How To Use the Paris Metro - French Friday - LONG VERSION
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- Опубликовано: 6 апр 2017
- Find this Metro guide helpful? I wrote a whole guide to Paris including a few more notes on ticket prices which you can buy here: bit.ly/ParisVloggersGuide If you want to see one of my vlogs from season two, check out my bike ride through Champagne • Riding Bikes Through t... or our ridiculous visit to the Chateau de Maintenon! • Losing Our Car at Chat... Here's the shorter, snappier version of how to use the metro in Paris: • How to use the Metro i...
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A bit of warning for tourists who don't know (like I was recently), the pickpockets typically can be spotted because they wear winter coats, even in hot weather. The bottom of the pockets in their coats have holes so they can stick their hands through the hole and pick your back pants pocket without others noticing. Very clever, it nearly happened to me except I am very sensitive in my hindquarters region and I felt my wallet get moved ever so slightly and reached back and caught him. What an exhilarating experience to catch a thief mid-act! I got my wallet back from him, that was all I cared about, I turned and walked away.
I had the exact similar experience but it's my phone. I literally grabbed my phone back from his hands. It all happened in 2-3 seconds. Thank God I got my phone back.
Get that satchel, you might look funny with it, but it pays wonders. Also, if you have a backpack, put a lock 🔒 on it
We saw a pickpocket on the metro, he timed it so he jumped off as the doors closed. I wear my purse in front of me at all times and in a crowd I hug my puree to my chest. My husband keeps his wallet in his front pocket and in crowd he'll place his hand in that pocket. Plus we keep as diligent as possible about our surroundings.
I put my wallet in one front pocket, and my passport in the other. I dare a pickpocket to even try. Lol. Sadly, Paris authorities do almost nothing, (from what I can see), about any of the thrives and scammers all over the city. They have lookouts that let them know when police are approaching, so they can pack up super quickly, and vanish until the police walk away, the, right back to the scamming and thieving. Smh
I also buy a multiple-day pass, SO much cheaper
You should probably have mentioned that on some lines, the older trains don't have automatic doors, so you need to manually pull the lever or push the button to get the door to open once the train reaches your station.
I've seen tourists just awkwardly stand there wondering why the door isn't opening.
spl0uf yes i agree , good point
Thanks! I don't want to be one of those awkward tourist lol
Well, how are tourists supposed to know these things? i guess it's pretty funny for the locals though XDD We have new trains that require the passengers to press the button for the doors to open. the older ones [we have a few really old trains] are operated by the train driver [so for the passengers the doors open/close automatically]
You just have to look at the door. Their will be a button or a lever.
And the last train to have these type of doors was released in 1992!
They really loved these non-automatic doors...
As a native New Yorker, I found the Paris subway system and signage so similar to NYC's that I had zero problems navigating it my first time there. And I understand and read minimal French.
Sweet!
One critical point not mentioned is KEEP Your Cancelled ticket until you leave the station at your destination. You may be required by the police to show it before you can leave the station. If you don't have it, you will be fined 25 euros (?), payable on the spot. It doesn't happen often but in travels in Paris over the years, I've been stopped maybe half a dozen times.
25€? *What a steal!*
Haha, 25, where I come from you pay like a 100 euros.
@@faithhopelove9567 The one and only time I didn't have a ticket, I walked into constrollers (RATP agents) and the fine was 30€.
That also happen in the Barcelona metro
Now it's 50€ btw
I think he left out the most important thing, Really ! The Metro has an app and when you download it, the app will tell you EVERYTHING with ease. You enter your destination and the App tells you your closest Metro station, what direction to take, and how many stops before you get off. It even tells you the estimated travel time. It is a complete life saver!
What is the name of the app
@@aimidesu235
you have different apps actually. The best one I would say is Citymapper:
+ Gives the best journey
+ Gives you in which part of the train you should get in (to be near the station exit)
+ Has (for what I've seen so far) all buses lines outside of the city center,
+ Gives you the fare
+ All subway, trains, buses, tramway, uber/taxi and public bicycle/scooter/motorized scooter rental scheme in the region
+ Is available in some other cities both in France and worldwide (maybe in yours).
But you also have:
RATP: one of the two transportation company in Paris.
