Paris Attractions - Paris Sightseeing

The RER is the fast suburban service which will take you to places like Versailles (much cheaper than an organised excursion). The lines are divided into sections and the cost of a ticket (you can use the sames ones as on the buses or the Metro within the metropolitain area) varies according to the number of sections you cross.

The entrance to many of Paris’s Metro stations can be spotted in the streets by their distinctive art nouveau designs and huge M signs. The various lines are numbered and are known by the names of the stations at each end, the correspondances are the points at which lines join. Look for signs for the relevant direction you are travelling in and follow the colour-coded and numbered lines. Changing lines is quite easy once you get the hang of it.
There are usually large plans of the whole network outside each station, some with illuminated buttons which are fun to operate. There is also a Metro map on the back of the free map of Paris from the Tourist Office. Outside some stations (number increasing daily) there are computerised route finders called SITU (système d’information de trajets urbains). You tap in the name of the street you want to get to and get a print-out of the quickest way to get there, including walking. Most stations are quite cheerful inside with gaily coloured plastic seats and matching tiles, plus videos to watch to while away the time. The Louvre station is an extension of the Museum, with works of art displayed in cabinets along the platform. There are the usual buskers but in Paris they do it in style, playing jazz and classical music on trains as well as off. Some of them may well be students from the Conservatoire National. There is a warning siren just before the doors close ans you release the door yourself if you want to get off.