Find a route from CDG to Paris Metro Station

Here is a step by step example of finding a route from CDG Airport Terminal 1 to St. Sulpice Metro station in Paris.

Step One - Route Planner

First, open up the Paris Metro Route Planner in a web browser. You’ll see a page similar to the one shown here.

Step Two - Departure Metro Station

First decision to make: Address or Station?  If you know the name of the Metro station closest to your final destination, click on the radio button next to Station

In this example, we’re leaving from CDG Airport Terminal 1.  To enter your departure station enter: Aeroport CDG 1

If you’re arriving at CDG Terminal 2 enter: Aeroport CDG 2. To find a route from CDG Terminal 3, use Aeroport CDG 1 as this is the closest station to Terminal 3.

Step Three - Destination Metro Station

Next, we’ll select a Destination station.  In this example we’re going to St. Sulpice Metro station.  Select the Station radio button and type St Sulpice in the text box below.

Step Four - Options

By default the route planner will search for the fastest route between the departure and destination stations.  At times this can result in several connections between several Metro or RER train lines. If you’re traveling with heavy luggage or suffer from mobility issues, choosing fewest connections or shortest walking distance options may result in a better route.

Step Five - Departure Time & Date

There is an option near the bottom of the Route Planner that allows you to enter the Date and Time that you plan on making this journey.

It’s important to specify the same day of the week and approximate time of day (in 24 hour clock) that you will be making this trip to get accurate results.  You do not have to specify the exact date & time of travel if this information is not available.  If you’re not sure of when you’re traveling, simply choose a time and day that makes sense, i.e. don’t use a time in the middle of the night. Somewhere between 8am to 9pm (21 hours) will give you good results.

Step Six - Being Precise

Click the Search button (bottom right corner) to start the Route Planner.

99% of the time the Paris Metro Route Planner will not show you a route, but will instead ask you to specify more precisely the departure and destination stations

The Paris Metro Route Planner will ask you to select from station names that closely matched your search criteria (Aeroport CDG 1 and St Sulpice).

Most of the time the suggested stations are correct, but you can click on the selected items to see the other suggestions.  Above are the exact station names that the Paris Metro Route Planner needs to use.

Finally, click again the Search button.

Important! The Paris Metro Route Planner will open a new browser window to show you the route results. This is considered a “Pop-Up Ad” by most browsers such as Firefox or Internet Explorer and their Pop-Up Blockers will not show the route planner results window.  You need to allow your web browser to show this Pop-Up Window, either permanently or just for this session.  To permanently allow the Route Planner to show Pop-Up Window route results, see the Purdue University page on allowing Pop-Ups from certain websites.  For the “address of Web site to allow” use: ratp.info.  The RATP uses several Web servers to provide the Route Planner results, so it is important to specify only “ratp.info” rather than www7.ratp.info or something similar since that number “7″ will change from time to time as the website spreads out the server traffic load to several different Web servers.

Step Seven - Review Route Planner Results

The Pop-Up Paris Metro Route Planner results page will show something similar to this:

Examining Route Planner Results

Looking closer at the results we see that the Paris Metro Route Planner gives total Travel Time for the journey (51 minutes).

Each part of the journey is broken down into steps specified along the left hand side column (1 & 2):

Each step shows details on which line you must take, in which direction, and which station you need to descend or stop at.

This first step specifies the type of train: RER, the line: B, the direction: Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse, from the departure station: Aeroport Charles de Gaulle 1, and the destination station which is either your final destination or the station where you’ll need to transfer to another line: Chatelet Les Halles. At the airport train stations, on the train platforms, you can verify the direction of the RER train by looking at the overhead television screens which show the direction and departure time of the train.

Note: the direction for trains leaving CDG is not important if you’re destination is within city centre Paris, since the RER B train stops at all RER B stations within Paris itself: Gare du Nord, Chatelet Les Halles, St Michel Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert Rochereau, and Cité Universitaire.  Thus, if you see a different direction name listed on the overhead television information screens than the one you received from the Route Planner, don’t panic, the train will stop at all the downtown Paris RER stations.

See the following photo guide articles for more information on catching the RER B train from Paris CDG Airport to Paris city center: CDG Airport Terminal 1 to Paris and CDG Airport Terminal 2 to Paris.

