That, at least, is the gospel according to the LPGMP, or Ligue pour la Protection des Grillons dans le Métro Parisien. This cricket-protection league, founded in 1992, is campaigning for the creation of a subterranean auditorium in an unused métro station, where crickets would be able to breed and sing in peace. The league’s 100 or so members also say that there are two vital conditions for the survival of the métro’s cricket population. First, there should be an official limit on the length of transport strikes, because the stations cool down if there are no trains running through them (a colony in Maraîchers station is said to have died out during the long strike of 1995). And secondly, the ban on smoking in métro stations should be lifted, because cigarette butts are an essential part of the Parisian cricket’s diet.
So next time you see a passenger defying the no-smoking rule on a métro platform, and then flicking their cigarette butt down on to the rails, rest assured—it’s probably just an animal activist trying to protect endangered insects.
Where am I going?
France is a pretty rational country, so it is appropriate that Paris’s métro lines should be known by their numbers. The first six lines all do very basic, strategic things, linking up key points in the city. Line 1 runs east to west along the Seine; Lines 2 and 6 loop north and south respectively around the city limits; Line 3 heads out from Saint-Lazare mainline station to Opéra and République; Line 4 is a direct north-to-south route linking up the Gares du Nord, de l’Est and Montparnasse; and Line 5 connects the Gare d’Austerlitz to the Gare de l’Est. Subsequent lines seem to fill in the gaps.
Given this rational background to the métro map, it is strange that the line numbers are so unhelpful when you’re trying to find your way around the city. The problem is that Parisians don’t always use them when describing the best route from one station to another. Or if they do tell you which number line to take, it can get swallowed up in a mass of information. So if you ask for directions, it is essential to listen carefully not just for numbers but also for terminus names. A typical reply to ‘How do I get to the Champs-Élysées?’ might be ‘Prenez la huit direction Balard, puis changez à Concorde et prenez la une direction La Défense et descendez à Franklin Roosevelt.’ Rest assured, this is exactly what you want to know despite the fact that you have no desire whatsoever to go to Balard, Concorde or La Défense, and might not know why they’re talking about an ex-President of the USA.
What the reply means is this: from here, take the Line 8 south towards its terminus, Balard, then change at Concorde station and look out for signs directing you towards Line l’s western terminus, La Défense. Take Line 1, and get off at the station called Franklin D. Roosevelt, which is on the Champs-Élysées.
How to find your way (or not) in the métro. What if you don’t want to go to Place d’ltalie or Bobigny? Travelling on the métro requires an intimate knowledge of both the line numbers and their (ever-changing) termini.
It is a system with its own logic, the only problem being that Paris is a dynamic city and is continually extending its métro lines. If your map is out of date, or the person giving you the instructions hasn’t realized that the line has been extended, the terminus might not be a terminus any more, and you could spend hours searching for a non-existent direction. It would surely be easier to say northbound, westbound, etc., as they do in London, but one thing I’ve learnt from living in France is that you must never tell the French that another country (especially une nation anglo-saxonne) does something better—you just have to adapt to the Parisian system.
Getting in line
Below is a run-through of the foibles and characteristics of Paris’s sixteen métro lines. They vary a lot in character because of the different types of carriages they use, the routes they take and the people that use them, and all have a few memorable stations that are worth a visit.
Lines are identified by their numbers (1–14, with a 3bis and a 7bis tacked on) and current termini.
Ligne 1: Château de Vincennes–La Défense
A long, direct line that skirts along the north bank of the Seine and up the Champs-Élysées, it carries well-dressed commuters out to the office district of La Defénse and tourists from Bastille to the Louvre. The oldest line, it was also one of the first to be upgraded, with fast-moving trains that aren’t divided up into carriages. Trains are breezy, smooth and seem to sing as they speed into the tunnels. They also have automatic doors so you don’t have to battle unlocking them.
FUN STATIONS
Bastille—its walls are decorated with cartoon-like tile frescoes depicting key events from the French Revolution. And just for a few yards, the line goes overground, with a great view along the canal basin towards the Seine.
Palais-Royal, because the entrance outside the Comédie Française theatre is unique—it looks like a crown made out of silver and multi-coloured precious stones, and was created in 2000 by the artist Jean-Michel Othoniel.
Ligne 2: Nation–Porte Dauphine
It sweeps around the north of the city, taking in some heavily ethnic areas—Chinese in Belleville, Sri Lankan at La Chapelle, African at Barbès, and white Catholic lawyers at Villiers. Heading east to west, there’s a good overground section from Colonel Fabien to Anvers with views into some of the poorest apartments in Paris, then the line dips underground again, as though the city wanted to protect innocent travellers from the naughtiness above in Pigalle.
FUN STATIONS
Porte Dauphine, for its wonderful Guimard entrance, like a garden pavilion, and its period interior décor. In 1900, the station was used to try out