+ No missing bus issue (from my point of view)
+ Gives you in which part of the train you should get in (to be near the station exit)
- Only for Paris and its region (Ile-de-France)
- It doesn't tell you the fare
SNCF: the national railway company, which is the other transportation company in Paris with the RATP.
+ No missing bus problem (from my point of view)
+ Gives you in which part of the train you should get in
+ The only one that can give you all details on national trains
+ Can be use in a lot of other cities in France
- Some journey are just completely stupid sometimes if you are outside of Paris
(can include national trains like TER , TGV or Intercités, which are not usable with a subway/bus ticket).
- It doesn't tell you the fare
Google Maps:
+ The most well-known app, with every known pros (all restaurants, shops, museums, huge different languages...)
+ Transportation in a huge number of cities both in France and worldwide
- Some buses outside of Paris and its neighborhood are missing
- The journey is not always the best (but still okay)
- You can't have the fare.
- Velib (public bicycle rental scheme) are not displayed
Moov'it:
+ Available in a lot of cities worldwide (maybe you already have it)
- Some buses outside of Paris and its neighborhood are missing
- It doesn't tell you the fare
Via Navigo: The region official transportation app.
+ I've never seen a missing bus so far
+ You have all the fares
- The design is really bad (but it's more for your eyes, as it's almost as easy to use as the others)
- No integration of other services like Uber (to compare the fare)
/!\ You will "soon" be able to use your phone to pay (or a rechargeable card for people without a phone/compatible phone), instead of using tickets. It will use this app (Via Navigo). But it's going to be officially launch this summer 2019, and tickets won't disappear before 2021, so you still have some time.
Are those apps in English?
@@hsinyehhsieh5778 yes, all of them are available in English
Awesome - thank you!
Nicely done. I'll add a tip: there's about one and a half minute between two stations, stop included. So if you have to travel for ten stations, you know it's 15 minutes long, twenty stations is 30 minutes long, etc... Roughly, but it's pretty accurate.
It's important to know if you plan things or have a rendez-vous with someone.
That's a good rough estimate!
Des parisiens qui prennent le métro mais qui regardent quand même cette vidéo? ✋🏼
Haha
C'était marrant de voir du point de vue d'un étranger, en tout cas c'était super 😀😃
Moi aussi lol
Je me repose sur cette vidéo du métro entre deux vidéos sur les pickpockets à Paris.
on ne sait jamais, on peut apprendre des trucs .
Might be good to note, especially for my fellow Brits who are used to the barriers opening themselves when you tap or put your ticket through, the turnstiles don’t open by themselves when you put your ticket through on the Metro, you have to push through!! I learned that the hard way in a panicked 1st trip alone to Paris and invalidated my ticket because of it🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️
It depends on the station really. Many of them have news automatic doors nowadays (especially line 1 and 4). But there's are still many where you have to push through.
Very nice and comprhensive video. The Paris Metro can seem a bit confusing at first but as you show it's a very logical system. Another train etiquette tip I'd give is to wait for the people to leave the train before trying to get in (especially during rush hours).
+Mathieu Quintin great point. In the last one I talked about escalator etiquette as well but this round was starting to run long, haha. Was the format of the video easy to follow?
I think it was, but the problem with my feedback is that I already know how the metro sytem works :)
You might want to ask someone who actually discovered it through this video or the previous French Friday you made.
+Mathieu Quintin Fair. The last one I made is one of my most popular, so it seems like it must have helped a few.
One important rule when you take the parisian subway: keep your right on automatic stairs if you don't walk... Or you're gone to make the parisian angry. 😉
Amen =D
That's law on every Escalator in the world.
@@banchnotok It seems that every tourist in Paris (french or not by the way) forget this so call "universal rules" as soon that they enter in a subway, train or RER station. Believe me 😎
@@Cuchurv This issue really occurs everywhere, these people are mostly from the countryside and havent seen many escalators in their lifes
@@IchaAyu that's why I qualify this rules "So call universal". 😉 I know that France is not the universe. 🤣
Hey Jay, just wanted to thank you really quickly. I had a study abroad trip to Paris last month and used a lot of your videos (such as this one) to help prepare. The trip went great. I was able to quickly grasp the metro system, order in restaurants, and navigate around Paris. Thank you so much!!
