Finding Your Way Around Paris

Paris is a huge city with so much to see and do, butexpensive - it could set you back up to 150 euros.
despite its size, it's so easy to get around. The publicArriving by train
transport system is excellent so it's possible to hopThe national and international train networks in
from one attraction to the next without any trouble,continental Europe are excellent and often the most
meaning that you can pack lots of great activities intoefficient way to get around, and the Eurostar from
a short weekend break. Here's a short guide to gettingLondon is often the best way to get to Paris from
around quickly and easily, from your arrival right up toGreat Britain. There are six mainline train stations in
your departure.Paris and all of them are linked to the métro system
Arriving by airso it's easy to get around once you arrive in the city.
Paris has two major airports - Orly and Charles deHere's a guide to train arrivals in Paris:
Gaulle. All the big airlines fly into these two airports.Gare de l'Est - east France, Austria, Germany and
There's another airport called Beauvais, which is quiteeastern Europe
a bit further out of Paris. It's served mainly by budgetGare du Nord - north France and Germany, Eurostar,
airlines such as Ryanair. If you don't mind a rather longBelgium, Netherlands and Scandinavia
journey into Paris, it can be a good cheap way to flyGare St Lazare - north France
to the city.Gare de Lyon - south France, Switzerland, Italy and
Charles de Gaulle airport is in a suburb to the northGreece
east of Paris called Roissy. It's about 23 kilometresGare Montparnasse - south west France
from the city centre and it's well connected by publicGare d'Austerlitz - south France and Spain
transport. The Roissyrail train line is part of theCity transport
Réseau Express Regional (RER) system - aParis has an integrated public transport network of
suburban train network. There are trains every 15buses, RER trains and the metro. It's called the RATP
minutes from terminal two and terminal three, which(Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens). You
take you to Gare du Nord. If you arrive at terminal one,can easily hop from bus to train to métro using the
a shuttle bus will take you to the Roissyrail station. Ifsame ticket and it's cheap and efficient. You can buy
you prefer to take the bus, there's a Roissybus everyan RATP transport map that shows all the bus, metro
15 minutes from terminal one and terminal two. Itand train lines and their connections. You can buy one
terminates at the Opéra metro station in the centreday passes or several day passes, which can save a
of Paris.lot of hassle as well as a lot of money. Sometimes the
Orly is a little closer to Paris - it's 13 kilometres south oftickets even offer discounts to museums and galleries
the city centre. There's a bus/train connection calledBuses
Orlyrail. You'll be taken by shuttle bus to the RER trainBuses are a great way of seeing a lot of the city as
station and from there it's a short journey to Gareyou travel. There are bus stops everywhere, each of
d'Austerlitz. There are connections every 30 minutes. Ifwhich has detailed information on what buses stop
you prefer just to take a bus right into the city centre,there, what route they take and their timetables. It's a
there are lots of other frequent shuttle services -very easy method of transport and is good to use in
Orlybus, Orlyval, Air France buses and Jetbus.conjunction with the métro.
The city of Beauvais is approximately 85 kilometresMétro
north of Paris. Its shuttle service is scheduled accordingParis is famed for its brilliant underground system with
to flight arrivals at the airport, with a coach leaving 20its iconic Art Nouveau station entrances. The
minutes after every arrival. It takes just over an hourMétropolitain (metro) makes city centre travel so
to get into the city centre. If you prefer to take thesimple. It runs about 21 hours per day and is replaced
train, you could take a taxi to the train station inby an excellent system of nightbuses in the middle of
Beauvais - it's only 15 minutes' drive from the airport.the night, so you'll never get stuck. Don't be put off by
The train journey takes just under an hour, arriving atthe complex network of tunnels and lines - it's
Gare du Nord. The other option is to take a taxi all theincredibly easy to find your way around as all the lines
way into the city centre, but this can take up to anare colour coded and there are maps and signposts
hour and a half depending on traffic and is veryeverywhere.