Paris Transport

Coming and Going

France's Aéroport Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport is a sleek introduction to the country; it's a major international hub, so you can take your pick of flights in and out. The train system is also impressive, and will whip you quickly to most places in France; there are TGV services to Amsterdam and Brussels. You can get to Britain (and Ireland) by ferry, but Eurostar is perhaps the most chilled and luxurious way to get to Paris, and you can pop your car on board as well. Buses are fine for travel between Paris and other countries, but for the rest of France they're not so hot.

Water

Hoverspeed runs bus-boat-bus combos from London, but with the convenience of the Channel Tunnel routes you'd have to be pretty hard-pressed to consider it. There are also ferries and hovercraft between Britain, Ireland and France.

Train

There are six major train stations in Paris, each of which handles traffic to different parts of France and the rest of Europe. The most spectacular route is via the Channel Tunnel (or Chunnel); the Eurostar passenger service takes only three hours. TGV (train à grande vitesse) services also link Paris with Amsterdam and Brussels. France's superb domestic rail network can take you to almost every part of the country.

Plane

Charles de Gaulle international airport is 27km (17mi) north of Paris. It's a major transport hub, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding a flight, regardless of where you're flying. Flights run daily to all parts of the country, but the high-speed TGV (train à grande vitesse) train services are usually more convenient. Departure tax is built into the ticket price and varies according to the destination. There are lots of ways from Charles de Gaulle to the city, from shuttle trains to an assortment of poky public buses, private shuttles and taxis. The city's second main airport, Aéroport d'Orly, is 16km (10mi) south of central Paris. A bus runs between d'Orly and Charles de Gaulle. Beauvais is a smaller airport that handles Ryanair and charter flights.

Car

With the Eurotunnel service, you can now drive from London to Paris, with your car neatly on the shuttle train. If driving from elsewhere in Europe, once you're in France modern autoroutes will get you to Paris quickly, if rather expensively.

Bus

Euroline buses run from Paris to cities all over Europe. Long-haul bus travel within France isn't really an option, however.

Getting About

The most satisfying way to get around Paris is on foot - just watch out for the pedestrian crossings, which cars tend not to respect - or on its famous, lovely and efficient Métro. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take bikes on the Métro, and the city in general is none too friendly to cyclists. If you're in a hurry to get somewhere, don't take the river shuttles that ply the Seine - they are more meandering, sight-seeing affairs than A to B propositions - or the bus system, which is horrendously inefficient. However, there are night buses, which is handy when the Métro closes down.

Water

There are river shuttles along the Seine, but these cater more to tourists wanting to slowly soak up the sights along the way than to commuters trying to get somewhere.

Walking

Paris is surprisingly pedestrian-friendly: it's compact and there are few hills. Watch out on pedestrian crossings, though - cars tend not to stop.

Underground Rail

Say what you will about driving around Paris, but the city's public transportation is world class. The most charming of Paris' public transport options, the underground Métropolitain (and its sister system, the RER), is a simply massive network. No matter where you are, chances are there's a metro station within a few blocks. Choose travel passes carefully - depending on how many trips you make, daily passes aren't necessarily good value for money. The weekly (also monthly) Carte Orange travel pass can be a better deal, even if you're staying less than a week.

Car

In case you hadn't guessed it, driving around Paris is a job best reserved for the terminally aggressive - if you don't have lots of time to kill, you're better off taking public transport, which is generally well-maintained and supremely convenient.

Bus

The public bus system covers everywhere, but its hours are laughable; don't even try it on Sunday or a holiday. The Noctambus network takes over in the heavily trafficked areas once both the underground and the day buses go to sleep.

Bicycle

Parisians don't much like to share the road, and cycling in this city is no joy. To make matters worse, bikes aren't allowed on the metro.