Travelling to Paris
Paris can easily be reached by plane, train or car as it is located at the crossroads of Europe. It is served by two international airports and a very convenient railway system. The shuttle buses from Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports arrive in front of the Palais des Congrès, which is also accessible through all Paris public transport services. SNCF operates most rail services within France, with high-speed TGV trains linking Paris to London in just two hours 35 minutes; Thalys runs services to and from Belgium and the Netherlands; Eurostar serves 100 destinations including Disneyland Paris, Lille, Brussels and London. Other speed trains serve most French cities.
Rail stations
These principal Paris rail stations broadly serve the following domestic and international
cities and regions:
- Gare du Nord (10th arrondissement): Belgium, the Netherlands, UK and Northern Europe. (Eurostar, TGV, Thalys and regular trains)
- Gare Austerlitz (13th): Central and Southwest France, Spain and Portugal.
- Gare de l'Est (10th): Eastern Europe
- Gare de Lyon (12th): Eastern and Southern France, Switzerland and Italy
- Gare St Lazare (8th): Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie
- Gare Montparnasse (14th): West and South-West France including Brest, Nantes, Bordeaux and Spain (TGV and regular trains).
Getting Around Paris
Paris' compactness makes walking around it a pleasure, though cyclists can be hampered by heavy city centre traffic. Public transport, run by RATP (Régie Autonome de Transports Parisiens), is cost-effective and efficient and includes Métro trains, buses, trams and RER trains.
Métro
Fast and inexpensive; travel on the Métro is one of the best ways to get
around Paris. Trains on the 15 lines run from 05:30 to midnight. A Paris métro map plus a
journey planner tool is available.
RER trains
There are four RER suburban train lines which are best used for longer distance journeys across Paris.
Bus
Many of the 60 bus routes go through the tourist areas of Paris. Buses operate from Monday to
Saturday from 07:00 to around 20:30. Stamp your ticket onboard. Night buses ('Noctambus') operate
across 18 lines from 01:00 to 05:30, running into the suburbs. The Balabus circuits along major
Paris
tourist attractions including the Bastille, Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Champs-Elysées and
Charles de Gaulle-Etoile on Sundays and national holidays through summer months.
Taxi
Taxis can be hailed in the street, though there are plentiful taxi ranks. Rates are measured in the city centre by kilometre, with higher rates after 19:00 and on Sundays. A fee is charged for each piece of baggage.
Car
With limited parking spaces and a high volume of traffic, driving a car in Paris is challenging, though useful for visiting the charming, quieter outlying regions and towns near the capital.
RELATED INFORMATION
SNCF
Paris train stations
Paris métro map
Paris city map
Google maps Paris