From pariscitybreaks.com
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Getting To and Around Paris
Don't try and learn French in Paris as its has a very strong acent: many Parisians speak a hurried slang and will often reply to your carefully enunciated question in English.
Paris’s main airports are easy to get to and from using the efficient public transport links. The budget airline airport, Beauvais, is served by buses. If you’re arriving by train, of course, it’s easier still: just get on the Métro.
Paris Airports
The 2 main Paris airports are Roissy -Charles de Gaulle and Orly, both have very good public transport to Paris city centre. Information on them can be found on ADP.FR. A third airport, Beauvais, is used by some of the low-cost airlines. Remember you can buy a Paris visite card at the airports which will cover most journeys to and within the city.
Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport
Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport, usually referred to as Charles de Gaulle and abbreviated to CDG or Paris CDG, is 23km from Paris city centre. The airport has two main terminals, CDG 1 and CDG 2, linked by a shuttle bus. There are various ways of getting to the centre of Paris, but the simplest is the Roissyrail train link which runs on RER line B and takes 30 minutes.. You can pick it up direct at CDG 2, but from CDG 1 you have to get a shuttle bus (navette) to the RER station first. Various bus companies provide services from the airport direct to various city-centre locations, but they’re slightly more expensive than Roissyrail, and may take longer.
Charles de Gaulle Airport Taxi
Taxis into central Paris from the airport are on the meter depending on the time of day it should take between fifty minutes and one hour. Note that if your flight gets in after midnight your only means of transport is a taxi.
Orly Airport
Orly Airport is 14km south of Paris and has two terminals, Orly Sud (south; for international flights) and Orly Ouest (west; for domestic flights). The quickest way into the centre is the Orlyval, a fast train shuttle link to RER station Antony, from where you can pick up RER line B trains to the central RER/Métro stations Denfert-Rochereau, St- ichel and Châtelet-Les Halles
The Métro and RER
The Métro, combined with the RER suburban express lines, is the simplest way of getting around the city of Paris, perfect for a paris City Break. Both run from around 5.30am to roughly 12.30am. Lines are colour-coded very similar to the London underground. For RER journeys beyond the city, make sure that the station you want is illuminated on the platform display board. Free maps are available at most stations.
Buses
Buses are often 2nd place in to the Métro but can be very useful where the Métro journey doesn’t quite work. Every bus stop displays the numbers of the buses that stop there and a map showing all the stops on the route. It's also a great way to see Paris especially if you sit on the top floor.
Museums
Entrance fees to museums can easily mount up, though the permanent collections at all municipal museums are free all year round. The national museums including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay and Pompidou Centre are free on the first Sunday of the month. More information on Paris Museums
Paris Addresses
Paris has been divided into 20 districts, or arrondissements. The first arrondissement, or “1er” is located on the Louvre, in the centre of the city. The rest spread outward in a clockwise direction, 2e, 3e and 4e are central; the 5e, 6e and 7e lie on the inner part of the left (south) bank; while the 8e–20e make up the outer districts. Parisian addresses always quote the arrondissement, along with the nearest Métro station or stations, too.
Bateaux Mouches
Tourist boats operating on The Seine are known in general as “bateaux mouches”.
Banks and Exchange
On the whole, the best exchange rates are offered by banks, though there’s always a commission charge on top. Be very wary of bureaux de change, which are normally located round arrival points and tourist spots, as they can really be expensive.
Crime
Petty theft sometimes occurs on the Métro, at train stations and at tourist hotspots such as Les Halles and around rue de la Huchette, in the Quartier Latin. Serious crime against tourists is very rare.