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{{Hitchhiking Zine nomination}}
Note that there is an "outer ring road" to the Paris suburb area, motorway A86 (or ''super-périphérique'') and another wider ring even further called "la Francillienne" which isn't completed but still used to connect . If your ride is not going to Paris itself, you might want to clarify which ring they are going to take as it may affect the place where you'd want to be dropped. You may also find them useful if you need to bypass Paris, especially the Francilienne, as it has more gas stations and less complex interchanges.
Good to know if you're starting to stink up in the City of Lights: the Municipality provides [https://www.paris.fr/pages/les-bains-douches-municipaux-138 free shower facilities ] in 17 locations around Paris. Note they are BYOT (bring your own toiletry)
== Hitching in ==
During rush hours, it is possible (but illegal) to be quickly dropped on the ring road. This is useful if your ride is not willing to get out of it to drop you (which is often the case). Within the ring area, you are definitely linked to the whole regular fare subway system.
If you are coming from the Northeast and your ride is heading South (which is a normal truck route), chances are that your driver will not drop you on the ring road where it is complicated to stop. A frequent place to get dropped is the first exit South on the A6 called "Rungis". From there, you can reach the Metropolitan subway system by tram with one ticket, then use another one to your final destination. You can also reach other suburbs in the 94 department (Val de Marne) taking the TvM bus, which is also a normal Paris ticket.
== Hitching out ==
There are plenty of excellent spots for hitchhiking North (''Aire La Courneuve''), East ([[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol stations]] and ''[[péage|barrières de péage]]'') and also South (''Aire de Lisses''). It's all about how much you are willing to pay in public transportation, and how daring you are.
=== North/Northeast towards [[England]], [[Lille]] and [[Belgium]] {{afr|1}} ===
These are classified by cost in public transportation from Paris' centre. There is a bonus pro-tip at the bottom involving Arras :)
==== Option 1: Porte de la Chapelle ====
This option costs one local ticket. Porte de la Chapelle is where the [[A1 (France)|A1]] starts. Local drivers say they often see hitchhikers there. To get there , take a the metro line 12 to ''Porte de la Chapelle'', then walk to the roundabout. You can try getting a ride on the roundabout (there are traffic lights, which means that cars have to stop) or you can stand on the opposite side facing the roundabout where the motorway starts. Another good option is to start hitchhiking in the same street where the metro is. There are 2 petrol stations in that very street, just 50m deeper into the city. They aren't overcrowdedand, and at the same time , quite a few cars going up the North north stop here for to refill; nonetheless, at such places , much is depended depends on your luck, and according to some hitchhikers , this place won't make it to the TOP10 top 10 best hitchhiking places in France. It is therefore rather recommended to hitchhike at the roundabout , where a quiet lane right by the traffic lights gives you a good opportunity to get onto the motorway (avoiding at the same time all the traffic that heads for ''Boulevard Periphique''Peripherique).
==== Option 2: Motorway services Aire La Courneuve ====
[[File:Masaru.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Hitchhiker Masaru at ''Aire La Courneuve'']]
This option costs one local ticket or zones 1–3 ticket (eur 2.4575as of 2018). The petrol station [http://hitchwiki.org/maps/?place=5201 ''Aire de Service de La Courneuve''] is about 2 km along the A1, north of Paris.
Take bus 150 from ''Porte de la Villette'' or bus 250 from '''Fort dD'Aubervilliers'' (both are on metro line 7) to the stop ''Parc des Des Sports''.
This bus stop is next to the A1 highway. Just walk to the right from the bus stop, without ever passing under the overpass. Then walk east parallel to the motorway through the parking lot of an apartment complex. There is a wall preventing access to the motorway, but if you continue walking a few hundred meters east and up a slight grassy hill, the wall ends. You can then follow a steep, thorny path full of nettles down towards the motorway and back west towards the petrol station. There is a fence right along the motorway, but near the petrol station it has been trampled down and you can step over it.
