Survival Guide

Before You Go

When to Go

AWinter (Nov–Feb) Cold and dark, occasional snow. Museums are quieter and accommodation prices are lower.

ASpring (Mar–May) Mild, sometimes wet. Major sights start getting busier; parks and gardens begin to come into their own.

ASummer (Jun–Aug) Warm to hot, generally sunny. Main tourist season. Some businesses close for August.

AAutumn (Sep–Nov) Mild, generally sunny. Cultural life moving into top gear after the summer lull.

Book Your Stay

AParis has a wealth of accommodation for all budgets, but it’s often complet (full) well in advance. Reservations are recommended year-round and essential during the warmer months (April to October) and all public and school holidays.

AAlthough marginally cheaper, accommodation outside central Paris is invariably a false economy given travel time and costs. Choose somewhere within Paris’ 20 arrondissements to experience Parisian life the moment you step out the door.

AThe city of Paris levies a taxe de séjour (tourist tax) per person per night on all accommodation, from €0.83 to €4.40 per person per night (normally added to your bill).

ABreakfast is rarely included; cafes often offer better value.

ATo live like a Parisian, consider renting a short-stay apartment.

Useful Websites

Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/hotels) Reviews of Lonely Planet’s top choices.

Paris Hotel Service (www.parishotelservice.com) Boutique hotel gems.

Paris Hotel (www.hotels-paris.fr) Well-organised hotel booking site with lots of user reviews.

Room Sélection (www.room-selection.com) Select apartment rentals centred on Le Marais.

Paris Attitude (www.parisattitude.com) Thousands of apartment rentals, professional service, reasonable fees.

Best Budget

Cosmos Hôtel (www.cosmos-hotel-paris.com) Cheap, brilliant value and footsteps from the nightlife of Le Marais' rue JPT.

Hôtel du Nord – Le Pari Vélo (www.hoteldunord-leparivelo.com) Bric-a-brac charm and bikes on loan.

Mama Shelter (www.mamashelter.com) Philippe Starck–designed hipster haven with a cool in-house pizzeria.

Hôtel St-André des Arts (www.hotel-saintandredesarts.fr) Old-school charm in St-Germain's beating heart.

Generator Hostel (www.generatorhostels.com) Shout out to design, street art and French art de vivre.

Les Piaules (www.lespiaules.com) Designer hostel and bar with rooftop terrace in Belleville.

Best Midrange

Hôtel Exquis (www.hotelexquisparis.com) Surrealist design hotel east of Bastille.

Hôtel Amour (www.hotelamourparis.fr) Stylish choice for a romantic getaway.

Familia Hôtel (www.familiahotel.com) Sepia murals and flower-bedecked balconies in the Latin Quarter.

Hôtel Jeanne d’Arc (www.hoteljeannedarc.com) Gorgeous, like a family home in a quiet Marais backstreet.

Best Top End

Les Bains (www.lesbains-paris.com) Nineteenth-century thermal baths turned nightclub, turned rockstar-hot lifestyle hotel.

Hôtel Molitor (www.mltr.fr) Stunningly restored art deco swimming pool with gallery-style poolside rooms.

Hôtel Crayon (www.hotelcrayon.com) Line drawings, retro furnishings and coloured-glass shower doors.

Hôtel du Jeu de Paume (www.jeudepaumehotel.com) Romantic haven on the serene Île St-Louis.

Arriving in Paris

y For the best way to get to your accommodation, see here.

Charles de Gaulle Airport

Most international airlines fly to Aéroport de Charles de Gaulle (CDG; GOOGLE MAP ; %01 70 36 39 50; www.aeroportsdeparis.fr), 28km northeast of central Paris. In French the airport is commonly called 'Roissy' after the suburb in which it is located. A €1.7 billion project to create a high-speed train link between Charles de Gaulle and Gare de l'Est in central Paris is on the table, but no track will be laid until 2017. When complete in 2023, the CDG Express will cut the current 50-odd minute journey to 20 minutes. A fourth terminal is due to open in 2020.