"Mairie d'Issy"
*me: don't say it, don't say it, don't s---*
MAIRIE DE LÀ-BAS!
ENNOORMMMEE BBLLLAAGUUUEEE
Issy les Moulineaux.... Là bas les moules iniques !
Thank you so much for doing this! I am going to Paris next month - I've been before but never used the metro. I usually walk around, which is good, but after watching you I will probably give the metro a try so I can see more stuff! Very helpful! I appreciate all your hard work to make it easy to understand and fun to watch! Merci!
Thanks for taking the time to say so! I hope it makes your time all that much easier 😃
+cindybin2001 I sense sarcasm? Surely you're not complaining that he was drinking wine... in Paris... in France.
I think you should mention to always keep the metro ticket or you could be fined by officers when leaving the station. I’m visiting Paris now and it just happened to me as I was exiting the station. There was a group of officers near the exit checking for everyone’s ticket. Unfortunately for me I’m the type of guy who doesn’t like holding on to extra things in my pocket, so I made the mistake of throwing away my ticket and had to pay a fine :(
Hi Jay, thanks so much for this video, as well as all your French Friday vids! My husband and I watched your videos almost every night leading up to our trip to Paris. We're back home now, but everything we learnt through you was so very very helpful throughout our entire trip. We relied on the Metro every single day, and watching you wander the streets and visiting the Louvre and other Paris highlights really prepared us! Thank you again!
I'm so glad that it helped make your trip better! That makes my day
Excellent video Jay. My wife and I were in Paris two years ago and the metro was great to use. For me the best part of your video was because you were at Victor Hugo station. We stayed in the 16th and used that station every day. Brought back great memories.
It's a great little station =)
The metro in Paris is so easy to navigate, we just love it!
Me too! =D
Incredibly helpful, both from the perspective of an American, and someone from a small town who does not use public transportation! Thanks so much!
Happy to help! =D
thank you for this. i just moved to paris from london and had so much anxiety about the metro but the fact you went through it step by step is so helpful!!! i wish i could see a video like this for everything, like going to a supermarket or getting coffee somewhere.
It was very useful to watch this video before my vacation in Paris last month. I just drop by to say thank you for making my commute there easier! 💓
The cheapest ticket is the mobilis unlimited Paris day pass (you've got to buy it from an agent / can't get it from the machine) it's like 7,50 per day! ^_^ and on weekends for people under 26 it's 1/2 price for the whole weekend (aka like 4 euros for 2 days or smth crazy like that -- to be confirmed)
Rachel Robinson Aha!
9000 views ! whoa !
Better than 10 ticket pass?
yes. cheaper. It's unlimited for 7,50 a day (within paris) rather than 1,90 euros per trip (NOT round trip just one way..)
Rachel Robinson but if u buy 10 it's cheaper than 1.90 each? But anyway, where do I find the agent to purchase this? Thanks
This was really helpful! I'm going in March with family and I'd always heard that it's really hard to navigate the metro. Doesn't seem all that different from the trains I take to get to work. Cheers!
I just love those different characters you portray at the beginning of your vlogs. Thanks for all the great informations you provide and more power to you man!
Very easy and comprehensive video to follow, thank you for this! I'm going to Paris for the first time later this year, and often public transportation in new places makes me quite nervous. Making mistakes especially when encountering something new is completely normal, I know, but it doesn't mean I have to enjoy making those potential mistakes, haha.
A mistake or two will certainly teach you quickly, but I hope you have an easy time of it in Paris! =D
Ahhh! Thank you! I’m day tripping Paris in a few months. This is the ONLY thing I’ve found that clearly explains the Metro!
Happy it helps!
I’m from TX. We’re a car people, so I’m always winging it when I ride transit overseas. Thanks, this really clarifies things!
Thank you for making this video. My wife and I took a trip to Paris for the New Year and this video helped us so much.
I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know 😁
Great video Jay! Fantastic editing and advice.
Thanks Zoey!
+cindybin2001 Again, it's wine in Paris. Move on!
