MYLOPY's tip [1/4] - Transports in Paris

In 2017 Paris remains one of the most visited town in the world. Unfortunately, public transports are rather complicated to take, due to their length of services and numerous lines. Even French people, when coming to the Capital, get lost between the transports lines, corridors of the metro stations, stops etc. But MYLOPY did not forget you, and prepared for you a user guide to help you in the Parisian public transports!

Buy a transport ticket

The first thing to do before taking the transports is to buy a ticket. At the airport as in a train station, you can buy transport tickets either at the ticket office, or on a ticket machine. You will have to go to the nearest train station - for instance, at the Airport Charles de Gaulle Etoile, go on the platform of the RER B at the terminal 2 - where you could buy your ticket.
You can choose between several options :



-The ticket T+ - which may be sold as books of 10 to 20 tickets -is single-use ticket. It costs €1.90 and can be used to take the RER in zone 1 (inside Paris only), metros, buses (except Orlybus and Roissybus) and trams. It is preferable to buy it if you only take public transports occasionally.


- The ticket “Origine-Destination” is a single-use ticket. Its price depends of your journey, as most of the time it is used for a precise trip – and generally for the RER, although it also works in the metro.

- Tickets to go to the airport (either Roissy Charles de Gaulles or Orly) is a single-ticket which price varies from €8 to €10.

- The ticket Paris Visite is an unlimited-time-use ticket to use in the areas chosen. Its price goes from €11.65 and varies according to the areas chosen and the numbers of days of validity (from 1, 2, 3 to 5 days).

- The Mobilis ticket is an unlimited-time use ticket to use in the areas chosen for a day. Its price, from €7.30, varies depending of the areas chosen (from zone 1 to 2, 1 to 3, or 1 to 4 and 1 to5) and may be used to take the RER, the buses, the metros and the trams.

- The ticket Jeunes Week-end, is an unlimited-time use ticket for the areas chosen for a day. Its price, from €4, depends of the areas chosen (zone 1 to 3, 1 to 5 or 3 to 5) and may be used to take the RER, buses, metros and the trams.

You chose your ticket according to your journey!

The buses and trams

With the 50 or so intra-Paris buses, the 170 suburb buses, the 13 Noctiliens lines (night buses), the 9 trams, it’s easy to be confused. All the more so as the RATP app is not optimal regarding the information given in real time for the buses. In general, the buses are mostly taken by locals who are used to travel with it – as they are a bit complex to take. However, they enable you to enjoy the landscape. For instance, the bus 72 (from Saint-Cloud to Hôtel de Ville) drive along the Seine and offer a pleasant view of the Palais de Tokyo, the Grand and Petit Palais, the Trocadero, and even the Eiffel Tower. Other lines are also pleasant to take thanks to their usefulness. Among others, the Bus Direct, Roissybus and Orlybus allow you to go from certain places of Paris (as Opéra, Place Denfert Rochereau, Champs-Elysées, ect) to the airport of your choice. As for the trams, they are of a number of 9 and may be taken in the suburbs of Paris for short journeys. For instance, the tram-line 7 will bring you to Orly Sud but only goes from Villejuif.

The metros and RER

There are 16 metro lines and 13 RER in Paris, but their sinuous lines are not always clear. Here are some tips for you:


- Line 1 is ideal for tourists to travel through the centre of Paris from east to west, while offering to spot by key places in Paris - as the Marais, the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Champs-Elysées, ect.

-Line 2 drives through the north of Paris, from east to west by passing by mythic places as Pigalle, Anvers (Sacré Coeur), Père Lachaise (graveyard classified in the historical heritage).

-Line 4, as for it, drives through the middle-north of the capital, while giving access to the major junctions to move around the city. It goes from Porte de Clignancourt, drives by Château Rouge – a station near the Sacré Coeur – and also Châtelet.

-Line 6 drives all over the south of Paris, driving by metro station that give access to unmissable places as the Trocadero – and the Eiffel Tower, but also Charles de Gaulle Etoile from where you can visit the Arc de Triomphe.

-Line 9 drives by numerous stations where it is possible to stop to admire certain monuments – Trocadero (Tour Eiffel), Franklin D. Roosevelt (Champs Elysées), République near the Canal Saint-Martin, ect. This line is one of the most taken by locals by drives from Paris to its western suburb.

- RER C is also very useful and touristic – first, it will bring you to the Château de Versailles, but also to Saint-Michel, Orsay, to the Tour Eiffel and also Invalides.

Other worth considering means of transports:

The metro is not the only way to move around Paris. When the weather is good, it is pleasant to enjoy sun of the “million lights’ city”, to walk around or discover Paris on a bike. Here is a link to have a look on the multitudes of Velib stations.



Besides, if you already have the Uber application, you have to know that the French service is very efficient. There are many drivers and never wait for too long. You can go from a point A to B in a very short period. Well, to be honest, during the day the traffic in Paris is very busy, and it is better to take the metro or a velib when the weather allows it. If you plan to lead an activity at the end of the day or in the evening, then, you still have the Uber option not to be slowed down!
Take a map with you, note these information, and you will be ready to travel across Paris. Enjoy the visit!