 Paris
Transport - Driving in central Paris is not
advised. Most of the hotels do not have garages and
parking is difficult. If you are parked illegally
your car will be towed away. There are terrible traffic
jams and they are very frequent. During those congested
times you will travel at only 11 mph, but if you take
the metro its average speed is 17mph.
Here are some other means of Transport in
Paris to get you around the city that we
advise you to do rather than driving.
The Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens
tel: (08) 9268 7714 in English or (01) 4346 1414) is
an integrated, five-zone system of bus, métro
and trains that are cheap and efficient. They do go
on strike often.
 The
Metro is the city's subway system and it was
opened on July 19, 1900. Engineer Fulgence Bienvenüe
oversaw the construction phase, while architect Hector
Guimard designed it. The system has 124 miles of track
and 15 lines. There are 368 stations. A total of 3500
cars transport 6 million people per day, while the system
itself employs 15,000 employees. Every building in Paris
is within 3/10 of a mile of a métro station and
the system connects the city with its outlying suburbs.
Taxis can be hailed at airports, stations
and at taxi ranks but can be hard to find, especially
when most in demand mainly on Friday and Saturday nights.
A yellow light displayed on the roof shows that the
taxi is available for hire. When the light is orange
it shows the taxi is in use.
The minimum age for car rental varies from 21-25 years.
Drivers must have held a National Driving Licence
for at least one year. It is usually requested that
the cost is paid for with the driver's credit card.
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