Train

Charles de Gaulle is served by the RER B line (€9.75, approximately 50 minutes, every 10 to 20 minutes), which connects with the Gare du Nord, Châtelet–Les Halles and St-Michel–Notre Dame stations in the city centre. Trains run from 5am to 11pm; there are fewer trains on weekends.

Taxi

AA taxi to the city centre takes 40 minutes. From 2016, fares have been standardised to a flat rate: €50 to the Right Bank and €55 to the Left Bank. The fare increases by 15% between 5pm and 10am and on Sundays.

AOnly take taxis at a clearly marked rank. Never follow anyone who approaches you at the airport and claims to be a driver.

Orly Airport

Aéroport d'Orly (ORY; GOOGLE MAP ; %01 70 36 39 50; www.aeroportsdeparis.fr) is 19km south of central Paris but, despite being closer than CDG, it is not as frequently used by international airlines, and public transport options aren’t quite as straightforward. That will change by 2024, when metro line 14 will be extended to the airport. A TGV station is due to arrive here in 2025.

Orly's south and west terminals are currently being unified into one large terminal suitable for bigger planes such as A380s; completion is due in 2018.

Train

There is currently no direct train to/from Orly; you’ll need to change halfway. Note that while it is possible to take a shuttle to the RER C line, this service is quite long and not recommended.

RER B (€12.05, 35 minutes, every four to 12 minutes) This line connects Orly with the St-Michel–Notre Dame, Châtelet–Les Halles and Gare du Nord stations in the city centre. In order to get from Orly to the RER station (Antony), you must first take the Orlyval automatic train. The service runs from 6am to 11pm (less frequently on weekends). You only need one ticket to take the two trains.

Tram

Tramway T7 (€1.80, every six minutes, 40 minutes, 5.30am to 12.30am) This tramway links Orly with Villejuif–Louis Aragon metro station in southern Paris; buy tickets from the machine at the tram stop as no tickets are sold on board.

Taxi

A taxi to the city centre takes roughly 30 minutes. Standardised flat-rate fares since 2016 mean a taxi costs €30 to the Left Bank and €35 to the Right Bank. The fare increases by 15% between 5pm and 10am and on Sundays.

Bus

Two bus lines serve Orly:

Les Cars Air France line 1 (€12.50, one hour, every 20 minutes, 6am to 11.40pm from Orly, 5am to 10.40pm from Invalides) Runs to/from the Gare Montparnasse (35 minutes) in southern Paris, Invalides in the 7e, and the Arc de Triomphe. Children aged two to 11 pay half price.

Orlybus (€7.50, 30 minutes, every 15 minutes, 6am to 12.30pm from Orly, 5.35am to midnight from Paris) Runs to/from the metro station Denfert Rochereau in southern Paris, making several stops en route.

Beauvais Airport

Aéroport de Beauvais (BVA; %08 92 68 20 66; www.aeroportbeauvais.com) is 75km north of Paris and is served by a few low-cost flights. Before you snap up that bargain, consider if the postarrival journey is worth it.

Shuttle (€17, 1¼ hours) The Beauvais shuttle bus links the airport with metro station Porte de Maillot. See the airport website for details and tickets.

Gare du Nord

Located in northern Paris, Gare du Nord ( GOOGLE MAP ; rue de Dunkerque, 10e; mGare du Nord) is the terminus for northbound domestic trains as well as several international services.

Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) The London–Paris line runs from St-Pancras International to Gare du Nord. Voyages take 2¼ hours.

Thalys (www.thalys.com) Trains pull into Paris' Gare du Nord from Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.

Other Mainline Stations

AParis has five other stations for long-distance trains, each with its own metro station: Gare d’Austerlitz, Gare de l’Est, Gare de Lyon, Gare Montparnasse and Gare St-Lazare. The station used depends on the direction from Paris.

AContact Voyages SNCF (www.voyages-sncf.com) for connections throughout France and continental Europe.

