With its twists and turns, lengthy corridors and ghost stations, the Paris Metro is much more than a public transport system — and mastering it can take a fair bit of Parisian know-how.
Paris' metro stations lead you into a labyrinth underground worldImage: Markus Mainka/CHROMORANGE/picture alliance
Advertisement
The secrets behind the Paris Metro station names
Submarines, famous art, beheadings and WWII — there is more to many Paris Metro stations than just platforms and trains, starting with their names.
Image: Gilles Targat/Photo12/picture alliance
Bonjour Monsieur le President!
Visitors who plan to see the Arc de Triomphe up close should get off the metro at the Charles de Gaulle – Etoile stop. De Gaulle was the first president of the 5th French Republic, in office from 1959 to 1969. The Arc de Triomphe stands in a traffic circle that has 12 streets radiating outward in the shape of a star. That's why the word "etoile," French for star, was added to the station name.
Image: picture alliance / abaca
Final resting place of artists and musicians
Singers Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison and composer Frederic Chopin — they all found a final resting place in the city's most famous cemetery, Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise. Father "Pere" Lachaise was, among other things, the confessor of King Louis XIV. He gave his name not only to the cemetery but also to the Metro station next to it.
Image: Goldmann/picture alliance
White plaster dust
The name of the Blanche station dates back to the 17th century. During that era, carts carried plaster from the quarries near Montmartre, which was still a village outside Paris, across the "white square." The white dust settled on the houses and facades and gave the square, as well as the eventual Metro station, its name.
Image: Gilles Targat/Photo12/picture alliance
Underground submarine
Paris is a city of many museums, and the significance of the arts is apparent in the city's Metro stations, too. The Arts et Metiers station is located in the third arrondissement under the museum and college of the same name. The walls are covered in copper plates and faux portholes in an attempt to recall Jules Verne's Nautilus submarine from his novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea."
Image: Gilles Targat/Photo12/picture alliance
'Vive la revolution!'
On July 14, 1789, the French Revolution began on Place de la Bastille with the storming of the prison of the same name. To this day, the French celebrate their national holiday on this date with a parade and fireworks. In 1905, remains of the foundations of one of the Bastille prison's eight towers were discovered. Today, a yellow line on the platform of Line 5 marks the site of the discovery.
Image: Stephan Gabriel/imageBROKER/picture alliance
Human rights on the wall
Place de la Concorde is one of five royal squares in Paris. Located in the heart of Paris, it was the spot where revolutionaries beheaded the king and queen during the French Revolution as part of their bloody campaign in the name of freedom. The text of the 1789 "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" covers the wall of the Concorde station right above the tracks of Line 12.
Image: Gilles Targat/Photo12/picture alliance
Reminder of the WWII
Two months after the end of the Second World War, the Aubervilliers station was renamed Stalingrad to commemorate the successful defense of the Russian city of the same name by the Red Army and its allies during World War II. In 2016, the station was mentioned frequently in the media, as refugees set up a tent camp nearby.
The Catholic Church played a major role in France's history and is the largest religious denomination today. Paul was a Catholic saint, and the Metro station owes its name to the church of the same name. It is located in the Marais (French for swamp) neighborhood named after a marshy area on the northern bank of the Seine that was drained in the 13th century.
Image: Gilles Targat/Photo12/picture alliance
Prestigious address
As early as the mid-15th century, Hotel Cluny housed aspiring abbots who studied at the Sorbonne University. Today, students still study in the main building of the former theological teaching institution in the Latin Quarter, but these days, it's mainly literature and linguistics on the syllabus.
Image: Philippe Lavieille/LE PARISIEN/PHOTOPQR/MAXPPP/dpa/picture alliance
Former urban palace for former royalty
In the 1630s, Cardinal Richelieu had an urban palace built that the royal family then took over in 1643. From then on, it was known as the Palais-Royal, or royal palace. Today, the former palace houses the Council of State, the Comedie Francaise theater, the Constitutional Council and the Ministry of Culture. The Metro station also indicates access to the new entrance of the Louvre museum.
France is proud of its poets, writers and thinkers. Many Metro stations are named after famous writers, including Victor Hugo and Emile Zola. On April 1, 2016, the Paris transit authority renamed the Alexandre Dumas station for one day, giving it the name of one of his most famous works, "Les Trois Mousquetaires" ("The Three Musketeers").
