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

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Paris train stations

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Paris métro map

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Paris city map

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Google maps Paris

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