Getting Around

Bicycle

The Vélib’ (%01 30 79 79 30; www.velib.paris.fr; day/week subscription €1.70/8, bike hire up to 30/60/90/120min free/€1/2/4) bike-share scheme puts 23,600 bikes at the disposal of Parisians and visitors for getting around the city. There are some 1800 stations throughout the city, each with anywhere from 20 to 70 bike stands. The bikes are accessible around the clock.

ATo get a bike, you first need to purchase a one- or seven-day subscription. There are two ways to do this: either at the terminals found at docking stations or online.

AThe terminals require a credit card with an embedded smart chip (which precludes many North American cards), and, even then, not all foreign chip-embedded cards will work. Alternatively, you can purchase a subscription online before you leave your hotel.

AAfter you authorise a deposit (€150) to pay for the bike should it go missing, you’ll receive an ID number and PIN code and you’re ready to go.

ABikes are rented in 30-minute intervals. If you return a bike before a half-hour is up and then take a new one, you will not be charged.

AIf the station you want to return your bike to is full, log in to the terminal to get 15 minutes for free while you find another station.

ABikes are geared to cyclists aged 14 and over, and are fitted with gears, an antitheft lock with key, reflective strips and front/rear lights. Bring your own helmet (they are not required by law).

Boat

Batobus (www.batobus.com; adult/child 1-day pass €17/10, 2-day pass €19/10; h10am-9.30pm Apr-Aug, to 7pm Sep-Mar) runs glassed-in trimarans that dock every 20 to 25 minutes at nine small piers along the Seine: Beaugrenelle, Eiffel Tower, Musée d’Orsay, St-Germain des Prés, Notre Dame, Jardin des Plantes/Cité de la Mode et du Design, Hôtel de Ville, Musée du Louvre and Champs-Élysées.

Buy tickets online, at ferry stops or at tourist offices. You can also buy a two-/three-day Paris À La Carte Pass that includes L’Open Tour (%01 42 66 56 56; www.paris.opentour.com; 1-day pass adult/child €32/16) buses for €45/49.

Bus

AParis’ bus system, operated by RATP, runs from 5.30am to 8.30pm Monday to Saturday; after that, certain evening-service lines continue until between midnight and 12.30am. Services are drastically reduced on Sunday and public holidays, when buses run from 7am to 8.30pm.

AThe RATP runs 47 night bus lines known as Noctilien (www.vianavigo.com), which depart hourly from 12.30am to 5.30am. You pay a certain number of standard €1.80 metro/bus tickets, depending on the length of your journey.

Metro & RER

Paris’ underground network is run by RATP and consists of two separate but linked systems: the metro and the Réseau Express Régional (RER) suburban train line.

AThe metro has 14 numbered lines; the RER has five main lines (but you'll probably only need to use A, B and C).

AWhen buying tickets consider how many zones your journey will cover; there are five concentric transport zones rippling out from Paris (5 being the furthest); if you travel from Charles de Gaulle airport to Paris, for instance, you will have to buy a zone 1–5 ticket.

AFor information and route maps for the metro, RER and bus systems, visit www.ratp.fr.

AEach metro line has a different colour, number and final destination. Signs in stations indicate the way to the platform for your line. The direction signs on each platform indicate the terminus. On lines that split into several branches, the terminus served by each train is indicated on the cars, and signs on each platform give the number of minutes until the next train.

ASigns marked correspondance (transfer) show how to reach connecting trains. At stations with many intersecting lines, such as Châtelet and Montparnasse Bienvenüe, the connection can take a long time.

AEach line has its own schedule but trains usually start at around 5.30am, with the last train beginning its run between 12.35am and 1.15am (2.15am on Friday and Saturday).

Tickets & Passes

AThe same RATP tickets are valid on the metro, the RER (for travel within the city limits), buses, trams and the Montmartre funicular.

AA ticket – white in colour and called Le Ticket t+ – costs €1.80 (half price for children aged four to nine years) if bought individually and €14.10 for adults for a carnet (book) of 10.

