Paris

Paris is the capital of France.

Hitching Out

The city is situated within a ring road (le périphérique, or le périph) and whilst the actual city is relatively small, it is surrounded by endless suburbs. There are plenty of excellent spots for hitchhiking North (Aire La Courneuve) and East (gas stations and barrières de péage).

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Northeast towards Lille and Belgium

Aire La Courneuve

Probably the best way to get to Belgium is by hitching at the gas station Aire de Service de La Courneuve. BUT: if you take a closer look at the gas station on google maps you will see that there is a wall surrounding this gas station; nonetheless, one can get there if follows these tips:

First, get closer by public transport. Some options are:

• Bus 150 from Porte de la Villette (metro line 7), get off at Parc des Sports (next to the highway)
• Bus 250 from Fort d'Aubervilliers (metro line 7), get off at Parc des Sports
• La Courneuve Aubervilliers (RER B), and walk 2 km north along Boulevard Pasteur. You can catch this train from Gare du Nord.
• La Courneuve, 8 Mai 1945 (metro line 7) and make your way to rue Paul Verlaine by taking a tram "T1" and getting off at Six Routes.

Some options to enter:

1. RECOMMENDED: You can hitch from the traffic lights before the highway ramp, and ask the driver to drop you off at the petrol station.
2. There is a door which allows outside access but it is sometimes locked (latter was true on 01-06-08 and 28-09-08). Walk away from the door and scale the concrete wall at the point where it becomes a fence. Walk forward and you'll see where you have to go. (See approximate location of the door.)
3. If the door is locked you have to climb the wall that is approximately 1,90 m tall, and go through a broken fence here - et voila, you are at the gasstation.
4. You can walk around the wall for about 70 meters towards the left, then walk down the little hill and walk through the bushes. You have to go through two fences to enter the gas station.

20 minutes down the motorway a toll road starts - there you will see a toll station where everyone has to stop. It is a great place to get long-distance rides. Between the Aire La Courneuve and the barrière de péage (toll station) there is a small rest area and a fairly large petrol station with quite many cars stopping there. Ask your driver if he/she passes this service area.

Hitchhiker Masaru at Aire La Courneuve

Another option to get a ride towards Lille and/or Belgium is first to take a RER B to Stade de France and then walk up to the final traffic light where you can ask for a ride to the first gas station on the motorway (Aire La Courneuve) which is about 5 km away.

Lastly, one can take a line 13 to Carrefour Pleyel and then walk along Boulevard Anatole France (see Google Maps) up until the beginning of the highway. There is a hitchhiking spot there which might be not the greatest one in the world but at least it can lead you to the next gas station on the highway (make sure, though, the driver won't drop you off at the exit 4 of the highway).

Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle airport can be an option for hitching North-East, although waiting times might vary a lot.

Porte de la Chapelle

That's where the A1 starts - local drivers say they often see hitchhikers there. To get there take a metro 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 highway starts. Another good option is to start hitchhiking in the same street where the metro is. There are 2 gas stations in that very street, just 50m deeper into the city. They aren't overcrowded, and at the same time quite a few cars going up the North stop here for refill; nonetheless, at such places much is depended on your luck, and according to some hitchhikers this place won't make to the TOP10 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 highway (avoiding at the same time all the traffic that heads for Boulevard Periphique).

A4 East, towards Metz, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, Germany

Going directly to the barrière de péage

Take RER A4 to the last stop (Marne-La-Vallee - Cheesy). The train journey takes about 45 minutes. Take the bus number 59 (the ticket costs around 2 Euro) which leaves from the bus stop next to the RER train station at Eurodisney, Marne-La-Vallee. It takes ten minutes to arrive at the “Truffant” commercial centre which is beside the péage. From there, walk up through the police station's parking area - you will get to the green area right outside the péage - and you won't need to jump any of the fences! From this barrière de péage it is easy to get rides to Metz or even straight to Germany.

The barrière de péage is located here.

Via petrol station

Hitchhiker Zoe in Paris during the 888 event

The first gas station is close to RER A station Bussy St.Georges. From this station walk South for about 1 km along a bigger road which will lead you to a roundabout. You can try hitchhiking from there but the needed gas station will be just a bit more than 2 km from there. You can walk on the grass field next to the highway. The gas station is called La Ferrière. Another option to reach this gas station is to walk through the industrial zone of Bussy area, to the South of the railway, then reach the bridge over the highway and follow further by walking on the grass until the actual gas station. Most of the walk will be on the road which means you will save some time while at the same time such a walk won't be so annoying if you happen to hitchhike in winter (then you apparently don't wanna go through the fields). You can follow this route on Google Maps.

Various other options

• If you go to Bussy-St-Georges you can also try to catch a bus nr.4 or nr.44 from the metro station Gutenberg. When at Bussy-St-Georges, walk sraight to the bridge (don't take the first bridge left after the bus stop because than you will have to jump over the fence and to walk through the field (and hitchhiking with wet feet isn't that good, obviously)). The péage is not far from there, although it might be a bit further than the closest highway ramp.

• Take the RER Line A (Red) in direction of Boissy St Legere until the station Nogent Sur Marne (~2€). Leave the station in direction of Rue Joinville and follow the sign to the A4. It is a 30 min walk. If some driver stops for you, ask if he/she can take you at least to the next gas station (there is no toll road (péage) to get there, so it is likely that you will get a ride there).