In this example, the second leg of the journey is completed on a different type of train: the Paris Metro, Line 4.  In this step, direction is very important.  Every Paris Metro line will have two (or more) directions which are specified by the name of the last station on the line (the terminus station) at that end of the line.  In this case, the direction is Porte d’Orleans.

When you are transferring from the RER B train line to Metro Line 4 at station Chatelet Les Halles, you’ll have to follow signs within Chatelet Les Halles that show Metro Line 4 and the direction Porte d’Orleans, if the sign you’re reading denotes directions.  Not all signs within Metro stations show line directions (to save space) and some signs show both directions, since you’re so far away from the actual Metro train plaforms that the path you’re on leads to both sides (and directions) of the Metro line.  Only when you get close enough to the two train platforms, each heading in opposite directions, will the Metro signs start specifying a single direction/terminus station.  For this particular trip, the opposite direction for Metro Line 4 is Porte de Clignacourt, but we’re after Porte d’Orleans.

On the right hand side of the Route Planner results is a column specifying the time each part of the journey will take, including walking time (in green) to the train platforms themselves.

The final piece of information on the Route Planner results is the Paris Fare Zones you’ll be crossing during your journey.  This tells you the approximative cost of the trip and the type of ticket required for the journey.

In this case, CDG Airport to Paris (any Metro station) is a special fare and is priced as such: 8,40€.  For journeys purely within the Paris Metro system, the Fare Zones are 1-2, and will require only a single Ticket t+ at a current cost of 1,60€ (as of Feb. 2009).  Any journeys beyond zones 1-2 will require additional Ticket t+ tickets good for the Metro and Bus, or special station to station priced tickets called Billet Ile-de-France.  Tip: Billet Ile-de-France tickets, when arriving or departing in central Paris, such as on this trip from CDG Airport to Paris, are good for both the Paris RER and the Paris Metro; you’ll use this single ticket on both types of trains to complete your journey.

Ready to try this for yourself?  Here is a pre-saved version of the above journey: Aeroport CDG 1 to St. Sulpice Paris Metro Route Planner search.

Paris Metro lines operating all night: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 et 14 the evening of New Year’s eve.

Paris RER lines operating all night: RER A and RER B the night of 31 December.

Paris Noctilien (night bus) will operate as per normal.

All Paris Metro, Buses, RER, Trams will operate free of charge from 17h (5pm) on Dec. 31 until 12:00 noon January 1.

Please keep in mind that not all Metro stations along the above noted lines will be served during the extended service hours, rather only the more popular stations and stations with connections to other lines.

Paris Metro & RER lines not mentioned above will operate as per normal with service ending at 01:40 for the Metro. For more information RER hours of operation see the Schedules page.

(Thanks to Didier Rouger of RATP for some of the above information).

The Metro is

• the Métropolitan chemin de fer (Metropolitan railway)
• a subway/tube/underground train system
• 16 lines, 1 through 14 plus two short secondary lines (3bis and 7bis)
• just central Paris (see Metro map)
• short distances between stations
• one single fare zone
• unscheduled service
• mostly underground (subway/tube like)
• no bicycles allowed on Metro, except on Metro Line 1 on Sundays and holidays

The RER is

• the Réseau Express Régionale (Regional Express Network)
• a commuter train system
• 5 lines, RER A through E
• central Paris plus much of Ile-de-France (see RER line map)
• used interchangeably with the Metro in central Paris
• faster than the Metro, with fewer stops & greater distances between stations
• separated into fare zones 1 - 6
• scheduled service (see RER schedules)
• mostly above ground, except within central Paris
• bicycles are allowed on the RER except during rush hour (not allowed between 6:30-9 AM and from 16:30 - 19:00)

Resources

More information on the Paris Metro (Google Knol)

Metro Tickets (Ticket t+)

RER Tickets (Billet Ile-de-France)

(RER sign photo by Gregory Deryckère)

For TGV intercity train route planners & ticket sales, see below.

Route Planners for Paris and surrounding region (Ile-de-France)

• Paris Route Planner for Metro, Bus, RER, Trams (RATP.fr) - For central Paris and suburbs connected by RER train (Versailles, Roissy [CDG Airport], Marne la Vallee [Euro Disney], etc.).  For a detailed example of using this Paris Metro Planner see CDG to Paris Metro Route Planner.
• Paris Train Route & Schedule Finder (Transilien.com) - To and from major train stations in Paris to cities within surrounding Ile-de-France region. Major train stations in Paris are: Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon, Gare de l’Est, Gare Montparnasse, Gare d’Austerlitz, Gare St. Lazare.
• Detailed Itinerary Builder with fares (www.transport-idf.com) - For all of central France (Paris + Ile-de-France) on all modes of public transportation. Includes fare prices.