Ha, Zoey watched this video as well 😀
This was really helpful, thankyou! Had an amazing day in Paris and got around easily thanks to this ❤️
I'm really happy it helped =D
Thanks for this Jay! I’m going to Paris at the end of June and this helps me so much what to expect and learning a few things in Paris.. :) God Bless and continue inspiring and helping other people through your vlog.. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Indeed I was waiting for a guy like you to explain how to use a subway! You're the kind of smart guy every body needs to meet in order to give some sense to life...
Awesome video, I approve it as Parisian! Little correction though: the ticket t+ is valid for 2hrs on metro/RER and 1hr30 on buses/trams. Plus you can't switch between those two systems but I guess as tourist you'll pick one or another
Wow it's very well explained nothing to add except beware of pick pockets they are very good and very quick !
We were there a week ago and 3 girls surrounded my husband and me trying to get directions from us. My husband had his backpack in front of him but they put a map over his hands trying to divert his attention. Thank goodness a nice French gentleman yelled “pickpockets”. And pushed them away. The zippers were opened but thank god nothing was taken. Ruined a beautiful day in Paris
Oh wow I am so sorry for you guys but yeah they do that some of them try to steal your money while taking money from the atm even if you are French be careful take only small money with you while traveling
This is my 3rd youtube video about the Paris Metro today. I aborted the first two within 20seconds. Yours is great. Just what I was looking for. Even though I want to experience Paris on foot I'll still get one ticket at a time to give the metro a whirl. I think I'll subscribe and get additional helpful tips. Thanks a million !!!
I'm glad it was so helpful! =)
I will be in Paris this September so I really appreciate this video. Thank you!
"You'll figure out the awkward Tetris that is sitting on the train. I'm sure." -Adorable
=)
OH MY GOD U ARE A GOD SEND! I'm moving to Paris in February and visiting this October THANK YOU!!!!!
Glad I could help!
Thank you! I have been looking for this exact step by step for quite a while! My first attempt to ride the Metro in Paris resulted in me clinging to walls to avoid being knocked around by the crowds as they stampeding past me.
This was an awesome video. We are coming to Paris next week and have been debating what is best option for purchasing rides for about 5 days now. This has been a great help, thanks :)
I was told to keep the metro ticket after it comes out of the turnstile. ...sometimes they will check as you are leaving...if you can't produce the ticket you just used, it's 100 euro fine on the spot...true?
Not sure it's 100€ but they will totally fine you
The fine is 35 € if you pay on the spot, and 70 € if you don't pay on the spot; then they need to take your ID with your address etc.; and if you fail to have that either, the "controlleur" will stay with you until the next station, and then the "RATP Surete" guys will come and escort you out. It's overkill if you ask me, so just hold on to your ticket.
A friend of mine had to pay 175 euro
Detail: train usually stop at the same point so looking at the floor, you can see a significant difference of clean/dirty state indicating where the door open. Handy to stand on rush hour as you can wait where the doors are and be front of line.
woah! cool tip! I never thought of/noticed that!
Thank you for explaining the Metro. I'm taking my first trip outside the US this summer and going to Paris on my own and the Metro is the one thing that I am most nervous about using.
It's a bit intimidating at first for sure, but take your time to figure it out and you'll be A-OK. My one suggestion for moments where you feel uncertain or lost, is to step to the side away from foot traffic and let people pass you while you try to figure out where to go next. Otherwise, have fun! The metro was one of my favorite parts of Paris for a long time.
My wife and I eventually successfully navigated the Paris metro in July of 2019, having never ridden a subway system in any city it was a little bit overwhelming at first especially with the language barrier but we did find many freindly people working and citizens who helped us. Once I figured out the tricks such as the colors etc.... We found our way.
Thanks very much, you're giving me confidence to be able to find my way once I'm in Paris. You're also very fun to watch! (Y)
Thanks =D It's good to know I've helped on the confidence side =D
You might want to add something that shows how one can use the RER as part of the journey as long as you stay within Paris and hang on to your ticket..
+Erik Griswold that's true! It would be a helpful addition.
It's worth emphasizing how confusing this is: the "t+" ticket is valid *anywhere* on the metro, and it is also valid on the RER but *just inside Paris*. So the "la Défense" station, which is outside Paris and accessible from both metro line 1 and RER A, can be reached with a "t+" ticket on the former, but needs a special fare ticket for the latter, even though it's the same station. This is really bizarre, many tourists (or even locals) get it wrong, and they actually fine people at la Défense.
