metro in paris

You can buy a ten ride packet at the station. Side note -- this is posted in the Italian section. You might consider deleting it and posting in the French section.

I agree with the other post. One thing to consider - there is hardly ever anybody to help you in their metro stations. If they are there, they ignore you and act as though they don't understand English. We used the Metro during both our visits to Paris in 2009 and 2010. The buses take forever and are hard to find the proper location to even get on the bus. We were advised to stay clear of the buses. The only advantage is you see more on the buses than you do on the Metro. The book of tickets are a great value, even if you don't use all of them. We made numerous mistakes and ended up on the wrong side of the Metro station. Make sure you look at the map on the train. THEIR MAPS CAN BE QUITE MISLEADING. In other words the Metro might be going to the same place you want to go (eventually), but it might take you longer than going on an alternative train. Look at your options before boarding the trains. Just because the station says the "Eifell Tower", doesn't mean that is the best stop for the Eifell Tower. It might be a long wak to the partciular site. Sometimes the stop before say the Eifell Tower is better than the actual "Eifell" one is. Elaine

After Tokyo, the Paris metro system is the easiest to use in the world. Outside of the station is a street map of the area (but not the whole city) with metro stations depicted. As you enter the station, and way before you get to the turnstiles, you will pass numerous maps of the entire metro system as well as diagrams of the lines served by the station. All interchanges and stops are marked. The same stuff appears after the turnstiles. The platforms are clearly marked with all the stops served by that line in the direction that the platform serves and the departure boards reflect which train is coming next if that platform serves more than one train. Diagrams above the window on each train also list all the stops of the line and the station name is clearly visible out the windows as the train enters the station. The Champ de Mars / Tour Eiffel station is, in fact, the closest one to the Eiffel Tower. If you're coming from Opera and elect to hop off at Ecole Militaire and walk a half mile down the Champs rather than making a change at Invalides, that's up to you. Every hip-pocket map of Paris has the metro stations on it. Use that to hive out where you're going and all the station diagrams to noodle how to get there and you won't have a problem.

The 10 -pack of tickets Frank mentioned is called a "carnet" (pronounced carn-nay). If you use the term to ask fit it, they don't ignore you.

I have to disagree with Elaine about the metro. It is super easy to use. Just remember to look for the station you want, then note what the last stop on that line is. That is the name you want to look for to figure out which direction to go in. Once on the metro it will be easy to know where to get off. A carnet of 10 tickets will be the best for you. Another fun way to get around is on the batobus. It is a boat-bus with multiple stops on each side of the river. You can get almost every where except for Montmartre using the batobus and maybe walking a little. A multi-day batobus pass is only a few euro more than a one day pass. Have a great time in Paris!

I agree with Ed. The Paris Metro is very easy to use, with the routes clearly shown on the charts in each station. These are also available online so you can print out a PDF chart and pack it along. The France & Paris Guidebooks also show the Metro lines and I believe there's an analysis there showing the pros & cons of the various Paris transportation passes. You'll probably find that buying a Carnet is the easiest solution. Cheers!

For only three days in Paris I agree with the others that buying carnets as needed and sharing the tickets is your best choice. A t+ ticket is good anywhere the metro goes (some lines end in zone 3) and on the RER in zone 1. It provides unlimited transfers until you exit the system. It is good for bus transfers up to 90 minutes after boarding the first bus and it is good on the Montmartre funiculaire. For a list of all your transportation ticket and pass choices with links to detailed explanations of each one, go here.