Key Information Guide
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INTRODUCTION
<p>Paris is compact for a capital. The 20 arrondissements spiral out from the Seine like a snail shell. The core is walkable end to end in under two hours. A single morning can hold a museum, a market, and a riverside lunch. The Métro reaches almost everything in minutes, so you rarely lose time between plans. The city suits first-timers who want clear logistics, and repeat visitors who explore by neighbourhood.</p>
<p>Plan your days by district cluster. Use the central arrondissements (1st to 8th) for landmarks, museums, and grand boulevards. Use the Marais (3rd, 4th) and Saint-Germain (6th) for galleries, boutiques, and café stops. Use Montmartre (18th) and Canal Saint-Martin (10th) for slower, local mornings. The Métro and RER connect these in 10 to 20 minutes, so you can stack experiences without long transfers.</p>
Getting There
Local Transport
- Métro
The 16-line Métro is the backbone of city travel. Trains run roughly 5:30am to 1:15am, later on Friday and Saturday nights. A single Métro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 and covers unlimited rail transfers for two hours. - RER
Five RER lines cross the city and reach the suburbs, including Versailles and Disneyland. They are faster than the Métro for long hops. The same €2.55 ticket works within Paris; airport trips need the €14 ticket. - Buses
Buses fill gaps between rail lines and offer street-level views. A Bus-Tram ticket costs €2.05 for 90 minutes of transfers. Rail and bus tickets are separate, so switching from Métro to bus needs a second ticket. - Trams
Tram lines circle the city edge and serve outer districts. They suit specific routes rather than central sightseeing. They use the €2.05 Bus-Tram ticket. - Batobus
The Batobus is a hop-on river shuttle along the Seine, stopping near the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Notre-Dame. It runs on its own day pass, separate from Métro tickets. Treat it as sightseeing, not core transport.