ATickets are sold at all metro stations. Ticket windows accept most credit cards; however, automated machines do not accept credit cards without embedded chips (and even then, not all foreign chip-embedded cards).

AOne ticket lets you travel between any two metro stations (no return journeys) for a period of 1½ hours, no matter how many transfers are required. You can also use it on the RER for travel within zone 1, which encompasses all of central Paris.

ATransfers from the metro to bus or vice versa are not possible.

AAlways keep your ticket until you exit from your station or risk a fine.

AIf you’re staying in Paris for a week or more, ask at metro station offices about rechargeable Navigo (www.navigo.fr) passes.

ATourist passes Mobilis and Paris Visite cover transport.

Taxi

AThe prise en charge (flagfall) is €2.60. Within the city limits, it costs €1.04 per kilometre for travel between 10am and 5pm Monday to Saturday (Tarif A; white light on taxi roof and meter).

AAt night (5pm to 10am), on Sunday from 7am to midnight, and in the inner suburbs the rate is €1.27 per kilometre (Tarif B; orange light).

ATravel in the city limits and inner suburbs on Sunday night (midnight to 7am Monday) and in the outer suburbs is at Tarif C, €1.54 per kilometre (blue light).

AThe minimum taxi fare for a short trip is €6.86.

AFlat fees have been introduced for taxis to/from the major airports, Charles de Gualle and Orly.

AThere’s a €3 surcharge for taking a fourth passenger, but drivers sometimes refuse for insurance reasons. The first piece of baggage is free; additional pieces over 5kg cost €1 extra.

AFlagging down a taxi in Paris can be difficult; it’s best to find an official taxi stand.

ATo order a taxi, call or reserve online with Taxis G7 (%01 41 27 66 99, 3607; www.taxisg7.com), Taxis Bleus (%08 91 70 10 10, 3609; www.taxis-bleus.com) or Alpha Taxis (%01 45 85 85 85; www.alphataxis.fr).

Essential Information

Business Hours

The following list shows approximate standard opening hours for businesses. Hours can vary by season. Many businesses close for the entire month of August for summer holidays.

Banks 9am–1pm and 2–5pm Monday to Friday, some Saturday morning

Bars and cafes 7am–2am

Museums 10am–6pm, closed Monday or Tuesday

Post offices 8am–7pm Monday to Friday, and until noon Saturday

Restaurants noon–2pm and 7.30–10.30pm

Shops (clothing) 10am–7pm Monday to Saturday, occasionally close in the early afternoon for lunch and sometimes all day Monday

Shops (food) 8am–1pm and 4–7.30pm, closed Sunday afternoon and sometimes Monday

Discount Cards

AIf you plan on visiting a lot of museums, pick up a Paris Museum Pass (www.en.parismuseumpass.com; 2/4/6 days €48/62/74) or a Paris Passlib' (www.parisinfo.com; 2/3/5 days €109/129/155); the latter also includes public transport and various extras. The passes get you into 60-odd venues in and around Paris, bypassing (or reducing) long ticket queues. Both passes are available from the Paris Convention & Visitors Bureau.

AMobilis and Paris Visite passes are valid on the metro, RER, SNCF’s suburban lines, buses, night buses, trams and Montmartre funicular railway. Passes are sold at larger metro and RER stations, SNCF offices in Paris, and the airports.

AMobilis Allows unlimited travel for one day and costs €7 (two zones) to €16.60 (five zones). Buy it at any metro, RER or SNCF station in the Paris region. Depending on how many times you plan to hop on/off the metro in a day, a carnet (book of tickets) might work out cheaper.

AParis Visite Allows unlimited travel as well as discounted entry to certain museums and other discounts and bonuses. The 'Paris+Suburbs+Airports' pass includes transport to/from the airports and costs €23.50/ 35.70/ 50.05/ 61.25 for one/two/three/five days. The cheaper 'Paris Centre' pass, valid for zones 1 to 3, costs €11.15/ 18.15/ 24.80/ 35.70 for one/two/three/five days. Children aged four to 11 years pay half price.

