The most important Paris metro stations and lines

Many tourists are afraid of the Paris metro because they think it’s really confusing, especially if they don’t know much French. But the reality is that using the Paris metro is quite easy and convenient, and it’s one of the fastest ways to get around the city.

We’ve already written about how to buy metro tickets and detailed instructions on using them. Please read that article, since this one only covers the locations of the metro stations and the tourist sites in each area.

We are including a Paris metro map to make it easier for you. The map’s pdf can be downloaded here. And remember, the Paris metro lines are counted by number, not color. 

The first metro line: stations for the Louvre and Champs Elysees

The first line is the most touristy. It’s automated, which is fun to see: go into the first car, look down into the tunnels and imagine that you’re the conductor. By the way, the 14th line is also automated.

The first line starts at the Bois de Vincennes (metro station Chateau de Vincennes) where you can find a medieval castle that was home to French kings, and the Paris zoo is next door. The line ends at Defense (metro station La Defence) in the modern Paris suburb with skyscrapers. 

The first line goes through the Champs Elysees (metro stations Champs Elysees, Clemenceau, George V, and Charles de Gaulle Etoile), through the place de Concorde (metro station Concorde) and near the Louvre (metro stations Louvre Rivoli and Palais Royal Musee du Louvre). If you’re visiting the Louvre, it’s helpful to know that the metro station Palais Royal Musee du Louvre leads you right into the museum. You can read about this in our article “Tips for Visiting the Louvre: get in quickly and avoid the lines.” 

The second metro line: stations for Moulin Rouge and Montmartre

The second and sixth lines make a ring. The second line goes near Charles de Gaulle Etoile, the place de l’Etoile and the Arc du Triomph which is the start of Champs Elysees. Also, and more importantly, the second line takes tourists to Montmartre! It’s quite easy to get to the top of Montmartre either by foot or taking a cable car from the Pigalle station. And the Blanche station has the famous cabaret Moulin Rouge. 

The most convenient station on Montmartre is Abbesses on the 12th line.

The sixth metro line: the station for the Eiffel Tower

The sixth line is quite interesting. You can find old trains here: half of the routes are above ground and frequently there are people playing the accordion. The line starts at Champs Elysees and the Place de l’Etoile and goes past the Eiffel Tower (you can see it from the train). The Eiffel Tower is equidistant from the Trocadero station (there’s a great viewing platform with a classic view of the Eiffel Tower there, and it’s also on the 9th line) and Bir-Hakeim station. You can also get to the Eiffel Tower on the RER C train (station Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel). 

Metro station for Notre Dame

You can take the RER C train to Notre Dame to station Saint-Michel Notre Dame, or the fourth line to station Cite.

Metro station for Versailles

There’s no metro to Versailles, just the RER. Versailles Rive Gauche is the final RER C station and the closed one to Versailles palace and park.

Metro station for Disneyland

There’s also no metro to Disney. It’s in the Paris suburbs, and you need to take the RER A train to Marne la Vallee station. 

» See more – How to get to Disneyland from Paris

A few more important stations

One of the most popular transfer stations is Gare du Nord. You can take the RER B train from there to Charles de Gaulle airport and Orly airport. You can read about this in more detail in our articles “10 ways to get to Paris from Charles de Gaulle airport” and “How to get to Paris from Orly airport.”

There are buses to Beauvais airport from metro station Porte Maillot (line 1).

We hope you get around Paris easily!