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The Paris Metro: Lines (and Their Character), Tickets and Everything You Wanted to Know

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The Paris Metro: Lines (and Their Character), Tickets and Everything You Wanted to Know
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The metro is the fastest, most efficient and (in my opinion) most delightful way to get around Paris. There is something magical about going deep underground and popping up a few minutes later in a completely different place (not to mention the wonderful acoustics, which turn a street musician’s tune into a full symphony as if by magic).

My goal with this article is to give you everything you need to know about the Paris metro and the suburban train network (RER). You’ll find information on buying tickets, a metro map, and details on every single line and where it can take you.

But first, a little history, ladies and gentlemen…

The history of the Paris metro

If you want to get straight to the practical stuff, feel free to skip this section and scroll down to the next part.

As early as 1852, Paris already had an urban railway that circled the city, which earned it the nickname “the little belt” (La Petite Ceinture). At first this railway carried livestock to the city’s slaughterhouses, but later it also carried passengers, and it stayed in service until the 1930s. If you want to see the remains of the old tracks, you can still find them in the gardens of Buttes-Chaumont, Montsouris, and in the 12th arrondissement.

Through the 19th century, discussions dragged on about building an urban rail network that would connect the major train stations with the city center. Some wonderfully original engineering ideas came up along the way, like cars floating on an underground river beneath Paris (like something out of an amusement park), or tracks built above the rooftops of Paris to spare residents the noise and air pollution of the trains (an idea that was eventually realized, of all places, in Bangkok).

Where does the name “metro” come from?

The debates dragged on until the end of the 19th century and were finally settled thanks to the great World’s Fair of 1900, which was on the horizon and required a mass transit system. And so, in 1897, the city of Paris decided to accept the proposal of a Frenchman with the amusing name Fulgence Bienvenue, to build an underground railway powered by electricity rather than steam.

To prevent a war between the rail companies of France over the right to build the metro, the job was given to a Belgian archaeologist named Édouard Empain, who in 1898 founded the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer Métropolitain de Paris, known by its short name: the metro.

Work moved at an astonishing pace, with almost no accidents (except for a sinkhole that opened up near the Élysée Palace when a tunnel collapsed), and within about two years the first line was ready for use. On July 19, at 1:00 p.m., Line 1 opened, carrying passengers from the exhibition at Porte Maillot to the Olympic Games being held in the Bois de Vincennes, and the metro was a success story from day one.

As a result, the trains had to be expanded very quickly from 3 cars to 8 to keep up with the growing flow of passengers, and more lines opened, requiring bold engineering feats (for example, a tunnel running under the Seine, which was part of Line 4 and cost the lives of 5 workers).

The entrance to the Porte Dauphine station, designed by Hector Guimard. Photo source: Wikipedia.
The entrance to the Porte Dauphine station, designed by Hector Guimard. Photo source: Wikipedia.

Guimard creates the metro’s famous entrances

While the first tunnel was being dug, a competition was held to choose the design for the metro entrances. The one who ended up winning was Hector Guimard, who hadn’t even entered the competition (lucky for him, the metro’s director was a big fan of his work). The design, made of a green metal frame and glass, was very revolutionary for its time and sparked fierce debate.

Some people saw the green iron frame, shaped like tree branches in a jungle, as something wild, even too erotic, while others claimed the design was morbid and that the ironwork reminded them of human bones… And so in 1904, the newspaper “Le Figaro” published an article demanding that Guimard’s design be scrapped in favor of a more classic look.

That article led to the cancellation of Guimard’s contract, and the Opéra metro station, which opened some time later, already featured a more classic entrance, built with stone columns. Today you can still find Guimard’s entrances at a handful of metro stations, such as Porte Dauphine or Louvre Rivoli, and I highly recommend visiting them to enjoy this exceptional Art Nouveau design.

The worst catastrophe in the Paris metro’s history

​One thing the Paris metro’s engineers didn’t account for when they designed the underground railway was the famous Parisian temperament, and that oversight led to the worst catastrophe in the metro’s history. It all began on August 10, 1903, when an electrical cable detached under a car at the Barbès – Rochechouart station and started a fire in one of the cars.

Luckily for the passengers, the fire was put out, and since the station is above ground, no one was hurt. While the train was towed to the depot at the Nation station, the passengers who had to get off boarded the next train, which was following right behind. But then, near the Ménilmontant metro station, the fire broke out again, and passengers were told to evacuate quickly and climb up to the surface at the Couronne station.

At that moment, chaos broke out, as the passengers demanded to know whether they’d get a refund on their fare, and after the train driver answered no, they refused to leave the cars. The standoff between the driver and the passengers only broke when the black smoke reached the train and passengers began fleeing. But tragically, the electricity powering the lighting in the station was suddenly cut, to stop the fire from spreading, and all 84 passengers who couldn’t find their way out suffocated to death in the darkness.

The technical lesson from the accident was learned: the wooden cars were replaced, the lighting’s electrical system was separated from the system powering the train’s engines, and some lines now run automatically, without a driver at all. Only one thing hasn’t changed since 1903: Parisians were, and still are, quick-tempered and argumentative.