Electricity

Emergency

Ambulance (SAMU)	15
Fire	18
Police	17
EU-wide emergency	112

Internet Access

AWi-fi (pronounced ‘wee-fee’ in France) is available in most Paris hotels, usually at no extra cost, and in some museums.

AFree wi-fi is available in some 300 public places, including parks, libraries and municipal buildings, between 7am and 11pm daily. In parks look for a purple ‘Zone Wi-Fi’ sign near the entrance. To connect, select the 'PARIS_WI-FI_' network and connect; sessions are limited to two hours. For complete details and a map of hot spots see www.paris.fr/wifi.

Money

AFrance uses the euro (€). For updated exchange rates, check www.xe.com.

AVisa is the most widely accepted credit card, followed by MasterCard. American Express and Diners Club cards are accepted only at more exclusive establishments. Some restaurants don’t accept credit cards.

AMany automated services, such as ticket machines, require a chip-and-PIN credit card (even some foreign chip-enabled cards won't work). Ask your bank for advice before you leave.

Public Holidays

New Year’s Day (Jour de l’An) 1 January

Easter Sunday & Monday (Pâques & Lundi de Pâques) Late March/April

May Day (Fête du Travail) 1 May

Victory in Europe Day (Victoire 1945) 8 May

Ascension Thursday (L’Ascension) May; celebrated on the 40th day after Easter

Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte) Mid-May to mid-June; seventh Monday after Easter

Bastille Day/National Day (Fête Nationale) 14 July

Assumption Day (L’Assomption) 15 August

All Saints’ Day (La Toussaint) 1 November

Armistice Day/Remembrance Day (Le Onze Novembre) 11 November

Christmas (Noël) 25 December

Safe Travel

AIn general, Paris is a safe city but pickpockets prey on busy places; always stay alert to the possibility of someone surreptitiously reaching for your pockets or bags, especially where there are tourist crowds, such as the base of Sacré-Cœur.

ACommon 'distraction' scams include would-be pickpockets pretending to 'find' a gold ring, brandishing fake petitions, dropping items, and tying 'friendship bracelets' to your wrist.

AThe metro is safe to use until it closes, including for women travelling alone, but stations best avoided late at night include the long passageways of Châtelet–Les Halles and Montparnasse–Bienvenüe, as well as Château Rouge, Gare du Nord, Strasbourg St-Denis, Réaumur Sébastopol and Stalingrad. Bornes d’alarme (alarm boxes) are located in the centre of each metro/RER platform and in some station corridors.

Dos & Don'ts

AAlways greet/farewell anyone you interact with, such as shopkeepers, with ‘Bonjour (bonsoir at night)/Au revoir'.

AParticularly in smaller shops, staff may not appreciate you touching the merchandise until invited to do so, nor taking photographs.

AParisians don't speak loudly – modulate your voice to a similarly low pitch.

ATu and vous both mean ‘you’ but tu is only used with people you know very well, children or animals. Use vous until you're invited to use tu.

ATalking about money (eg salaries or spending outlays) is generally taboo in public.

ANever use ‘garçon’ ('boy') to summon a waiter, rather ‘Monsieur’ or ‘Madame’.

Telephone

ACheck with your provider before you leave about roaming costs and/or ensure your phone’s unlocked to use a French SIM card (available in Paris).

AFrance doesn’t use separate area codes – you always dial the full 10-digit number. Drop the initial '0' if calling France from abroad.

AFrance’s country code is 33.

ATo call abroad from Paris, dial France’s international access code (00).

Toilets

APublic toilets in Paris are signposted toilettes or WC. The self-cleaning cylindrical toilets you see on Parisian pavements are open 24 hours, reasonably clean and free of charge, though, of course, they never seem to be around when you need them. Look for the words libre (‘available’; green-coloured) or occupé (‘occupied’; red-coloured).

