve never had that happen. I literally can’t walk anymore without extreme pain which is why i much prefer busses.
If you can walk with no issues the métro is great.

I have to say that the level of service on the bus network is absolutely terrible at the moment. Any pre-2022 experience is irrelevant. Headways are through the roof (15-min+ not uncommon), speeds are slower than ever, crowds are definitely there. Within Paris, buses look more and more like an afterthought in the transportation plan.

Balso's right. There is a significant shortage of bus drivers (then add in all the construction projects and it just makes it worse).

This is distressing to hear as i’ll be there most of January. I was there in Oct 2022 and it was fine. Ugh, looks like i’ll have to take taxis more often.

As a general rule I don't take taxis in France, if that can be helped.

Obviously, when the Paris Metro becomes intolerably crowded, being packed in like sardines, I go for the bus. Using a combination of the Metro and buses gets me to my destination. You don't see buses crowded in Paris even in the summer.

This summer in Paris I relied a lot more on buses than I ever did in Paris, choosing that option over the Metro and , certainly, over the taxi., did not see them packed. Bus routes are easy to follow as regards to transfer points.

Try to use the bus more than the Metro.

FWIW the Batobus is glassed in this time of year and not open, so it has no advantage over other transport in this regard.

So from the more recent posts it looks like the best thing to do is wear a good quality, well-fitting mask when taking the metro, bus, taxi or Batobus and avoid crowded commute hours. We've only traveled in summer to Paris so this trip will be a learning experience for sure.