Transportation: Part 1..-

French metropolitan transportation is very good and functional. It would get you not only around the cities but also to the « banlieus » and cities surroundings. While being a student you benefit of preferential monthly/yearly fees.

Here are some examples :

       DIJON: 

Dijon is a small city with nearly 250.000 people. The public transportation system consists mainly in buses and recently added tramways (1 is already running and the second line will start working on Dec. 8 2012). The buses and tramways run every 3 to 15 minutes between 5h30 am and 1 am. After 1 am there is a night bus service with limited schedules and routes. The service provider is called « Divia » and the monthly unlimited pass for someone between the ages of 18 to 25 costs 25 euros.

Tip : On a saturday morning jump in one bus randomly and go all the way to the end of the line, you will be surprised with the landscape changes and the amazingly beautiful towns you will see. I strongly recommend the end of Bus line 14 Direction Marsannay, if you get off at the last stop you will come across the «Château de Marsannay» beautiful winery with warm touch. Go and talk to the hostess tell them your story and you may be lucky enough to have full access to « la cave » and wine tasting.

       LYON: 

Lyon is considered (one of) France's second largest city, but when you see a map, Lyon itself is very small, in fact you can ride the metro from one end to the other in less than 20 minutes ! But what makes Lyon big is its region. Many near by towns are now considered part of the city since its population and industry keeps on growing. Getting around Lyon is pretty easy you have metro, tramway, trolley buses and buses. All included in the unlimited monthly pass, the students pass is about 27 euros per month. The transportation system is called TCL and runs from 4:30 am  until 1 am, after 1 am you can also find the night buses. Please refer to the site for schedules.

Tip : If you need to go to a place you've never been before and need some help on getting there go to the "Itineraire" link on the TCL page and find out what your best options and schedules are !

Don't miss on the « Funiculaire » is a fun ride from Vieux Lyon to the Fourviere church (The church located in the hills over viewing the city) and the view from up high is breathtaking.

       PARIS : 

My favorite « transportation » in Paris is walking around ! You never ever finish to get to know the city, every day no matter where you are walking and how many times you've passed by that same street you will find yet new things ! Look up to the buildings and enjoy their exquisite architecture, look down to find new graffiti or just check out the building plaques with street history on why is it called like that, who lived there, etc.

Eventually the magic is over and you need to face the metro. As you can imagine the transportation system is very good with trains, metros, buses, etc. Make sure you have your metro map handy at all times and ALWAYS double check the metro/trains direction before jumping on it ! It can be confusing down there with all the little « passages » from one metro to another, specially in the big stations (i.e Chatelet). If you are taking the RER make sure you are on the right one, each line has at least 3 different endings on each end making it a little bit tricky. Once you are on track it goes smoothly and very fast. Be careful with your personal objects, metros and trains tend to be very packed in Paris and it is indeed a temptation for pickpocket.

Tip: Take advantage on the itinerary option at the Paris metro website.  It will make you save time by giving you the faster option to get where you are going. 

I'll come up with transportation information on other cities soon !

Hope this is helpful and you won't end up like me, jumping on the wrong direction over and over.

T-