Also worth noting, the "t+" ticket is valid on buses, and for connections between buses, but connections between metro and bus are not permitted.
Thank you for this video!! We’re in Paris right now and this video helped out so much!!
I'm happy it was so helpful! I've got lots more if you need =D
Always keep your ticket until you exit the Metro. A few stops require it to be able to exit and sometimes police check you as you exit. It only happened to me twice in 2 years of living in Paris but each time I was so glad I'd kept it.
Thank you for the tips! My family and I recently got back from a 3 week vacation in Europe where we stopped in France and visited the country town of Belleau Wood and the city of Paris. There is so much to see and do. We can't wait to go back and explore more of France! :)
I hope you have an even better time =D
Are you talking about the Fontainebleau’s Forest ? If yes, did you visited the castle ? 😃
Thank you very much for this video! The metro was one of the things that I was very nervous for in my trip to Paris next month! I just wanted to give people a heads up that there's also a Metro/RER weekly pass you can get called a 'Navigo' Pass, for only €27.10 which gets you all around Paris, alot of the suburbs, CDG airport and Disneyland😊
Also true! To my understanding, that's a Monday-Sunday pass that is the same price no matter when you buy it in the week, and always ends after Sunday. Was that the case for you?
Jay Swanson yes this was the case and fortunately my trip was between these days so I only had to purchase one pass. There are a few Ts&Cs with buying the pass on certain days so I would definitely advise people to do their research before going. This is the website that I used which was extremely helpful!: parisbytrain.com/paris-train-metro-week-pass-navigo-decouverte/
Awesome - thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing Natalie!! Where did you purchase your ND pass? I was thinking about getting it at CDG when we arrive. Did you need a photo for the card?
Chioma Agbai yes it would be best to purchase it at CDG as a lot of the ticket offices in train stations around Paris were actually closed when I got to them! You will need a passport sized photo for the card. I know that they can take one for you whilst setting up your card but I am unsure how much of an extra cost this will be (I assume quite a lot as many people will not bring their own photo). So if you have any spare photos from your passport, I suggest using those! I hope you enjoy Paris, it was one of the most wonderful trips I’ve ever been on!
Very informative, I had read a little bit on using the metro and so watching the video made much more sense. Thank you, my husband and I will be traveling in Europe late September.
Happy to help =D
How tf do you not have a million subscribers? I’ve been addicted to your channel the past couple days. The amount of work in everything (esp. editing) is insane.
I'm glad you're here though =D Thanks for taking the time to let me know you appreciate it!
You mentioned the RER trains saying "we'll get into it later" but you never got into it. :(
@@Lazare_ RER A is the pinnacle of French engineering and managing. Bi level 18 wagons trains every 2 minutes, full but not too much. RER B is basically A with shorter stops and ancient trains and tracks (it's the first "proper" RER built, line "nord-sud") that has issues non stop. RER C is the equivalent of biking on tracks, but not a lot of people use it and it's fine for longer distances. RER D is full of people, from everywhere, and has a shitty schedule with empty trains.
@@Lazare_ Agree. RER D is a nightmare, not only there are always fucking train problems with it, but the biggest human trash tends to travel in it
That's true he never mentioned it
Summary :
RER A : gets you to Disneyland, and some touristic landmarks like the Champs-Elysee that you could easily get to with the metro. It also takes you to Gare de Lyon which is useful if you’re taking a train to go to another city in France.
RER B : will take you from and to the airport, will take you to Gare du Nord which is useful if you want to take a train to another city, a Thalys or a Eurostar
RER C : will take you to some landmarks you could get to with the metro like musee d’orsay but overall useless
RER D : don’t get on it, you have no business being on it, it is the worst place to be in the world, it’s disgusting and you don’t want to go in there
Any RER after that will just take you to obscure suburbs
No one seems to have mentioned the RER E :(
It’s very practical to go out of Paris by the north but doesn’t go very deep inside the city itself. They’re gonna extend it in a few years to make it go across the whole city (for north-east to south-west)
Merci! Hubby and I feel well prepared to tackle the subway in Paris, now. We’re from NYC and it seems very similar. It was helpful to have you walk us through it. Thanks, again!