Below is a photo of the route planner tool at RATP.fr.

TGV Train Route Planner from Paris to other cities in France

• TGV & InterCity Train Route Builder / Schedule Tool (www.Gares-en-mouvement.com) - Detailed route planner for train travel from major Paris train stations to cities within France. Includes TGV, Ter, Transilien, RER, Corail trains. No ticket sales. INSTRUCTIONS: First click on a blue dot to choose a departure station. On the following page, click Search the Timetable on the left column, last link, to access the route planner/scheduler.
• Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for UK residents (RailEurope.co.uk)
• Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for US residents (RailEurope.com)
• Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for Canada residents (RailEurope.ca)
• Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for Paris - London Train (Eurostar.com) - See notes on finding cheap Eurostar fares.
• Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for Other Countries (TGV-Europe.com) - See notes on using TGV-Europe.com for ticket sales.

Useful Resources

Metro, RER & Train Maps

RER & Train Schedules

1. Plan your route. Before making a trip, use a Metro map and the official RATP Paris Metro route planner to find the shortest route with the least number of line changes.  Station to station a Metro train will take just over a minute. Making connections will cost you about 3 minutes at small interchanges with few intersecting lines and up to fifteen minutes at mega stations Chatelet Les Halles, Gare du Nord, Gare Montparnasse, Saint-Lazare.  These stations are enormous, sprawling, multi-level, and likely confusing (especially Chatelet Les Halles). You could be walking up to a kilometer to reach the next train platform. If you’re changing trains more than twice, search for a more direct route.
2. Don’t wait till Monday morning or the first day of the month to buy your Metro ticket t+ or Carte Orange for the week.  The lineups for both vending machines and ticket windows are extremely long on these particular days, since Carte Orange expires on Sunday evening / last day of the month.  Thus, an unusually large number of people will be renewing their pass.
3. Take the RER if you can, even if it means back tracking on the Metro.  With far fewer stops and higher speed, the RER is almost always faster than the Metro.  Use it as much as possible.
4. At rush hour on the station platform, walk to the far end, furthest away from the entrance stairwell.  People tend to bunch up just next to the platform entrance, reducing your chance of getting on the train.  You’ll also get last second “jumpers” who push themselves onto the last metro car as the doors are about to close, squishing everyone else already on the over-packed car.
5. Time flies: Most platforms have overhead signs showing minutes till the next train.  These are hardly atomic clocks.  2 minutes can mean immediate arrival or actually 6 minutes.  Don’t wander off in the meantime.
6. Choose the best train car.  Many people stand at the edge of the platform near the rails to be closer to a car door when the train arrives thinking this will guarantee they get on. This is untrue.  Trains often arrive with cars which are full and no one is descending. If you happen to be waiting at the doorstep of such a train car, you’re not getting on. Furthermore, when you turn around to go to the next train door, you’re no longer at the head of the line, you’re at the rear, as everyone else behind you has turned toward the next train car as well, and you’re behind them.  By standing back, you can survey the train cars as they pass, allowing you to quickly move to the one that is not overly full and where there are people descending.  Stand back as the train arrives to watch multiple doors. Some train cars will have many people descending, some none at all.  Your best chance of getting on a busy Metro train is with a car somewhere in between these two extremes.  Standing back from the fray allows you to see the action from afar and choose the best train car.
7. Take off your backpack & keep it near your feet/between your legs. You’ll take the personal space (at a premium on the Metro) of two people with it on your back.  It’s bad form, screams “ignorant tourist” and is more prone to having uninvited “inspections” for wallets and other valuables (not common, but possible).
8. During rush hour, stand, don’t use the folding seats near the train doors, which allows more people to be crammed into the train car, a national past time in Paris.
9. Prepare for takeoff: Make your way to the door (carefully) before the train arrives at your station. If this is not possible at least make motions that you’re getting off at the next stop.  Everyone reads that body language and will prepare to get out of your way when it’s time.  This allows you to alight quickly so that others have time to enter the train before it departs.
10. Wash your hands after your journey. The amount of other people’s lives on handles and poles on a Metro train would make the monkey in Outbreak shudder.