ACafe owners do not appreciate you using their facilities if you are not a paying customer (a coffee can be a good investment); however, if you have young children they may make an exception (ask first!). Other good bets are major department stores and big hotels.

AThere are free public toilets in front of Notre Dame cathedral, near the Arc de Triomphe, east down the steps at Sacré-Cœur and at the northwestern entrance to the Jardins des Tuileries.

Tourist Information

Paris Convention & Visitors Bureau (Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris; GOOGLE MAP ; www.parisinfo.com; 27 rue des Pyramides, 1er; h7am-7pm May-Oct, 10am-7pm Nov-Apr; mPyramides) The main branch is 500m northwest of the Louvre. It sells tickets for tours and several attractions, plus museum and transport passes. Also books accommodation.

Anvers-Montmartre Welcome Desk ( GOOGLE MAP ; http://en.parisinfo.com; opp 72 bd Rochechouart, 18e; h10am-6pm; mAnvers) At the foot of Montmartre, next to Anvers metro station.

Gare de l’Est Welcome Desk ( GOOGLE MAP ; place du 11 Novembre 1918, 10e; h8am-7pm Mon-Sat; mGare de l’Est) Inside Gare de l'Est train station, facing platforms 1–2.

Gare de Lyon Welcome Desk ( GOOGLE MAP ; 20 bd Diderot, 12e; h8am-6pm Mon-Sat; mGare de Lyon) Inside Gare de Lyon train station, facing platforms L–M.

Gare du Nord Welcome Desk ( GOOGLE MAP ; 18 rue de Dunkerque, 10e; h8am-6pm; mGare du Nord) Inside Gare du Nord station, under the glass roof of the Île de France departure and arrival area (eastern end of station).

Syndicate d’Initiative de Montmartre ( GOOGLE MAP ; %01 42 62 21 21; www.montmartre-guide.com; 21 place du Tertre, 18e; h10am-6pm summer, 10am-4pm Mon-Thu, 10am-5pm Fri, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Sat rest of year; mAbbesses) Locally run tourist office and shop on Montmartre’s most picturesque square. It sells maps of Montmartre and organises guided tours.

Travellers with Disabilities

AFor information about which cultural venues in Paris are accessible to people with disabilities, surf Accès Culture (www.accesculture.org).

AAccess in Paris, a 245-page guide to the French capital for people with disabilities, can be downloaded in PDF form at Access Project (www.accessinparis.org).

AMobile en Ville (%09 52 29 60 51; www.mobile-en-ville.asso.fr; 8 rue des Mariniers, 14e) works hard to make independent travel within the city easier for people in wheelchairs. Among other things it organises wheelchair randonnées (walks) in and around Paris; those in wheelchairs are pushed by 'walkers' on rollerskates.

ADownload Lonely Planet's free Accessible Travel guide from http://lptravel.to/AccessibleTravel.

Transport

AFor information on the accessibility of all forms of public transport in the Paris region, get a copy of the Guide Practique à l’Usage des Personnes à Mobilité Réduite (Practical Usage Guide for People with Reduced Mobility) from the Syndicate des Transports d’Île de France (www.stif.info). Its info service for travellers with disabilities, Info Mobi (%09 70 81 83 85; www.infomobi.com), is especially useful.

ATaxis G7 has 120 cars especially adapted to carry wheelchairs, and drivers trained in helping passengers with disabilities.

Visas

AThere are no entry requirements for nationals of EU countries and a handful of other European countries (including Switzerland). Citizens of Australia, the USA, Canada and New Zealand do not need visas to visit France for up to 90 days.

AEveryone else, including citizens of South Africa, needs a Schengen Visa, named after the Schengen Agreement that has abolished passport controls among 26 EU countries and which has also been ratified by the non-EU governments of Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Note that the UK and Ireland are not Schengen countries.

ACheck www.france.diplomatie.fr for the latest visa regulations and the closest French embassy to your current residence.