Awesome! You'll be on top of it with little effort coming from NYC - you'll just have to get used to the metro stopping far more frequently ;D
Excellent vid! And a timely find as I'm about to hop on my first metro ride of our Paris trip. Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy!
This was so helpful which we were in Paris this week. I also took some of your tips while we were at the louvre. You’re the bomb and I love your videos!
Thank you! I'm glad they were so helpful! =D
Most clear and informative video on this subject I’ve seen!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video, and such a pleasant change from all the negative, fault-finding videos posted by haters on RUclips about this wonderful city. Subscribed.
Happy you enjoyed it! =D Thanks for subscribing!
We're in Paris now, in the 16th. Victor Hugo (and Kléber) are our stations, so the first part of the video looked especially familiar. We've used the metro a lot, but, it's always good to get input from someone with more experience. I think your videos and your guide are excellent for someone visiting Paris, so I will recommend them.
The Invaders are fun too. My best score on a single day is six, so far.
Thanks! And good work - I bet you can get that score WAY up while you're here =D
Very helpful! We're heading to Paris in 8 days and this answered a ton of questions we have about the Metro. Thanks!!
Awesome! I'm glad to hear it - I hope your trip is a blast. You might even consider doing a bike tour while you're here - I'll be giving some with Bike About Tours if you want to do the back-streets and see a bit of Paris you wouldn't otherwise =)
Citymapper is a brilliant app - works in London, Paris, Berlin, Cologne (area) and many other cities, including some in the USA. Well worth downloading - designs your journey between any two points (not always brilliantly well, but not badly), and tells you when your next bus/train'tram is about to come. I find it hard to manage without!
It tends to do really well - I've used it a lot more recently and enjoy it
Hi Jay! I met you at VidCon yesterday and I’m loving your videos, such a great work. I’m curious, how long have you been doing daily? (Sorry if you answered that somewhere, I haven’t had time to watch them all, haha). Cheers!
Hey Ali! It was nice to meet you! I've been at it for about a year and a half now. I took one break after the first year, but now I'm debating whether to do that again or not.
Thank you so much for the guide! Not many people vlog it in a really fun and helpful way though. You recorded it very very well. Coming to Paris late Nov, so excited! :D
Thanks to your videos I had no troubles in using the Paris metro. Thank you one more time and all the best
very helpful - I didn't realize they have signs telling you the direction of the train and all the stops on that direction, and that was one of my biggest concerns (figuring out which direction to head)
Yep! It's pretty friendly really - just take a moment to orient yourself and you'll be using it like a Parisian in no time =D
You actually can normally go to one side to the other side without paying ticket
Unlike Japan
All people in paris do this haha
Thanks for a great and easy to understand video! I've used the metro before but now I can use it with a little more confidence! :)
Great! Glad to hear it :D
Thanks this is really helpful and since it's been a while since I've been there and I'm pretty comfortable about it now. I also agree tickets are better than passes in most cases.
👍
it's such a lovely city to get lost in, i got lost looking for a bus / taxi from sacre cour and found Moulin Rouge! :)
Not a bad way to go 😄
Just don't get lost in the wrong neighborhood of Paris.. There are some scary areas.
Isn't it obvious they should be near one another?
4:23 - This is the reason, why you got a like from me.
=D
Hello Jay,
Writing this post from Gare du Nord. Waiting for the EuroStar back London.Thank you very much. Your video was immensely helpful. My friend and I got around Paris very easily on the Metro with the assistance of your video😁
Be careful if you keep your non-used tickets with your keys or too long (couple of weeks), they might not be recognized by the machine anymore and you will have to exchange them at a selling point (which is time consuming and sometimes the selling point is closed). But there is a project to remplace the ticket by a card (like the oyster card in London) for everyone.
As for the RER, you should pay attention if you're going out of Paris (La Défense, Vincennes and Versailles are out of Paris), you can't use the T+ ticket. My advice, if you have to take the RER, buy a ticket with your specific destination.
I love the Metro. I could spend a week in Paris just riding the metro. Love the names of the stations. Many years ago the trains smelt of Gaulois cigarettes and garlic. Of course smoking is banned, quite rightly, but I miss the smell.
It's nice to smell tobacco around town though, I agree.
I had the devil of a time exiting the Chatelet stop and finding my way to the surface. It was so confusing, and no one seemed able to help me.
