A Guide to Paris Public Transportation for Travelers

If you're going to visit Paris, France soon and are looking for a way to get around town, public transportation is a good, economical choice. Paris is known for having a safe and efficient pubic transportation system.

If you want to a bus in Paris, you'll find them clean. If you decide to take a train in Paris, you can be assured that the train will regularly arrive on time.

Here are some tips to getting around Paris using its public transportation system.

Use a metro map. You can download a metro map or pick one up at a metro information booth. This will help you focus on where you want to go and how to get there.

Don't ride the express trains or metro during rush hour. If you're a tourist, try to avoid taking the metro or express trains while Parisians are making their daily travels, resulting in rush hour and crowded metro cars. Rush hours in Paris are 8- 10 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. Taking a bus during these times would be a better bet.

Avoid the overcrowded metro lines. Some metro lines are more crowded than others. The main ones to avoid are 28, 38, 62 and 68. Those are follow behind 1, 2, 4, 11, 12 and 13 on the overcrowded scale.

When it's time to purchase a ticket for the metro, you can get them from machine, station or a sales desk. You can pay for your bus ticket when boarding a bus. News stands also sell transportation tickets. When boarding a bus, you'll have to exact change for your bus fare. If you purchase your tickets from a machine, known as an automatic distributor, you will have to use a debit card or coins to pay. You can use bills at a sales desk.

There are a variety of types of tickets you can buy for Paris bus, train and tramway transportation. The options are a single ticket, a bundle of tickets as well as daily and weekly passes. The prices vary.

There is a downside to everything though. Even public transportation in Paris.

One thing to note is that the buses and trains in Paris are always overcrowded because of their popularity. If you're a tourist, you'll be joining the Parisians that use public transportation for their everyday travel.

Paris also lacks in accommodations for disabled people. If you are in a wheelchair, you may have some difficulty in using public transportation in Paris. This is because there are a lack of elevators and escalators.

In the summer you will undoubtedly notice that the Paris metro doesn't have air conditioning, which is sure to make you sweat. It's not the best method to travel if you're going somewhere important and don't want to look like a hot, sweaty mess.