Getting around
PARIS

The Art Nouveau style entrance to Porte Dauphine metro station (16th arrondissement). © ATOUT FRANCE/Patrice Thébault

Paris has an excellent Metro service that contrives to link all the arrondisements. They are fast efficient, and inexpensive. With their famous Art Nouveau station entrances, the Metro covers the whole of the city, across 16 lines, and with the stations very close together it is generally the easiest way to get from A to B in Paris.

Pyramide metro station on the automatic Line 14 (1st arrondissement). © ATOUT FRANCE/Patrice Thébault

But for those staying in the centre of Paris, and with the energy to spare, then strolling the streets, stopping for coffee, lunch and a chance to meet the locals is by far the best way of proceeding.

Taxis

For quick trips across the city, take a taxi, but, note, it is not the custom, certainly among the older taxi drivers, to jump in next to the driver. It's just one of the many quirks of travelling around Paris. There are more than 15,500 taxis at your disposal. You can get information about taxi rates, here. All taxis apply the same rates, no matter what type the car is.

NOTE: You cannot hail a cab in the street if, less than 50 metres away, there are free cabs at a taxi rank.

Spotting Fake Taxis

The Prefecture de Police de Paris is trying to help tourists avoid getting ripped off by fake taxis. You will usually find them hanging around airports and train stations, but some even have the nerve to wait in genuine taxi stands throughout the city.

There are two things you need to know:

1. Bona fide taxi drivers don’t walk up to you asking if you need a taxi, and there is always a meter in legitimate taxis (low down on the dashboard below the radio).

2. There will be be a TAXI sign on the roof and the meter should be ON (it should have €2.50 on the display when you get in). There will be a sticker on the passenger window with the driver’s permit number (handy to note down should you have any problems or accidentally leave something in the car).

The minimum rate is €6.60 (2013), even if the meter shows less. If you have a fourth passenger or more than one suitcase they will add €3 and €1 per bag, respectively, to the final price.

Tuk-Tuk taxis

A fleet of ‘tuk-tuk’ taxis took to the streets of Paris at the end of 2011, offering free journeys around the French capital.

The service is set to run seven days a week, using 24 tuk-tuks and stopping at 150 points on some of the most popular fixed bus routes in the city. The service is operated by entrepreneur Kheir Mazri, who aims to cover costs by selling advertising on the side of the vehicles and by selling a variety of pastries, tea and popcorn to passengers during their journey.

To avoid competition with Parisian taxis, tuk-tuk drivers will not accept special destination requests. If the service is successful in Paris, there are plans to expand nationally offering the service in cities across France.

Hop On Hop Off bus

This is a nice and affordable way to take your first steps in Paris, to make a first contact, locate monuments or places you would like to return to by yourself. There are several bus companies in Paris, but Opentour is the biggest, offering four different routes (more than 40 stops), all included in your pass for one or two consecutive days.

Free earphones are provided for commentary in eight languages: French, English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Russian, Italian and Chinese.

The four routes are all central located in Paris covering the main areas of interest:

Paris Grand Tour (Green route) with stops at: Auber, Opera, Palais Royal, Louvre Museum, Pont Neuf, Notre-Dame, Saint-Michel, Orsay Museum, Concorde, Champs Elysees- Clemenceau, Boetie-Champs Elysees, George V, Charles de Gaulle Etoile, Trocadero, Eiffel Tower,Invalides, Concorde Royale, Madeleine
Montparnasse Saint Germain (Yellow route) with stops at: Petit-Pont, Luxembourg, Observatoire, Denfert-Rochereau, Raspail, Montparnasse, Invalides, Rue du Bac, St Germain des Pres, Latin quarter, Notre-Dame
Montmartre – Grand Boulevards (Orange route) with stops at: Auber, Trinite, Blanche, Montmartre-Anvers, Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est, Republique, Bonne nouvelle, Grands boulevards, Italiens, Capucines-Scribe, Madeleine
and Bastille – Bercy (Blue route) : Notre-Dame, Petit-Pont, Maubert-Mutualite, Ile St Louis, Bastille Opera, Gare de Lyon, Gare d’Austerlitz, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Parc de Bercy, Bastille, Place des Vosges, Hotel de Ville

On foot

Walking, leisurely, is certainly the best way to see the heart of Paris, or any of the surrounding arrondisements. But, of course, walking means taking it easy, and not trying to do too much. Plan on exploring just one small district, or no more than two, in a day; relax, have a coffee, chill out, take in the atmosphere...you will learn so much more this way about Paris, and the way of life in this pulsating capital city.

And, if walking doesn't allow you to see everything you wanted to see, the answer is simple...come back!