A Paris metro station
A Paris metro station. Photo: Yoel Thamanlis

Practical information about the Paris metro

What tickets are there, and where do you buy them?

There are several types of tickets you can use to ride the metro, and they also work on any other form of public transit in Paris. You’ll find all the details in my article on getting around Paris.

Map of the Paris metro

Honestly, the Google Maps app does a great job getting you from one metro station to another, but if you want to see the actual map of the Paris metro, you’ll find it below:

Map of the Paris metro. Image source: Wikipedia.
Map of the Paris metro. Image source: Wikipedia.

By the way, if you’re not a fan of working with Google Maps, feel free to check out this website, where you can get an interactive, easy-to-use map that shows you the most convenient route from one point to another.

Accessibility on the metro

Even though the city of Paris and the transit operator have been investing resources in recent years to make metro stations more accessible ahead of the Olympics, not every station yet has elevators, or even escalators.

So unfortunately, the metro isn’t a great fit for people who have trouble walking or climbing stairs. For those travelers, I recommend the buses instead, which require no stair climbing at all (the bus tilts to the side to help people board, and of course has a ramp for wheelchairs). For more information on accessibility, I recommend reading my article on exploring Paris without limits.

The Paris metro lines

As of today, Paris has 14 metro lines and 300 stations covering an area of 10 square kilometers. Every line has its own color, and of course, its own endpoints. The lines cover all the central parts of Paris, including nearby suburbs (but not trips to the airports, Disneyland, or Versailles, for which you’ll need a different ticket).

  • To get from one point in the city to another, you’ll need at most 2 transfers.
  • As long as you haven’t left the metro tunnels, it counts as a single ride, even if you change trains several times (as long as it’s within an hour), meaning you only pay for a single ticket.
  • At night, trains run less often, about every 15–20 minutes.
  • The metro lines run every day from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
  • On the night between Saturday and Sunday, the metro runs until 2:00 a.m.

Here’s a bit of information about each line and some interesting spots nearby.

Line 1 (La Défense – Château de Vincennes)

This was the first line ever built, and it connects Paris’s eastern edge with its western edge (truth be told, its final stations are already outside Paris). It’s a fully automatic line, so it keeps running even during strikes. Also, since there’s no driver, you can sit in the very front car, watch the tunnel curve ahead of you, and feel like you’re on an amusement park ride (kids love it).

Interesting places you can reach on Line 1

Line 2 (Porte Dauphine – Nation)

This is another east-west line like Line 1, but it runs through the northern part of Paris before heading south to end at Nation. Riding this line, you really feel like you’re traveling with the proletariat (or maybe I’d even say “les misérables”), because a large share of the people who use it live in the poorer, northern parts of Paris. At least this line has air conditioning, so there’s that.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 2

Line 3 (Pont de Levallois – Gallieni)

This is another line crossing Paris from west to east, connecting the suburb of Levallois with the Gallieni central bus station in eastern Paris.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 3

Line 3Bis

A tiny little metro line running in northeastern Paris. It doesn’t pass by anything touristy, so I won’t say much more about it.

Line 4 (Porte de Clignancourt – Mairie de Montrouge)

This was the first north-south line built in Paris, and it runs straight through the very heart of the city. Since it connects the northern and southern parts of Paris, part of it runs through a tunnel under the Seine.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 4

Line 5 (Bobigny / Pablo Picasso – Place d’Italie)

This line crosses the eastern part of Paris from north to south. In my opinion, it’s one of the less interesting lines, but it can be useful if you’re staying in, or need to get to, the eastern neighborhoods of Paris.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 5

  • Place de la République, from which you can quickly reach the Canal Saint-Martin or the northern Marais
  • the Oberkampf station, near one of the areas young Parisians love for its bars and clubs
  • Place de la Bastille, with its many restaurants and proximity to the southern Marais
  • Place d’Italie, where you’ll find a large mall and Paris’s Chinatown nearby

Line 6 (Charles de Gaulle / Étoile – Nation)

Many of us remember this line fondly because it crosses the Bir-Hakeim bridge over the Seine, giving you a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. But beyond that, it’s also a very important east-west line that passes through a number of key stations on the Left Bank.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 6

Line 7 (La Courneuve / 8 Mai 1945 – Villejuif – Louis Aragon / Mairie d’Ivry)

This is one of the longest lines in the Paris metro, crossing the city from north to south. It may well be extended further into the suburbs in the coming years, but that won’t affect the average traveler.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 7

Line 7Bis

This is the second shortest line in the Paris metro, running through the 19th arrondissement. The only interesting spot you can reach with this line is Parc des Buttes-Chaumont.

Line 8 (Balard – Créteil)

This line connects southwestern Paris with the southeastern part of the city, and runs mostly through the Right Bank. It’s one of the most popular lines, and I’m willing to bet you’ll ride it more than once.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 8

Line 9 (Pont de Sèvres – Mairie de Montreuil)

This line connects the upscale suburb of Sèvres in the west with the less upscale suburb of Montreuil in the east. The metro runs through the 16th and 8th arrondissements, both considered upscale neighborhoods, and mostly follows the Right Bank. Maybe that’s why it’s one of the few air-conditioned lines in Paris (along with Lines 2 and 14)?

