things to do in paris with kids: the metro

Easy to follow and convenient to our apartment, the Metro worked better for us than buses and taxis.  Also, it was a bt of a novelty, since we don't have train travel (or a decent public transport system for that matter) at home.

billets = tickets

carnet = a set of 10 tickets

sortie = exit

- Once you get the hang of it, it's very simple to navigate.  All  sixteen or so lines are marked with a unique colour and number, and the direction of travel will be shown listing the name of the very last station of the line in either direction.  Check which destination you are heading towards, and you'll go to the right platform.

- On the map, a white dot indicates that you can change lines at this station.

- As well as the Metro, you can use some RER lines (commuter rail, which travels out of the city) and some tram lines.

- If you buy a standard ticket (a 't+'), you can travel as much as you like, with unlimited transfers, within one and a half hours, and cost 1.70 Euro. You can also buys these t+'s in lots of ten, a carnet, which works out a little more economical at 12.00 Euro - and also may be easier than buying individual tickets each trip.  t+ tickets are cheaper for children, aged 4 to 11, and are also available in a carnet.  Under 4's are free to ride with an adult (obviously).

- Other tickets are a little hard to understand. There are automatic machines to refill Navigo passes (smart cards) and buy tickets in each station, and there is also a ticket office, where a lovely Frenchman will sit and perhaps pretend to not understand you at all. You may be lucky, and a non-French local may pass by and help you buy your Navigo Découverte pass from the ticket office (5.00 Euro each, consisting of the plastic holder, the smart card itself, and a personal travel card) from the ticket office man, and explain that you will also need to then credit your Navigo Découverte for daily, weekly or monthly use at the automatic machine.  He may then go on to explain that you need to buy a carnet of tickets for the children (aged 4 to 11), as there are no childrens passes.  Interestingly, what he may not mention is that the weekly Navigo starts on Monday, and will reset on the following Monday regardless of when you bought it, so depending on what day of the week you arrive, it may not be economical for you to use a Navigo pass. Funnily enough, we arrived on a Monday.  We also left on a Monday, but had some of the children's tickets left.  Ahem.

- If you buy the Navigo Découverte, you are supposed to add your name and photo to the personal travel card, and photobooths are in most stations.  They are also valid for ten years, so you can take it back next time and refill it, rather than buying another one.

- There used to be such a thing as an Orange Card, Carte Orange, which people may advise you to buy. It doesn't exist anymore (since replaced by the Navigo), but there are still references to it everywhere which adds to the confusion.

- Next time, I'd probably buy this one before we left home. The Paris Visite card is valid for the number of days you purchase it for, regardless of the day of the week. It is available in different zones, and I think we would buy the Zones 1-3 card, and simply buy a single trip if we wanted to go further.

-There are stairs everywhere. Occasionally you might find a station with an escalator, or elevator, but mostly there are stairs. Not handy for most prams or strollers, but if you can't carry both child and stroller, or don't want to take them out of the pram, there are usually helpful people who offer you a hand. Most stations also have disabled access doors, which allow you to push your pram through, because you will not fit it through the turnstiles. But go prepared to fold and carry.

- If you miss your train, don't panic, as all lines are fairly regular and within minutes of each other throughout the day. Sit back, relax. You're in Paris, after all.

- Very important - on your first Metro ride, don't wait for the doors to open by themselves, because they won't.  They do, however, close by themselves, and you may get left behind with four children, one in a stroller.  And two suitcases.  And a three backpacks.  And you'll be able to watch your husband stand helplessly on the platform while your train whizzes off down the tunnel. (It will all work out okay though - through a series of hand gestures and some telepathy, your husband will wait at ground level for you while you go to the next stop, drag everyone/thing off, take them all to the toilet, as you are pretty much fresh off the plane, plead with the ticket office man to let you back through as you have not yet sussed out the ticket system, drag them back on and return to your originally intended station).  Use the handle, people.

- Each station platform will have different colour seats.  To distract the kids, we all took turns guessing what colour chairs the next station would have.  Some stations around the city are also beautifully decorated, and full of distraction possibility - perhaps make sure to travel through these stations to simply enjoy them. See a list here.

- Some interesting people hang out on the Metro, so don't be surprised if you find yourself being serenaded or read poetry to, or maybe even asked for money.  Keep your bags and kids close, is what I'm saying.

Got another tip for Parisian public transport?