You may need to climb the fance From the petrol station, most drivers are only going to the airport or local communities. You should ask for a lift at least to the [[toll station]] (''péage'') heading north. This is a 20-minute drive down the motorway (some kilometers after the airport) and everyone has to stop here. It is a great place to get long-distance rides. ==== Option 3: Charles de Gaulle ====
It is easy to jump the metro at terminal 2 and there wasn't anyone guarding it. Maybe the same is true for terminals 1 and 3 but I can't vouch for it.
From terminal 2 walk out of terminal and head straight to the main road. You should see signs for A1 Paris Lille. Keep following these signs until the road splits for A1 Lille. One road goes to the left, under a bridge and there are some traffic lights. The other goes to the right. Stand to the right of the right turn. Cars can stop on a dashed out area to you your left or drive a little past you on the right. A couple of cars stopped right a way straightaway and I was easily able to get a lift to the next service station which had lots of people driving north to Lille, Belgium and Holland. That service station was very busy and it was easy to get a lift as well as a good meal from peoples' leftovers in the restaurant including half a bottle of wine!
==== Option 4: Motorway services Aire de Vémars Est====
You can always try to go with the bus number 702 to Vémars centre from the airport (20 stops, 39 minutes). This will also work on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The parking lot for the bus 702 is B2.
=== East towards [= Bonus Tip: Arras Service Station====Heading north on the A1, there is a fantastic AUTOGRILL Aire de Wancourt Est service station just outside Arras [Metz]https://goo.gl/maps/2suUznoe5C42], [[Strasbourg]]with people heading pretty much everywhere. You can get rides to the UK (Chunnel), Lille, [[Luxembourg]]Belgium, [[Germany]] Netherlands. Many difference license plates (A4GB, F, B, NL, D, E) ===and lots of opportunities.
==== Via petrol station ''Aire de Ferrières'' =East towards [[Metz]], [[Strasbourg]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Germany]] {{Afr|4}} ===
==== Option 2. Motorway onramp junction slip-road ====
Take the RER Line A (Red) in the direction of ''Boissy St Legere'' until the station ''Nogent Sur Marne'' (EUR 2.70 (2010-11). Leave the station in direction of ''Rue Joinville'' and follow the sign to the A4. It is a 30 min minute walk. There is a red light before the onrampslip road (on-ramp). Lots of traffic, possibility to stop on the ramp for brave drivers.
Ask if your driver can take you at least to the next petrol station Aire De Ferrières which is within the free motorway network. Toll Gare de Péage de Coutevroult toll gate is a bit further.
==== From within the city limitsOption 3: Quai de Bercy Motorway service station Aire De Ferrières ====''Cheap, as you will only need a metro ticket and pretty fast too.''
Take RER A to station Bussy-Saint-Georges. You can also try get to hitch directly this RER A station by taking bus 4 or 44 from within Paris rather than taking the train for at least half an hour metro station Gutenberg. Walk 2 km Avenue Marie Curie till Rue Pavée turn down until street crosses A4 highway and then walkingafter this turn left rest stop is next to you. Right side from there is Decathlon Logistics France if you get lost
=== Getting South or Southwest (A6{{Afr|6}}, {{Afr|10}}, A10 or A11) {{Afr|11}} ===
These spots are close enough to the city to be getting traffic in all southern directions.
==== Option 1: Porte d'Orléans ====
Once the most famous hitchhiking spot in France, this spot isn't bad nowadays, but it isn't great either. The good thing is that drivers aren't surprised to see people there, and that you don't need to get out of Paris in faraway suburbs.
==== Option 2: Porte d'Italie ====
Similarly ''Porte d'Italie'' which is not far from ''Porte d'Orleans'' is a good place to hitch from. Additionally if you walk down the exit there at to the traffic lights , there is an overhead bypass which can keep you dry in the rain.