Hello Helene, Rather logical, since it's quite simply largest underground station in world.
Connected to 3 RER lines and 5 metro lines, Châtelet-Les Halles is perhaps one of the most emblematic and also one of the busiest place in Parisian life ...
More than 1,500 trains run there per day, the exchange hub accommodates an average of 750,000 daily travelers - including 520,000 for the RER station alone, which brings together lines A, B and D (the latter being operated by the SNCF) . During peak hours, the station can even see 120 trains per minute, two trains every second! This station is a real underground megalopolis. :)
Incredible video and extremely helpful ♥️ I had a fantastic time in Paris!
I'm glad you had a great time! 😃
Thank you for sharing this video. Very helpful for some of us that will be traveling for the first time to France.
Glad you liked it!
if you come in Paris 3 days or more you should get à Navigo week: all area during one week for 22€ (or something like that)
Hi! I'm heading to Paris in 2 weeks and I was thinking about decouverte ticket. Do you know where can i make it? Metro station or somewhere else? And all area are covered, right? (Ill stay in rosnysousbois soI'll need to move area 3-area1 every day)
Thanks for the help!!!
@@ila021 you Can make à Navigo week area 1-5 for 22€/week in all metro station, but you need an identity picture.
For the first time when u travel with family to France from abroad, u generally carry huge luggage.. that time Metro is not suitable.. as those stations are too inconvenient to navigate with big luggage.. they also do not have elevators.
So mind it🙂
France Metro is suitable only when u don’t have too much of luggage with you to carry👍 else take the taxi🙂
Which also unfortunately means that the metro is really bad for accessibility. Not many stations are suitable for people with disabilities, not many lifts or even escalators
Just got to Paris and would love to meet you. Enjoy your videos and very helpful.
Ahh, watching this makes me want to go back. Taking the metro is easy I agree, by the end of my trip I was pretty comfortable with it.
I m french and i can say that it's not very different compared to others subways in the world ...but it's sure there are not enough english traduction and it's a real problem for no french language people !!!
One very important note for American travelers.....your credit card isn't always accepted at these machines (for example Capital One Visa/Mastercard), due to the security of these cards, even with microchip. Therefore, you might end up having to buy them at the booth, provided that the attendant isn't on another coffee/cigarette break, or their credit card machine isn't broken....again.
Ha yeah, it can get complicated sometimes. Thanks for the additional pointers!
Calling your bank before your trip about your vacay days, your card should work just fine.
Love the ticket machines!
The maps have always been great at stations!
I am a big RER trains - it was new when I first to Paris - many years ago...
Your videos are just awesome! Beautiful work!
Thanks! 😃
both new york and DC could take a clue from this subway system
It's pretty flipping amazing IMHO =)
I admit DC is a bit confusing. But what's wrong with NYC ?
@@pxb353 being a visitor to nyc , and not knowing all the stops, crapping lighting, and I'm not sure they should even announce the stops if the directors voice is going to be so garbled. sounded worse than charlie browns mother on the phone, just ridiculous. several of the token machines didn't work. maybe things have changed in the past several years.
Nothing wrong with NYC subways- people just suck at directions lol
Still it's dirty, grimey sometimes
Ny subway system way better than paris.paris is a shit hole...
I've never witnessed that you need a ticket to change of platform. Unless you have to get out ? Must be very few stations.
Yeah, pretty rare. It only happens on the really small ones that don't have internal exchanges, and only backfires on you if you get on the wrong platform at that particular station
Very few stations, usually with tiny halls where there wasn't enough room to place a full control gate (in this case it's directly on the platform)
@@JaySwanson If you are on your last ticket and broke, you can also just step into the train and drive one stop to a station where you _can_ actually switch platform. Love your videos, btw. I've travelled a lot in Paris, so nothing new for me - I simply watched it because it's been long since my last time in Paris and I miss it a lot. When I was very young I stayed in a very humble Parisian hotel in Rue d'Austerlitz called l'Aveyron. It was a ONE-star hotel, but I loved the old Parisian atmosphere of the place and the horrible beds with the blankets on a sheet and a small wash basin in the room and bath in the hallway (if you took the cheapest rooms like me).
