Getting Around France: Public Transportation and Country-wide Travel

The Best Guide to Transportation Around France 

Utilize the Many Methods of Transportation

You’re coming to France for studies, work, or tourism and you want to get some information regarding transportation during your stay? You’re at the right place! No Car? No problem!

In order to make the most of your trip to France, you’ll need to move a lot within the cities and use multiple forms of transportation like trains, metro, buses and taxis. France has one of the densest networks in the world with 146 km of road and 6.2 km of rail lines per 100 km2. This article will help you choose the best way of transportation depending on the nature of your trip! We only focus on what travelers need to know, ENJOY!

Firstly, being late is one specialty of French people and you may already be aware of it. This is a bad French habit that you don’t want to have, especially if you’re here for professional reasons. Obviously, a delay can happen to anyone getting around but if it happens many times, you may be in trouble so you’ll need to anticipate your trips as much as possible and find other alternatives of local and public transportation “in case of".

If you have the chance to stay in a big city like Paris or Lyon, you'll quickly understand that transport networks are a big mess. It’s possible that you feel lost within the 16 subway lines of the capital and its 300 stations but, believe me, even once accustomed, it can still be confusing planning your next trip!

Fortunately for you, there are multiple forms of transport within cities as mentioned above (metro, trams, buses, taxis, or driving), here you’ll find information on some different forms of transportation and some tips to ensure that you are getting around effectively and reaching your destination while staying on budget.

First of all, beware of pickpockets! Whenever you’re using bus, metro or tramways services, you have to be cautious so keep your bag in your hands or tucked into your body, not hanging on the crook of your arm or on your back, especially near tourist attractions. Now let's discuss the various options for getting around France.

1. THE METRO

As in most major cities around the world, you can take the subway or metro for your daily trips. It’s actually the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to get around. Unfortunately, courtesy is not common on the metro and catching a smile might not be the easiest thing to do in the Parisian subway. The subway system provides service every day, holidays included. Hours of operations for the metro begin at 6am and finish at around 1am (2am on weekends). Depending on the station, the metro runs more or less often: at peak times, the metro train arrives every 2 minutes.

Where to buy my metro tickets?

A metro ticket has a cost of 1€90 in Paris (14€50 for 10 tickets). These tickets are available for purchase at ATMs located in each station, at tobacconist shops or online at PARISINFO.COM. If you are visiting Paris for a longer period, it is worth it to look into a Navigo pass which could be interesting as well. You can find maps of the RER and metro over here.

2. Tramways & Buses

The Parisian tramway is composed of 4 lines and there are about 60 bus lines. These are the two best modes of public transportation for discovering the capital. Indeed, there are a lot of those lines and many of them pass through the center and the historic districts. Buses run from Monday to Saturday from approximately 7am to 9pm. Some lines still run at night till as late as 1am and more than half of the lines are operating on Sundays. Be careful, with public buses you must make a signal to the driver to stop, especially in stops served by different lines. Here you can find the Parisian bus lines maps to make it easier to get around on your busy days in Paris.

3. Taxis & Uber

When exploring the city, walk as much as you can and stay away from cabs. If you can, don’t take cabs at all. But if you must ride, take the metro or bus instead. Not only are cabs expensive in France but they also take the joy and fun out of strolling leisurely. Paris, for instance, is a lovely city, which spans 6 miles of bustling urban terrain and is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Because of this you can walk from one landmark to another without trouble. Moreover, the taxi services won’t be cheap (sending you over budget) and, most of the time, drivers are not that friendly with their customers. If you absolutely need to travel by car, Uber services might be way better but you still need to consider traffic issues, that can extend your ride a lot.

4. Other ways of transport

As you can probably guess, French cities have developed more environmentally friendly ways of transport for short distances. Indeed, you can rent bikes for cheap in one of the 300 stations spread throughout the capital (350 stations in Lyon) but you can also rent electric scooters everywhere around the city. With electric scooters, be careful when using them as accidents are common. Once you've found the best restaurant near you, these are some of the best and cheapest ways to get there! Furthermore, Romancing The Planet has a great article on the European train experience worth checking out.

Below you will find the different mobile apps that should be useful transportation for getting around during your stay, simply click the logo to be linked directly to their website!

If you try out any of these methods, or know of others, leave a comment!

At Le French Baroudeur we provide quality content for our readers that is Honest, Informative, and Entertaining. We aim to provide the best travel tips and travel guides for people looking to discover, explore, and live in France. Whether you are a university exchange student studying abroad or just someone looking to visit France, we are the blog for you. Our team of travel bloggers is dedicated to giving you the best information and tips based on our personal experiences and insights from others!