Paris proper is a compact city, no more than six kilometers across at its widest point (less than four miles). Walking is therefore a reasonable way to travel to many destinations. And when heading across town, or when "tourist fatigue" has taken over, there are a host of public and private transportation options.
Public Transport
The public transport system (RATP) consists of bus routes, the Metro (underground), the RER suburban express railway which interconnects with the Metro inside Paris and two suburban tramways
Pick up a free map at any Metro station. Paris and its suburbs are divided into five travel zones; zones 1 and 2 cover the city centre. Information 6am-9pm daily, 08.36.68.77.14/in English 08.36.68.41.14 (2.23F/v0.34/min);
http://www.ratp.fr.SNCF, the state railway system, serves the French regions and international (Grandes Lignes) and the suburbs (Banlieue). Information: 08.36.35.35.35/
http://www.sncf.fr/Minitel 3615 SNCF.
Fares and tickets
Metro & RER
The Paris Metro is at most times the quickest and cheapest means of travelling around the city
Trains run daily 5.30am-12.30am. Individual lines are numbered, with each direction named after the last stop. So Line 4 northbound is indicated Porte de Clignancourt, while southbound is designated Porte d'Orleans. Follow the orange correspondance signs to change lines. Some interchanges, notably Chatelet-Les Halles, Montparnasse-Bienvenue and Republique involve a long walk. The exit (sortie) is indicated in blue. The high-speed Line 14, Meteor, opened in 1998 links the new Bibliotheque Nationale to Madeleine. Beware pickpockets, especially on Line 1.
The five RER lines (A, B, C, D and the new Eole) run 5.30am- 1am daily across Paris and into the Ile-de-France commuter land. Within Paris, the RER is useful for making faster journeys - for example, Chatelet-Les Halles to Charles de Gaulle-Etoile is only two stops on the RER compared with eight on Metro Line 1.
Buses
Buses run from 6.30am until 8.30pm, with some routes continuing until 12.30am, Mon-Sat, with a more limited service on selected lines on Sundays and public holidays
You can use a Metro ticket, a ticket bought from the driver (8F/v1.22) or a travel pass. Tickets should be punched in the machine next to the driver; passes should be shown to the driver. When you want to get off, press the red request button, and the arret demande (stop requested) sign above the driver will light up.
Night buses
After the Metro and normal buses stop, the only public transport - apart from taxis - are the 18 Noctambus lines, between place du Chatelet and the suburbs (hourly 1.30am-5.30am Mon-Thur; half-hourly 1am-5.30am Fri, Sat)
Routes A to H, P, T and V serve the Right Bank and northern suburbs; I to M, R and S serve the Left Bank and southern suburbs. Look out for the owl logo on bus stops. A ticket costs 15F/v2.29 and allows one change; travel passes are valid.
Trams
Two modern tramlines operate in the suburbs, connecting at either end with the Metro or RER
Fares are the same as for buses.
Useful bus routes
The following buses pass interesting places and, unless stated, run daily
29 Gare St-Lazare, past Palais Garnier and Centre Pompidou, through the Marais, Bastille to Gare de Lyon (Mon-Sat).
38 From Gare du Nord , past the Centre Pompidou and place du Chatelet, then via the Sainte-Chapelle one direction, Notre Dame the other, then St-Michel, the Sorbonne, Jardins du Luxembourg to the Catacombes.
42 From Gare du Nord, via Opera, Madeleine, Concorde, Champs-Elysees, over the river, past the Eiffel Tower to Quai Andre Citro'n (Mon-Sat).
48 Literature and art: Montparnasse, St-Germain, the Louvre, Palais-Royal to Gare du Nord (Mon-Sat).
67 From sleazy Pigalle via the Louvre, Ile St-Louis, Latin Quarter and place d'Italie to Porte de Gentilly.
68 From place de Clichy via Opera, Palais-Royal, the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay, bd Raspail to Montparnasse, the Catacombes and Porte d'Orleans.
69From Gambetta, via Bastille, Hôtel de Ville and Châtelet along the quais to the monuments of the 7th, the Musee d'Orsay, the Invalides and the Champ de Mars (Mon-Sat).
72 From the 16th to Hotel de Ville, along the Seine one direction and down arcaded rue de Rivoli the other.
73 From La Defense past the Arc de Triomphe, along the Champs-Elysees to Concorde and over the river to the Musee d'Orsay (Mon-Sat).
82 From smart residential Neuilly to the Jardins du Luxembourg via the Eiffel Tower and Invalides.
84 From Parc Monceau in the 17th via the Grands Boulevards, the Madeleine, St-Germain-des-Pres and St-Sulpice to the Pantheon (Mon-Sat).
86 From Zoo de Paris via Nation, the Bastille and Institut du Monde Arabe to St-Germain-des-Pres (Mon-Sat).
87 From Bercy to the Bastille, over the Ile-St-Louis, through the Latin Quarter via the College de France, Odeon, St-Sulpice and on to UNESCO, ending at the Champ de Mars (Mon-Sat).
95 One hill to another: from Montparnasse to Montmartre.
Montmartrobus Special small bus circulates around Montmartre.
PC Petite Ceinture (the 'small belt') covers the outer boulevards, just within the Peripherique.
Balabus Runs 12.30-8pm on Sundays Apr-Sept. It links Gare de Lyon with the Grande Arche de la Defense.