My "personal" Metro stations living there were always Quai de la Rappée with only 1 or 3 stops to the great line intersections at Gare d'Austerlitz or Place d'Italie. That was usually the beginning and end of my world every day I was in Paris.
I loved the Metro and the feeling when you get the system and finally memorize all the end stations and know most of the stations of the Metro and you know when it's smarter to get on a RER if you want fewer stops, or if it is actually more clever to go the opposite direction only to change after two stops to a line that gets to your destination faster, or if you are lazy and don't want to change take the longest route just so you don't have to switch lines but instead get 20 minutes to yourself where you can just sit and doze off while being rocked gently from side to side in your seat.
One thing that is a bummer though, is when you miss the last Metro home from town. Haha.
Thank you for taking me back for 10 minutes - loved being back on some of the stations I know so well.
... just sub'ed and liked
Thank you for your vlog.Saved time and could relax on my short break in Paris, boat tour was good suggestion too. Merci beaucoup
Of course! I'm glad that it was helpful!
Thank you so much!! In some weeks I'll be visiting Paris and this just helped me a lot
Great! Glad to hear it =)
Love Paris metro .there is a odd copper submarine station
grand unified Arts et Métiers ? I love that station.
Yeah Arts et Métiers is one of the best station^^
It's been designed by belgian comic artist François Schuiten. Check his art. I had the privilege to work with him on a couple of projects. Very nice guy.
i found this song really fun to edit to
It was great. Where did you use it?
i went to cape town for my brother in laws wedding and used it on day 3 of the travel vlog thingy, haven't uploaded it anywhere yet :)
Upload it! =D
Jay Swanson I'll let you know when I do :)
You'd better =D
Cool video brought back memories we stayed right near Abbesses and caught the metro often. The lift was broken there and we stood inside and wondered why everyone else was taking the stairs until a local guy, via sign language, managed to translate the (in French) “Out of Order” sign!
I love that when you go down underground you find yourself inside a rabbit warren network of tunnels and staircases and then suddenly the the platform.
We accidentally took the sortie instead of the tunnel to the connecting line once and found ourselves straight out on the street instead! Oops, but it was a very pretty street, so we walked instead 🙂
Thanks for the insight! Can’t wait to put your info to practice next month.
Glad it's helpful! =D
Ce qui me choque c'est les gens qui restent plusieurs jours et qui prennent des tickets t+. Car sinon ya les Paris Visite et les Navigo Découverte Semaine
The automatic ticket booths are quite confusing for someone who is not familiar with the metro system of Paris. I use City mapper and it would give me a couple of metro numbers to take with stations names, I found it hard to search for the station name every time while a queue of people is forming behind me lol. I would just choose t+ full fare for 1.90 euros and go my way. Of course I had to pay up to 10 euros to reach my destination (buses and metros)
Now I have a Navigo pass, which is nice.
You should also remember to wait for everyone to get out of the metro before you go in 😉
Absolutely =D
Hey Jay!
Thank you for vlogging.
We just arrived in Paris today and your tips were very helpful.
Cheers!
I'm glad they were helpful! =D
@@JaySwanson So sweet of you to come back reply! You know how you keep saying you feel safe? It was on my mind this evening when a sales lady in an olive oil store told us to stay in on Saturday 😊 I think we might confine ourselves to Ile Saint louis 😃
Heading to Paris in two weeks. Your vids are awesome and helpful!
Glad they've been helpful!
2:20 Stalingrad
I took an uber every now and then in Paris... but now I can use the metro...
+DerParadonym it's a lot cheaper for sure, if not as convenient.
Very detailed, well explained, and by far the best video EVER!!! Thank you so MUCH!!!
No problem! =D
THANK YOU this is immensely helpful! Visiting Paris for the very first time in the fall :')
The Paris Metro system is so similar to the London Underground
Totally 👍
A Londres vous pouvez utiliser votre carte bleue pour passer les portillons, c'est pratique.
Arnav Nailwal. Well they are both underground, I’ll give you that. But I’m not sure what else is similar.
The Paris metro looks a lot more spacious, the trains more modern. The ticketing seems different, no touch system or debit/credit card use.
Some Paris metro train have rubber tyres on their wheels, or they did years ago, the last time I visited.
In Barcelona is very similar too!!!