=== South towards [[Lyon]], [[Marseille]], [[Barcelona]], [[Italy]] (A6) {{Afr|6}} ===
==== Option 1: Motorway services Aire de De Lisses ====
This option costs EUR 5.85 (but possible to have ride without ticket also), a zone 1–5 ticket and takes roughly 75 minutes. '''Aire de Lisses''' is the first service area on the A6, situated about 35 km South of Paris. It can save you time because you avoid all outbound traffic not really heading your direction, being located after all the motorway branch-offs.
Get the RER D towards Melun via Corbeil. Be careful to get on the right train as there are 2 routes for RER D towards Melun. As of 2010-02, the Tthe ID of the train you need was "ZIPE" ZIP or "ZOPO" ZOP (All trains on RER lines have a 4 letter ID depending on stations served). If it's too confusing (it's very confusing), get whatever train that goes to "Corbeil Essonne" and, from there, whatever train that goes to Melun. Get off at the station '''Gare de Villabé''', the second after Corbeil-Essonnes. The station is not marked on Google Maps but don't worry, it's there: [http://goo.gl/8omQ2W''the way from Villabé RER station to Aire de Lisses'']
==== Option 2: Motorway services Aire de Nemours ====
You can take a train to Nemours Saint Pierre (transilien R from Gare de Lyon, a ticket costs about 10 euros) and walk 45min to the AUTOGRILL Aire de Nemours A6 service area ( http://goo.gl/VUYmh0 )Shell fuel station. Then you're already on a paying section (no local traffic), far out from Paris (80km), and can get a ride to Châlon, Mâcon or Lyon in a few minutes.
'''Edit July 2022''' this does not work! There is pretty much zero car traffic, at least when I was there. If you're starting in Massy-Palaiseau you're better off thumbing at [httphttps://goo.gl/maps.google.fr/?ie=UTF8&ll=48.739447,2.302011&spn=0.001638,0.003455&t=h&z=18 bbD5WGkiKeFqSFzBA this oneroundabout] (good enough one, according to some hitchhikers). Really good according to others. Took two guys ten minutes to get I didn't wait too long here and got a ride and a third guy about the same amount of time straight to a different placeLe Mans. Lots of trucks and cars passing by!
==== Péage de SaintOption 3: Motorway service station Limours-Arnoult Janvry ====You can take the RER C train to Dourdan. There are no controls on the exit, so if you are on the cheap, you need to pay only the basic metro ticket (some EUR 1.33) to get into the underground network in Paris. Once in Dourdan, cross the railroad track and turn left and then go straight on the D836 until you reach the péage after 4-5 kilometers. You should be able to hitch a car as there are many passing by and the French take easily on small routes if they see you walking. Get off just after the road crosses the autoroute, go left and in a short while, you will reach the péage. Look at the map beforehand! You have much higher chances here then anywhere else, there are lots of cars going through.
=== RER system = Inside Paris ====Uniformed controllers will ask for validated tickets on trains, and since the RER shares the metro infrastructure, you might be a subject to the checks in similar order mentioned above. It is possible to travel for free, even though you stand a higher chance of being busted. It seems that checks can occur at any time, so the best time to travel for free is a rush hour when controls are impossible due to congestion. The highest risk of being checked seems to occur on transfer stations from RER to metro stations. There are 2 big ones, Chatelet and Gare du Nord. If there is control at one of them, try the other. At Gare du Nord it seems the luggage entrance is a little more hidden than at Chatelet so even if there are controllers you can probably pass quickly if there are lots of people around. On some RER stations that are also train stations controllers wait in the tunnels when you go down to change between platforms.
=== Fines and punishments = In the suburbs ====French transport police won't make any exceptions for foreigners. Although it is said it might be possible to talk them out of fining a "dumb tourist" they are mainly hostile. Most commonly they will ask for a EUR 40 fine which can be paid directly in cash or by credit card. Alternatively you can plead poverty, and if you show a valid ID they will post a fine to the address and the name written on ID.
== Other useful info Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
{{Excellent}}
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