(Photo by jmanners)

• Costs €1,60 per journey (with an individual Ticket t+)
• Children 4-10, cost is €0,80. Children 3 and under ride for free.
• Passes Accepted => Pass Navigo, Navigo Découverte, Paris Visite Card, Ticket Mobilis
• First trains leave terminus stations at 05:30
• Last trains leave terminus at 00:40, 01:40 on Fridays, Saturdays and nights before holidays

Paris Metro

The Parisian subway is known as the Metro, short for “chemin de fer Métropolitain” [metropolitan railway].  The network of underground rail lines has 245 stations scattered throughout central Paris’ 20 “arrondissements” [districts].

Tickets for the Paris Metro are purchased from blue or green “billetteries” [ticket vending machines] or from “guichets” [manned ticket windows] within stations. The current price (July 2008) for a single ticket known as a “Ticket t+” is €1,60. Tickets can also be purchased as a book of ten or twenty, known as a “carnet” [booklet], for a slight discount (booklet of ten Ticket t+ is €11,40 or €1,14 each).

During your journey, keep your ticket with you until you arrive at your destination station and pass through the exit gates or turnstiles.  “Controleurs” [ticket inspectors] may stop you at any point during your journey to ask to see a valid ticket or pass.  Failure to provide a valid fare will result in a fine of €35, payable on the spot through credit card.

Paris Metro stations are mostly located underground with a few above ground due to local geography. Entry into the Metro stations is free up until the turnstiles which mark the area from which you must have a valid transportation ticket or pass. Some station entrances are unmanned, having no ticket window nor ticket vending machines, only turnstiles which accept tickets and smart card passes (Pass Navigo) for entry.

Metro lines are numbered from 1 to 14, each a different color, with two “bis” [b or secondary] lines making 16 in total.

Each Metro line has two (or more) terminus stations. These end-of-line stations are used to note the direction the train is traveling. Each Metro line platform within a station will be marked with the line number and the direction the trains will travel from that platform.

Signs within Paris Metro stations mark the way to train platforms on a given line, in a given direction. Metro lines are signified by the letter M within a circle.There are several Metro stations that serve multiple lines in various directions. This causes some stations to have several vertical levels accessible sometimes only by stairs, but often with escalators and sometimes with elevators for extremely deep stations.

As you make you way toward the line platforms within a station, stairs often descend or ascend onto the either side of the rails.  Each stairwell is often marked with a detailed Metro line sign showing number, direction, and stations that will be visited as the train travels toward the terminus.

(photo by roboppy)

Exits from Metro stations are marked by blue “sortie” [exit] signs and often note the street or area they give access to.

(photo by kygp)

Stations often have several exits leading out to various streets and pathways.  There is often a map provided within the station, outside of the ticketed turnstile area, but still within the station, showing all exits in relation to above ground streets and establishments.

Links

Paris Metro Google Knol

Paris Metro Line Schedule/Timetable with frequency and neighborhood maps for stations

More Metro photos & information at nycsubway.org

• Metro
• RER (within Zone 1)
• Tramways (including T4 after July 2008),
• RATP buses
• Noctilien buses (night bus)
• Optile buses (Paris suburbs)
• Cable car of Montmarte (Funiculaire de Montmarte)

Ticket t is currently priced at €1,60 for a single ticket (as of July 2008). A package of 10 tickets, a carnet ["car-nay"] costs €11,40.

The ticket t can be used for transfers, made within 1 hour 30 minutes of first use, only between certain methods of transport and depending on the type of transport used. You cannot mix and match the transfers listed below, each bullet point should be regarded as separate transfer type. For example, you cannot transfer from Metro to Bus. Ticket t transfers are allowed between:

• Metro lines, without exiting the confines of a station, or
• Metro and RER lines, or
• 2 RATP Bus lines, or
• 1 RATP Bus and 1 Optile bus, or
• Tramway and any bus lines that cross it, or
• Noctilien buses (except on Noctilien buses requiring special fares)

Notice that there are no “and”s in the above list. That’s on purpose. You can’t mix any of the above transfer situations.

Special note: single tickets purchased on buses, directly from drivers are often not valid for transfers and appear like this:

With these tickets you will not be able to transfer to another bus nor tramway.

References: RATP