Image: Jacques Demarthon/AFP
Replicas of art underground
Once the residence of kings, the Louvre Palace has housed the most visited art museum in the world since 1791 — the Musee du Louvre. As a special treat, the Metro station Louvre-Rivoli presents display cases with replicas of some of the museum's famous exhibits.
Image: SMID/IMAGO
12 images1 | 12
Next stop: "Charles de Gaulle — Etoile." If you want to get from A to B quickly in Paris, it's difficult to avoid the city's notorious Metro, aka subway. "Charles de Gaulle — Etoile" is one of the most well-known stations, since from there one can quickly get to the city's iconic landmark, the Arc de Triomphe. The station is named after the famous French officer who led the resistance against the Nazis in World War II and later went on to be the first president of the Fifth Republic.
Whether president, war hero or author, a number of French figures have stops named after them. Stations like "Bastille," named for the site of the French Revolution uprising, provide the impetus for an imaginary trip back in time to remember the country's history.
Incidentally, Louise Michel, a late 19th-century author and anarchist, is the only woman to have a metro station named after her, although scientist Marie Curie is commemorated in the name of a station along with her husband, Pierre.
Some stops were closed for construction work or during wars but still exist. These "stations fantomes," aka "ghost stations," have been decommissioned and are sometimes used today as film locations. One was used in the popular 2001 film "Amelie" by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, for example.
Whoever rides the Paris Metro may spot some famous landmarks depending on the line takenImage: Thibault Camus/ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
The 1900 world's fair
At around 227 kilometers (141 miles) and hosting 306 stations, 16 independent lines and 4.2 million passengers per day, the underground network of the Paris Metro is one of the largest in the world. The French subway was the sixth in the world to be put into operation: London, Budapest and Vienna, for example, beat the French capital to it.
Advertisement
The first line of the Metro was just 10 kilometers (6 miles) long, and it opened right in time for the 1900 world's fair in Paris. French architect Hector Guimard designed the characteristic entrances in art nouveau style, which went on to become an iconic part of Paris.
Since then, the local transport system in Paris has become extensive — and efficient. Stations of a single line tend to be around 500 meters apart. Almost all Metro lines still have a driver who opens and closes the doors for passengers getting on and off the train. Only lines 1 and 14 are automated and run without human assistance, although a staff member is always on hand in case of emergencies.
A rare moment of quiet in the Blanche station of the Paris MetroImage: Goldmann/picture alliance
'Metro, boulot, dodo'
The Metro is an integral part of work life in the French capital. The phrase "Metro, boulot, dodo" is commonly used by Parisians to express that they live to work. Commuters take the "Metro" to the "boulot," an informal word for work, and then back home again to "dodo," which is baby talk for sleep.
While many from Paris use the Metro seamlessly, switching stations and lines with apparent ease, it is often an adventure for tourists, replete with difficulties. One major challenge is that the French subway is often crowded, especially during the "Heure du pointe," or rush hour. The corridors of the Metro are then transformed into a river of moving bodies heading purposefully towards their destinations en masse.
The Paris Metro can get quite packed, especially during strikes, such as this one in February 2022 Image: Michel Euler/ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
How to ride the Metro 'a la parisienne'
Here's a brief crash course for beginners: The first step is validating the ticket by putting it through a slot in the turnstiles found at the entrances.
The next task is to find your way through the underground labyrinth to the line you need. Ideally you'll already know which side of the station it's located at, and you'll have entered the subway at the entrance that's closest to it. If you want to act like a real Parisian, the next move is key: You should know which door and carriage is closest to your desired exit or connecting train.
A weekly or monthly Navigo pass or a paper single ride ticket can be the key to discovering Paris above — and below — groundImage: Lafargue Raphael/ABACA/picture alliance
Once you've entered the Metro car, you must be aware of the etiquette. One rule of thumb: Don't stand in the way when people are exiting or entering. Don't push, don't shove, and if you're claustrophobic, stay calm and wait for the underground sardine can to open at the next stop.
To get back above ground, keep an eye open for the signs reading "sortie," or exit. However, one entrance and exit are not enough for most Metro stations — some have dozens, so look out for the one closest to your destination. A miscalculation can lead to a longer walk.
Once you've mastered the Metro, you're well on your way to becoming a Parisian.
