by Vincent

On our first day in Paris we decided to visit the Musée d’Orsay since the last time we were in Paris we didn’t get a chance to. I had never been but Céleste went with her high school in 2006.

Getting there

Now is a good time to talk about the RER and Metro since before we could visit the museum we had to wrestle with the transportation system.

The Paris metro is well-designed but it can still be daunting to first-timers—it was for us and even on our second visit we still had trouble.

Paris is divided into “Zones” as you’ll see on the metro maps—Zone 1, 2, and 3. Furthermore, there are two main modes of transportation—the Metro and the RER. The RER is a regional train and the Metro is the subway.

Tickets

You need a ticket or pass (Paris Visité) to enter any metro station. You can buy the tickets at the automated kiosks and the passes at the information desks at most stations. The Visité is a good deal if you are going to be in Paris proper awhile and use the metro a lot. It also gives you discounts to some museums.

Tickets that you purchase at the kiosk allow different mixes of the RER and Metro lines but you have to be careful. We bought two carnets (sets of 10 tickets) of the “t+” tickets thinking we could take the RER B from our hotel (Zone 2) into central Paris (Zone 1). Unfortunately this was not allowed—the t+ ticket only allowed RER rides in Zone 1 but on the ticket it said “Paris only” which we believed encompassed zones 1–2 if not 3. I guess “Paris” proper is Zone 1.

Since we couldn’t use the 20 tickets we just bought at the RER station, we took the Metro which was farther away than the RER station from the hotel since we paid for these tickets and didn’t want to pay a higher fare to use the RER. Lesson learned! Pay attention to the zone you’re traveling in.

Regarding how to pay for tickets at the kiosk—some allow change but it’s way easier to pay via chip card. My Diner’s Club MasterCard worked without an issue and Gaston’s Visa chip and signature card worked but did not prompt for a PIN.

Maps

The metro map is awesome—it’s easy to read and you can keep a copy in your pocket or download the “Visit Paris by Train” app (which I did). The app works offline as well. You can input your source and destination and it’ll spit out the itinerary—but Gaston is good with maps so he just used his paper copy to get us places. Many Paris guidebooks also include the metro map.

The colors are each metro or RER line. Letter lines are RER and numbered lines are Metro (i.e. Metro Line 4 vs. RER Line B). The bold stops are the beginning and ends—take note of them because in the metro stations you’ll need to know what direction you want to go in.

So for example, to get to Centre Pompidou from our hotel we had to take the metro line 4 at stop Mairie de Montrouge in the direction of Porte de Clignancourt and get off at Châtelet les Halles. If you need to transfer, you do it at the intersections on the map (white pills). The signs at the metro station are very good and there are maps everywhere so it’s hard to get lost.

Boarding/Unboarding

The metro is usually busy. You’ll need to push your way in sometimes and cram in like sardines. By each entrance to the tram there are usually four foldable seats. Do not fold them down and sit in them if the train is busy, it’s not polite (unless you have a handicap). Fill up all the seats and be ready to give up a seat if you have baggage on it; every seat is for a person.

When it’s your stop, there are several ways to get off:

1. Some trains open all doors automatically
2. Some trains have a green button you need to press to open the door
3. Some trains have a little lever—pull it up to open the door

Safety

This should go without saying—zip up your purses, bags, etc. We’ve never witnessed it first-hand but there are pickpockets in Paris. I keep my wallet and phone in my front pockets, I also have a coat that has zipper pockets. We have a travel backpack that has clip zippers and mesh weaving in the straps so they can’t be cut easily (yes, there are warnings that say passing motorists will cut off your backpack and speed away with it). It’s a fanastic backpack. We’ve been to Paris twice and never had issues but your mileage may vary. Céleste keeps her purse zipped and near her body at all times.

In the metro stations never accept free tickets or pay for tickets from a person. It might seem nice to get a free ticket but usually they’re used and about to expire so they won’t work when you go into the station. Stick to the official kiosks.

If you are a woman, be aware that especially during busy times or at night, there could be groping or inappropriate touching on the Paris Metro. When everyone is pressed together sardine-style, some men will attempt to fondle or grab women on the train. Be vigilant, and be safe. Try to stay with your party, and don’t be afraid to speak up. In Céleste’s experience, other French riders will intervene or attempt to help if they see this.

Museum

We made it to the museum without issues. The museum itself looks awesome—it used to be a train station.

Inside it’s just as cool. There’s a huge clock right above the entrance hall.

Inside you’ll find art, more art, sculptures, and a model of the city of Paris near the opera house that you walk above on glass. It’s pretty neat.

There was a special exhibit on the Marquis de Sade and artwork related to various themes surrounding his persona. He was a terrible person (he is the origin of the word “sadism”) but the exhibit was interesting. The exhibit included art from Man Ray, Picasso, Cezanne, and Munch. It was a study of death and sexuality, through painting and sculpture. It also described how the Marquis de Sade’s writings influenced a lot of other popular culture. It was very cool, though that being said, I don’t think I’d bring my kid to it. Some of sections were cordoned off as “18+ only,” similar to the Jeff Koons exhibit at the Centre Pompidou. We were so exhausted after visiting it that we didn’t even walk around the upper level of the museum.

We went to a cafe next to the museum, Le Royal Orsay and it was fantastic—the sugar and lemon crêpe I had was awesome and the hot chocolate was rich (they use actual milk here). When I was a kid my grandma would make “swedish pancakes” which was essentially a crêpe with lemon and sugar and this tasted exactly like it.

It was at this cafe that we saw on the news the police raid on the hostage situation at the warehouse north of Paris. When we were leaving, the news footage had just captured the gunshots and explosion (again, the “audible gasp” phenomenon we experienced on the train happened here—I think it’s a normal thing in France).

After leaving we decided to walk around town. Here are some photos of the city along with the Grand Palais and Petit Palais at dusk.

After walking down the Champs-Élysées, we were getting hungry. Last time we visited Paris we found the best Chinese restaurant near our hotel, Chez Yong. Well, we decided to make it a tradition—so we ate there and again it was fantastic. I had cumin lamb, Céleste had imperial chicken and Gaston had “barbecued” beef (grilled beef) that he grilled himself. All of it was amazing.

And after that we headed back to the hotel ready for the next day.