Interesting places you can reach on Line 9

  • the Eiffel Tower
  •  the Arc de Triomphe
  • the big department stores Galeries Lafayette and Printemps
  • Place de la République, from which you can quickly reach the Canal Saint-Martin or the northern Marais
  • the Oberkampf station, near one of the areas young Parisians love for its bars and clubs

Line 10 (Boulogne / Pont de Saint-Cloud – Gare d’Austerlitz)

This is one of the least-ridden lines in Paris, running entirely under the Left Bank, connecting the Bois de Boulogne in the west with the Gare d’Austerlitz train station in the east.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 10

Line 11 (Châtelet – Mairie des Lilas)

This is the shortest metro line in Paris, running from Châtelet in the center of the city north to Mairie des Lilas.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 11

  • the Hôtel de Ville (Paris’s city hall)
  • the Centre Pompidou
  • Place de la République, from which you can quickly reach the Canal Saint-Martin or the northern Marais

Line 12 (Front Populaire – Mairie d’Issy)

This line runs from north to south, starting in the suburb of Aubervilliers near Saint-Denis in the north and ending at the Issy town hall in the south. Along the way it passes some very interesting spots.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 12

Line 13 (Saint-Denis / Université – Châtillon / Montrouge)

This is the longest line in Paris, crossing the city from north to south. Note that the line splits toward its northern end: one branch will take you to the town of Asnières, while the other will take you to Saint-Denis.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 13

Line 14 (Saint-Lazare  – Olympiades)

This is without a doubt the most advanced line in the Paris metro system, and the first to run driverless trains (that experiment is what led to Line 1 becoming fully automatic too). The line runs from northwestern Paris to the southeastern part of the city, and it has air conditioning, which is a real plus during a hot summer in Paris. In the future, this line is meant to connect Orly Airport to central Paris.

Interesting places you can reach on Line 14

The RER lines

The RER are the suburban trains that connect the many suburbs of Paris to the city center. Most of the stations on these lines won’t be of much interest to you, but some of them play an important role for travelers coming from abroad, so I’ve decided to give them a short section of their own.

RER A

This line runs east to west. It starts at Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy and ends in the charming town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, home to a château that served the kings of France. As a tourist, this is the line that will take you to Disneyland Paris and back to Paris.

Important: when heading to Disneyland Paris, make sure to take branch A4, otherwise you’ll end up somewhere else entirely.

History buffs and connoisseurs, on the other hand, use this line to reach the lovely Château de Champs-sur-Marne (get off at the Noisiel station and take bus 220 toward the château).

RER B

This is the line that will take you from Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Paris and back. It can also take you to the following places:

RER C

This important line will take you to the Palace of Versailles and passes through Boulevard Saint-Michel, Musée d’Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower.

Important: to reach the Palace of Versailles, make sure you take branch C5. I once didn’t pay attention and ended up on a different branch of the line, and it took me more than an hour to get back to Paris and catch the right line to Versailles.

General tips for using the metro

In the summer months, there’s increased ticket enforcement on the metro because of the crowds of tourists. As much as the French might not love to admit it, this is a golden opportunity for them to take advantage of the fact that tourists often don’t know the rules, and hand out fines to fill up the public purse.

When you buy a Navigo card, your name has to be on it, and it has to have a photo, otherwise you’ll get a fine of 35 euros.

If you bought a ticket for a specific zone and you leave that zone, you’ll be fined. So if you want to travel to the stadium, you’ll need a ticket covering zones 1-3. If you’re staying inside Paris itself, zones 1-2 are usually enough.

A Mobilis day pass also needs to have your name and the date written on it, or that too can end in a fine. If it’s part of a Navigo Easy card, this isn’t necessary.

If your ticket passed through properly and the gate opened, that means the ticket is valid. Inspectors can see exactly what time and at which station the ticket was used. If someone tries to tell you your ticket doesn’t work, ask to see where it says so when they scan it on their device. There are scammers working these stations, so if you’re sure your ticket is valid and someone threatens to call the police, just tell them to go ahead and call. Usually the scammer will back off and leave. If you actually want to call the police, dial 112, which is the national emergency number in France. You can also dial 17 for the police directly.

Murphy’s laws of the Paris metro

My dear friend Yoel Thamanlis, who rides the metro quite a bit, discovered a few important Murphy’s laws that always seem to happen when you’re on the metro.

  • The train on the opposite platform always arrives before yours.
  • The spot for the line you need is always the farthest from the entrance you came in through.
  • Whenever there are two walking paths, your path will never have an escalator, but the other one will.
  • Whenever there’s a problem on the metro and service gets suspended, you’re the one stuck inside the train.
  • When a train arrives with some cars more crowded than others, the car that stops right in front of you is always the most packed one.
  • At big stations with several lines, when you need to change trains, the line you need is always located the farthest from where you got off.
  • The sortie you need is always located at the point farthest from where you got off the train.

And despite all that, I use the metro all the time. Without it, life would be a lot harder, and I’d get a lot less done.
Let’s just hope Murphy calms down a little 🤣😱😛

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