How the Paris Metro Works | Getting around Paris

The Paris Metro is the second busiest Metro in Europe and the densest subway system in the world. Here's everything you need to know in order to navigate the Paris Metro like a professional!

Leave a comment with any questions you have and we’ll make sure to include it in a future video.

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===== TIMESTAMPS =====
00:00 Intro
00:10 A Little Experiment
00:42 Quick Facts
01:23 History
02:35 The Metro Today
03:08 How to Read the Map
08:31 How to Find Your Way
11:10 How to Pay
13:16 Bonus Tips

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[Black_Nest]

Also, tips for non-Parisians, when taking the metro (walking and taking escalators underground) stay on the right side to not bump into anyone or to not block the escalators' left side which is kinda used as the fast lane. I know a lot of cities have this unspoken rule as well but some cities (like Tokyo) apply the opposite rule (the right side is the "fast lane").

[MaxTerrazos]

You forgot something important: there are close to none lifts and one-way escalators, which makes the metro impossible for a wheelchair user. They're forced to take the much slower bus system. I experienced this with my disabled father a few days ago. It was hell. Thank God we visited Berlin as well, as we had no problems when taking the U5 line.

[PPKFilms]

This was super fun to make and I hope this helps all of you who plan on travelling in Paris in the future ! Thanks Driaan for the insane editing 🤘

[ezkymos]

13:49 You could have added that during the night there are night buses (Noctilien) crossing the city and suburbs every 15 to 30 minutes. They don't stop everywhere but every 2-4 km, on major metro stations.

[Hillary]

I loved the metro when I visited Paris in 2019. The app made everything so easy to navigate. I can’t believe they got rid of the paper tickets, but sounds like that would make things even easier since we didn’t always know which stations sold them.

[Zelda-srro]

I crossed the Seine on line 6 this summer without knowing that I would have such a view. It was a truly magic moment!

[AshokKumar-sybv]

I spent around 5 years (2014-19) during my posting there. I used to live near Pont de Sevres in Bolougne Billancourt and take Metro 9 to reach my office which was (still there) in La Mutte. Sweet memories.

[quoniam]

Apart from Line 14 which is more of a normal metro line for nowadays standards, the average distance between stops on the older lines is closer to 450 m. The network was designed as an underground tram at first to compete with the trams on the surface to free the streets which were completely blocked during peak hours.
So, if you are traveling for one or two stops only, it is not worth taking it, indeed. (unless it rains a lot or weather is very cold or too hot outside).
Line 1 is a bit of an exception for the older lines, its average distance between stops is closer to 700 m thanks to the mostly straight alignment and the distance between points of interest. It was originally made to serve the businest axis of the city, the fasest possible while stopping everywhere interesting.

When the metro was created, the City passed a Law to make sure that NO points of the city would be further than 400 m from any metro station of the network (it applies to the inner city only as the metro was supposed to be exclusively Parisian at first).

From Etoile to Nation, RER A is much faster tthan Line 1, however avoid it during peak hours.

[Pablo.Rodriguez]

I was traveling through Europe a couple months ago and the whole individual tickets for the Paris Metro was kinda weird since it was the only city that I visited that had that system, beautiful city and great video mate, greetings from Colombia :)

[IANinALTONA]

Pro tip: if you are a tourist and you are using single paper tickets, buy a handful. Especially at touristy stops there are long queues at the few vending machines. So just buy five single tickets at a quiet station when/where there is no queue. If you wanna get on at Etole, Bir-Hakeim or Passy, just walk past the machine and to up the fare-gate and validate your ticket in two seconds.

[chngphilip]

I gave up trying to figure out the zones. Then I found your video on my 4th night.Well done. Thanks!! ❤❤❤ From Paris.

[bigreddallas]

This was an excellent presentation. Through and easy to understand. It was so much easier to have my daughter watch this when she joined me in Paris, then me trying to explain it to her!! Merci beaucoup.😊

[kueller]

This is extremely well edited and presented. I'll definitely be sending this to any far-away friends or family that might come to visit for the first time.
It's quite amazing when you think the way Paris built its metro was not unique at all. So many cities around the world were ripping apart their streets 100 or so years ago and now we can casually get around.

[mimilouw]

Heading to Paris in April - this was so in depth and helpful! Thank you 🎉🇫🇷

[andrewmcgarrity]

Line 6 looks like an amazing view of the city. Glad I stuck around till the end :)

[MaximeYlias]

Oke I'm from Paris and I'm looking at your video and learning new things x) (Terrific video 🔥)

[Katcycle]

This video has really whet my appetite for visiting Paris, and given me confidence that when I do, I'll be able to find my way around the city. Bravo!

[gigabit]

One other interesting fact: if you're in the metro and you see the sign that shows the names of the two terminus stations (line 6, étoile nation for example), generally the first station is towards the north or the west, and the bottom station is towards the south or the east. Useful if you can't remember the terminus station name but you know what direction you want to go in.

[faizulhaque]

Thanks for a very detailed explanation of the Paris Metro. It helps visitors like us.

[protheu]

I liked Paris metro. Really great and memorable experience.