paris metro.....

hi,

i would like to share reviews regarding paris metro like does one has to walk a lot ,or climb stairs or it is very well equipped with escalators and electronic walkways?

we have booked our hotel near republique area i hope the metro station is very accesible for everyperson ...

please share

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Do you have specific concerns ??...due to paersonal mobility issues for yourself or others in your traveling party ??...If this is the case, then you will get more specific information and advice if you state the specifics of your situation.

Otherwise...in general...relatively few Metro stations are equipped with escalators (and more often than not these fews seem to be out-of-service...the relatively new #14 Metro ligne the exception). On the otherhand, most RER station in Paris have escalators...and more often than not, these escalators are functioning. There is a theory that the only reason the RATP installed escalators in their stations was to use as spare-parts bins for RER escalators. So there will be stairs to deal with at almost all stations...how many depends on the individual stations...as does the distance from station entrance to train platforms and Correspondance distances between different ligne. The only station that I%26#39;m aware of that has a %26#39;..moving sidewalk..%26#39; is MONTPARNASSE-BIENVENUE (between the Metro station and the SNCF, Gare Montparnasse).

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actually one person of our group is having limited mobility and we didnt found much problem in rome or london and we travelled both cities in metro.

thats why i want to search for paris ,if one has to climb few steps say 15 to 20 each time than it is okey but longer steps may cause exaustion.

in rome we found the area very stuff and hot and bit claustrophobic...

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Parisians walk and Paris is not well set up for those who don%26#39;t

the metros that are very deep have elevators e.g. Lamarck-caulaincourt and Cite and some have escalators -- and sometimes there are several exits some with escalators and some without (often this is indicated visually on a sign)

BUT it is very common for escalators to be broken -- and many places don%26#39;t have them -- there are not moving sidewalks -- and at some connectors, one walks very very long distances underground to make connections (these are the ones that look distant on maps i.e. are connected with eliptical shapes rather than just being circles)

I think one of the reasons that old Parisians are so spry is that many of them live in 5th floor walk ups which keeps the hips in shape -- and everyone walks a lot including up stairs at metros (or maybe any old person who cannot is simply holed up and not venturing forth)

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As noted...the number and flights of steps, distance within stations and for inter-ligne correspondances, availability of escalators and escalators at stations...for any given route, will very too much for any meaningful response.

If your believe that this will be a problem....then I strongly suggest that you take the time and make the effort to familiarize yourself with the workings of Paris%26#39; public bus system, where steps to be negotiated rarely exceed three.

Two L%26#39; INDISPENSABLE compact mapbooks that are most useful for trying to figure out and use the Paris public bus system are--

%26#39;..BUS--Metro, Bus---Paris..%26#39; (ISBN: 2-7072-0314-9)

massin.fr/…

%26#39;..Le BUS PARISIEN..%26#39; (ISBN: 2-7072-0454-4)

massin.fr/…

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The Paris transport authority (RATP) have a plan of RER/Metro stations with facilities for people with limited mobility.

Unfortunately, Republique isn%26#39;t one of them, but it might at least help you plan where it is easy to get off ... :

www.ratp.info/picts/plans/plan_pbs.zip

However, I was going to suggest you take the buses, which are frequent, just as easy to use as the Metro, and enable you to see more of Paris, provided you are not in such a hurry to get you your destination. Buses 75 and 20 are good starting points.

You can now change buses and break your journey on a single ticket - which is valid for 90 minutes. Tickets are about 1 Euro if bought in a carnet - same as the Metro.

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thanks

is there any whole day pass for bus like in london where in 3.5 pounds one can use for whole day

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Unfortunately, Republique isn%26#39;t one of them, but it might at least help you plan where it is easy to get off%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

The accessibility information available on the INFOMOBI.com site pertains only to ELEVATORS (%26#39;..Ascenseurs..%26#39;) available at stations...but doesn%26#39;t not list stations which have ESCALATORS. I think that one of the Entrances / Exits at REPUBLIQUE has an escalator...but I%26#39;m not 100% positive.

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Pick up a copy of%26quot;Le Bus%26quot;--little blue booklet with all of the bus routes.

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%26lt;is there any whole day pass for bus like in london where in 3.5 pounds one can use for whole day%26gt;

The pass you need is called Mobilis and gives unlimited travel on Metro Bus and RER depending on the zones you purchase. Just ask for a mobilis and you will get zones 1 and 2 which cover all the city within the periphique.

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République station has stairs but no escalators. Stairs are not steep and may have a dozen steps or so depending on the exit.