HOW TO GET HOME AT NIGHT?

Depending on where you live, it is preferable to work out in advance the many possiblities for getting home. And remember to choose between drinking and driving!


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Metro

The metro is still today the easiest mode of transport, the cheapest and the quickest for getting home. The only inconvenience: the closing hours.

Although the RATP keeps metros running all night on certain occasions (New Year, Fête de la Musique, etc.) , the rest of the time keep in mind that:

> The last metros are between 12.20am and 12.40am in the morning in the week and between 1.20am and 2am in the morning at the weekend
> All metro lines open at 5.30am.

For precise times of the first and last metros, visit the RATP website

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RER

The RER offers faster travel through the capital than the metro. It is also one of the means of transport that links suburban towns to the city. They run a little less frequently than the metro but operate until around midnight before starting service again around 5.15-5.30am in the morning.

For precise times of the first and last RER, visit the RATP website

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Noctilien

When the metro has closed at night, night buses called ‘Noctiliens’ are the most reliable and most inexpensive means of transport for getting around Paris. For the price of a regular bus ticket, you can use 47 bus routes in the capital. Some of them even serve suburban towns. Noctiliens run every 15 to 60 minutes.

For precise times of the first and last Noctiliens, visit the Noctilien website

Velib'

Be adventurous and hire a bicycle! Vélib stations can be found throughout Paris and millions of trips have been undertaken since the launch of the service. Today, hiring a bicycle has now become common practice for Parisians. Vélibs offer the ease and enjoyment of getting around in the open air and hire costs are inexpensive.

To hire a bike you must insert a smart card into the automatic terminal at the bike station. The initial hire charge is around €1 euro for the day and then you pay per half hour (the first half hour is free). The second half hour €1, and so on.

Remember that the drinking and driving rule also applies to bicycles. It is as dangerous and the police will be equally intolerant of those who break the rule.

See the Velib' website for full information.

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Taxis

When there are no more metros and there are too many people on the Noctiliens, and when you’re too tired to hire a Vélib, the quickest and most comfortable (but most expensive) solution is a taxi. The minimum fare is €5.80. But if you telephone for a taxi from a terminal or through a taxi reservation centre, the cost per kilometre will start from the moment the taxi driver is given the booking.

Note that taxi drivers are allowed to refuse to take any person who is in a drunken state.

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