# Riding Trains in and Around Paris, France



## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

Recently my wife and I returned from Paris were we got to see a lot of beautiful architecture and art, including the Mona Lisa. Along the way we also got to ride many trains, such as the Montmartre funicular, on the north side of of the city. It leads to Sacre Coeur church.










From what I have learned, this has been the site of a funicular since 1900, but the current cars date to 1991.










Looking down from the top reveals the two cars about to pass each other. You can use a regular Metro tricket to ride this.

More about Paris trains coming.


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill,

Looks pretty cool. We went to Italy via Paris in 2004. We only were there for a brief time, but did manage to see the Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower and drink a glass of wine, all in about 3 hours. Looking forward to more of your pics.

Mark


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Not near as glamorous as riding the trains in Paris I have ridden the funiculars in Niagara Falls, Ontario as a child and the ones in Pittsburgh, PA as an adult but can barely remember either! LOL 

Great photos! Thanks for sharing and glad the trip was fun! 

Chas


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## Don Howard (Jan 2, 2008)

Welcome back. 
Looking forward to more pics.


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## CCSII (Jan 3, 2008)

Lots of trains running out of and in to Paris. We were lucky to catch the overnight to Florence twice and it was a fabulous experience (it doesn't run anymore sadly.) The highspeed trains to Italy and Switzerland are pretty nice too.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

We entered Paris the best way possible, when we were on one of them package tours, we ditched the bus in Lyon, and took the TGV to Paris where we met up with our group later at the hotel. It took them 5 hours to get from Lyon to Paris, took us 2 and gave us 3 extra hours to ronm around the city. Viva la France!










PS when roaming around Paris, always look where your going lest finding out the nasty dirty secret of Paris, and thats people dont curb the many dogs that live there


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## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

Mark, Chas, Don, CC, and Victor, thanks for checking out my pictures and adding your comments. Nothing like adding some trains to your travel!!










Before leaving home we purchased a Streetwise Paris folding map at a local B&N bookstore. It clearly shows the 14 or so metro routes, plus the names of the end stations so you can figure out what direction you need to go. There are also plenty of wall maps in the stations, plus on the trains themselves. We never had to wait more than five minutes for a train.










Our hotel was on a nice street called the Rue Cler, right around the corner from the Ecole Militaire (Military School) line number 8 Metro entrance seen here. This one had a nice lighted sign. That restaurant on the corner with the red awning is a good place to eat.










Some of the much older Metro entrances survive, including this one on line number 12 at the Abbesses station on the north side of Paris. A real work of art!


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the memories, Bill. 

Lived in Brussels for a year and did a whole bunch of train ridiing all over Europe. It was a blast. New and exciting experiences. 

Looks like you had a wonderful time. Hope you avoided the pickpockets on the Paris Metro...


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Stan, 

Bill's from 'Joisey. They have a saying, Only the Strong Survive. I'm willing to bet that the pickpockets avioded Bill!! 

Bill- that guy with the one leg in your last photo must be super strong to hop around without a cane or false leg!! (kidding!! It just kind of looks like he's only got one leg in the pic!) When we arrived back in Paris after a not so restful overnight train from Rome, we were trying to figure out how to get from the terminal station to the airport. The cab driver said he couldn't take us, it was too far, so we tried to figure out the metro and regional rail system, without knowing any French. Not the easiest thing. We managed to get to Gare de Lyon station, but couldn't figure out how to get out to the airport. Finally, we tried calling the hotel and they were super helpful in getting us out to their hotel. What a relief when we walked in their front door!


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## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Stan and Mark.

Stan, it must have been great to be in Europe for that long. Personally, I would love to spend a winter there but my wife and I would miss the grandkids too much at this point in our life. 

On the topic of pickpockets, I always wear a travel pouch around my neck and inside my shirt. They are sold at Walmart and Target. Chances are slim that they will get to that. As Mark implies, I was born in Philly and grew up in the Soprano state. Only one time that someone tried to test me and that was in Rome on bus line number 64, which is notorious for pickpockets. I had a shopping bag with some gifts in it. A guy tried to put his hand in it and I had to make him an offer he could not refuse. I really try to watch myself and anyone else who is with me. 

Mark, getting around the Paris Metro system has to be a challenge for anyone who is disabled. Unlike America, there seems to be no movement by the authorities to make things easier for them. You really have to be physically fit to use the system from what I observed.

One of the best ways to get to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport and the city center is to take the Roissybus, seen above. It operates between the CDG airport and the Opera Garnier where a few Metro lines interconnect. It is relatively cheap (about 7.50 euros) and has a regular schedule. If you are willing to spend some more Euros, the Paris Airport Shuttle makes things a lot more easy. You can Google it. They use nice Volkswagen nine-passenger vans, but you may have to stop at other hotels along the way for other passengers. It's about 20 euros per person but well worth it. 

Regional Rail line (RER) B3 also runs into the city from CDG where you can connect with the Les Halles Metro station.

My command of French is close to none with the exception of a few words and phrases. I was surprised at how many Parisians spoke English, and how polite they were to us. We tried to do the same. There were even advertising signs on the Metro urging speakers of French to sign up for English lessons to better further their business opportunities.

One more thing: We bought an Orange Card (Carte Orange) when we first arrived at the airport. It is good for nearly a week and you can use it on the bus system (including the Roissybus) , Metro, Regional Rail and funicular. Bring an extra passport-size picture with you in order to buy one. It gets pasted on the Carte Orange. Google it to learn more.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

All ways nice to see pics from other places with trains. Reminds me when I was in Germany and France in the 60s. Road lots of trains then. down side the ex has all the pics. Later RJD


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## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

RJD, thanks for checking out the pictures.










Five of the Paris Metro lines have cars that run on rubber tires. The car ends also have full-width end diaphragms that allow you to look down the entire train length from the inside. I wondered what would happen if there was a flat, then I took a closer look.










It appears that there is a run-flat system that includes a flanged steel wheel behind the rubber tire. Very clever! Looks like some smaller wheels mounted in a horizontal position to keep it on course.










A closeup of a track section. Wonder if the run-flat rail for the flanged steel wheel sees much action?


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