One of my first memories dealing with the Parisian Metro was when I was visiting with my family in April 2017. We couldn’t navigate very well, and my French proved to be terrible when we arrived (despite thinking otherwise in the U.S.). One day, we were looking to get on the closest Metro, and my parents suggested that I find someone and ask where to find it. So, confidently, I walked up to an older couple and asked “Où est le Métro?” They looked at me so confused, as if I was speaking a different language. I kept saying it over and over again, and finally they started laughing when they knew what I meant. Honestly, pronunciation is still something I need to work on (I cannot make the French R sound for the life of me!)
While we might have just given up on finding it, the Metro is truly one of the best public transportation systems (especially when there are no strikes going on). It is so efficient, quick, and allows you to get practically anywhere in Paris. Paris also has other public transportation systems, including the RER, buses, and trams. While these are also efficient and I did use them frequently, today I wanted to give you a glimpse into the Parisian Metro system, showing some of the stops and where they can take you.
As for what type of Metro card to purchase, I found this article that provides a lot of insight on this subject: https://parisbytrain.com/paris-metro-pass/. It emphasizes the different purchases depending on when you arrive, how long you are staying, and how many times per day you think you will be using the Metro. Personally, when I was going to class and exploring I found myself on the Metro at least three times per day. Yet, it is also dependent on where you are staying and if walking is an option. As seen in the image below, I lived in the 12th arrondissement, so getting to popular tourist spots was nearly impossible by foot. However, if you lived in the 1-7th arrondissements, you may be okay walking to most places and buying individual Metro tickets when needed. For a longer stay in Paris, I’d definitely suggest getting a Navigo pass for whichever duration you choose. During my nearly three-month stay, I had a Navigo pass that refilled each month, which became the most convenient option for this longer-term trip. Again, it really depends on the amount of walking (or other transportation) you want to do during your stay.
Map: http://paris.shuttleairport.com/pictures/paris-map-monuments.jpg
There are 14 Metro lines in Paris, but some are definitely more popular than others. In my opinion, Line 1 is the best for getting to the most central tourist spots. With that said, I’ll go over what is found at some of the stops on this line.
Images: https://www.ratp.fr/en/plan-metro
Line 1 (created in 1900) takes you across Paris, from the 12th arrondissement to the 16th and beyond. Usually I would transfer from Line 8 (where I started from) to Line 1 at Reuilly-Diderot. From there, I’d continue west on this line. Let’s look closer at the following stops on Line 1:
Gare de Lyon:
This stop is a big transfer spot to RER A and B. It includes TGV trains to southeastern France, Italy, Switzerland, and more.
Bastille:
This metro station is named after the famous Bastille fortress and prison. The fall of Bastille on July 14th, 1789 is now a major holiday in France, representing the fall of the regime and a significant turning point in the French Revolution.
Nearby places to see:
-the Bastille monument
-Opéra Bastille (Opera house)
-MK2 Beaumarchais movie theater
-Le Viaduc Brasserie
-Victor Hugo’s Maison (Victor Hugo’s house)
-Studio Harmonic (closer from Line 8-Ledru Rollin; a dance space similar to
BDC in NY)
-Supersonic (a concert hall)
-Yellow Mad Monkey (an Americanized bar)
-L’Atelier des Lumières (refer to my museum post, about a 20 minute walk from Bastille)
Saint-Paul:
While this stop is somewhat small, it is found in Le Marais, which is a great spot for tourists. This is where I would exit the Metro everyday to go to Micadanses for my dance classes. There is so much to see in Le Marais, and plenty of shopping and food, too!
Places to see:
-Place des Vosges (beautiful park)
-Musée Carnavalet (history museum)
-Musée de la Magie (magic museum)
-Maison Européenne de la Photographie (art museum with contemporary
photography exhibits)
-Picasso Museum
-Princess Crêpe
-Micadanses Studios
-Mémorial de la Shoah (Holocaust Museum)
-Le Caféothèque de Paris (great hot chocolate!)
-Le Peloton Café (also great hot chocolate and bike rentals)
Hôtel de Ville:
This stop brings you to the Hôtel de Ville, which is home to the city’s administration and where the Mayor of Paris resides.
Places to see:
-BHV (Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville: a huge department store)
-Centre de Yoga du Marais
-Le Centre Pompidou (museum and library)
-Georges (rooftop restaurant of the Pompidou Center-$$$)
-Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Science and Technology)
-Cathédrale Notre Dame (under construction)
-Sainte Chapelle
-Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)
-Pont Neuf (oldest bridge in Paris)
-Musée du Chocolat (Chocolate Museum)
-Lavomatic (a speak-easy style bar)
Châtelet:
This stop is very popular and big, because it has several transfers to other Metro lines and RER trains. It is extremely close to Hôtel de Ville, so the places to see are the same for these two stops!
Louvre-Rivoli:
This stop and the following are good places to get off to see the Louvre 🙂
Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre: the Louvre Museum
Tuileries:
This stop is found by the Jardin des Tuileries. While you could take the Metro here, my suggestion would be to walk from the Louvre to Concorde and not take the Metro to this stop. This will allow you to see the entirety of the gardens. However, as you walk, there are some places to visit nearby:
-Musée d’Orsay
-Angelina Paris (great hot chocolate!)
-Colonne Vendôme
-Palais Garnier (kind of a walk but well worth it; The Paris Opera House)
-Galeries Lafayette (right near Palais Garnier; shopping center with a great ~free~
rooftop view)
Concorde:
This stops at the Place de la Concorde, which is located at the most western end of the Tuileries gardens. The Place de la Concorde has a lot of historical significance, as it was where the guillotine used to be (that executed Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI among many other notable French authorities). There used to be a giant ferris wheel behind the monument that exists here, which juxtaposes fun where so much horror occurred in the past. There are also beautiful water fountains here too. This spot marks one end of the Champs-Élysées.
Places to see:
-Musée de l’Orangerie (houses Monet’s “Water Lilies”)
-Jeu de Paume (contemporary avant-garde museum)
-Ladurée (macarons, anyone?)
-Théâtre de la Ville-Espace Cardin (a beautiful theater)
Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George V
These three consecutive stops are along the Champs-Élysées at various points. While walking this road, I would suggest checking out the Grand Palais and Petit Palais (two museums)
Charles de Gaulle-Étoile:
This stop is the other end of the Champs-Élysées, where the Arc de Triomphe is found. I would definitely recommend stopping here, and if capable doing the trek up the 280-something steps to the top of the Arc. This is one of the best views of Paris, because you can see the Eiffel Tower and the rest of the city.
From the Arc de Triomphe, you can walk to the Eiffel Tower, too! A funny story: When visiting Paris in 2017 with my family, my dad and I navigated from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc, so when I came back to Paris in 2018 to visit my friend Marie, I told her I knew how to get from the Tower to the Arc without directions. I was so confident in my memory that I led the way, and Marie who is not from Paris, trusted my guidance. Three hours later, I decided we should check the map, only to find out we did not make a direct path. The walk between these two monuments should only take 40 minutes… sorry Marie!!
After these stops on Line 1, you start to go to the outskirts of Paris, so I’ll end there. As you can see, Line 1 covers almost all of the major sights for tourists (with a little walking!).
This line doesn’t really cover the left bank (Rive Gauche), as well as northern Paris (Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge), etc. For these places you would have to transfer to a different line, but they are fairly easy to get too! Citymapper is a great app to download when traveling to any major city, because it gives step by step instructions for navigation. While traveling is not really happening right now, I hope this is helpful if you visit Paris in the future!
Let me know if you would like to know more about Parisian public transportation:)
Julia's Journey in Paris 