A6 South to Lyon, Marseille, Barcelona, Italy

A hitchhiking spot at Porte d'Orleans (at the "périferique") seems quite a good place to get a ride (metro Porte d'Orleans). There's a gas station, and a good spot (just besides the "Novotel" building) at the traffic junction to the "périferique extérieur". Don't go with those cars which head for suburbs only - next tollway or a gas station is about 50 km away.

A10 South to Orleans, Bordeaux, Spain

A small collection of the "Paris" signs for the Project 888 where over 150 hitchhikers gathered and camped in front of the Eiffel Tower.

This motorway follows the route of the A6 (see above) from Paris, and splits afterwards near Antony/Rungis. There's no gas station between Porte d'Orleans and the A6xA10 junction except this one (good enough one, according to some hitchhikers). An easy option is to stand at Porte d'Orleans (the same as for the A6 options) with a sign specifying that you go to Orléans. There is a barrière de péage in Saint Arnoult, before the split between A10 and A11, so you can accept a ride going to Orléans or to Chartres, for example. Make sure, though, the driver will leave you at least at the "péage de Saint Arnoult". French hitchhiker Pietshah did this route tons of times and had very little troubles.

Getting onto the A10 highway is not an easy task, and will involve a train ride and some walking. The first gas station is situated near the village called Briis-sous-Forges. To get there you need to take either RER B to Massy-Palaiseau or RER C to Dourdan (ticket costs around 7€). From there take the bus 91.03 to Briis-sous-Forges. It runs about 3 times an hour on weekdays, once an hour on Saturdays, and there are no buses on Sundays. The gas station is situated a couple of kms North from the village. To reach it you will need to find Route d'Invilliers, a small local road parallel to the highway. Once you are there, make sure your driver takes the right road as the A11 starts not far away. Another solution is to start hitching at Dourdan. Go to rue d'Etampes and start thumbing at a roundabout there. In Les-granges-du-roi take the D838 that will lead you to the A10 motorway ramp. Note, though, that it is a bit far to walk - around 10 km -, and the traffic is weak. Hitch there before the barrière de péage with a sign "Orleans".

Behind the train station Gare Massy there is a roundabout and a parking place. Go down the road towards the autoroute. After a while there you will see a long stretch of a road with lots of space for cars. Make sure to get a ride at least to the first barrière de péage (30+ km). When already there, you might as well pull up the sign "SPAIN" - you might even get a truck straight to Portugal.

You can also take the RER to Massy Palaiseau. Then take the bus nr.399, get off next to the supermarket "Cora" (as of 2008). From there you will be able to see the highway A10 to Bordeaux and to the South in general.

Another, a bit more expensive but possibly faster option is to take a train directly to Orleans from Paris-Austerlitz station. The ticket will cost you about 18 €. North of the town center an expressway passes - it joins the A10 and has a barrière de péage just before the junction. You'll need a sign saying "Tours" (if you go in direction of Tours, otherwise write "Bordeaux" or "Vierzon/Toulouse" if you need to take the A20 towards Toulouse).

A11 South-West to Le Mans, Nantes, Rennes and all parts of Brittany

This highway splits from the A10 near Dourdan. There are several possibilities go get on this motorway:

1. The gas station at Briis-sous-Forges. Look at the A10 section's options.
2. Take a train to Rambouillet from Paris-Montparnasse (about 7€) and start hitching on the N10 South, until the A11 motorway ramp.
3. Take the train from Paris-Montparnasse to Chartres (12€) and start hitching from there.
4. Another good spot (and cheaper to get to) is Portes d'Orleans (see info above - section A6) where you can hitch with a sign "Chartres" or "A10"/"A11". If you get a ride to Péage de Saint Arnoult (from someone going to Orleans - A10 - for example), accept it, since it is before the highway split.

Paris public transport

Public transport in Paris consists of a metro, RER (fast trains serving the suburbs with relatively few inner city stops), buses and trams. If you want to make a few voyages, the cheapest option is to buy a carnet of 10 single tickets (around 11 euros). You can travel to the end of RER lines for around 15 euros. If you stay in Paris for several days and will use transport often you can also buy a pass "Mobilis" for one or several days (5,6 € for one day inside Paris) - it is valid on metro, RER and ground transportation; if you stay for a week or more - get a "Carte Orange" for 16.3 € a week (you'll also need a photo for this one). All prices as of fall 2008.

Metro system

Ticket checks never occur on actual metro trains, and ticket controllers seem to employ 1 of 2 approaches: first one includes ticket controllers forming a line inside a metro tunnel or station exit and checking all the exiting travelers (since they are uniformed it is easy to see them from a distance unless they decide to hide around the corner); second one involves civil-dressed controllers watching the gates and busting those jumping over - they'll either stop them directly themselves, or radio-report to uniformed controllers who then will ask a stopped person to show a valid ticket.

Checks are said never to occur during rush hours; peak times for these controls are evenings, weekends and the beginning of a new month. Except for the major stations, it is pretty easy to jump over the barriers, or pass through following other people passing to the ticket-zone. Only on major stations one is required to have a validated ticket when exiting. As in some other countries, one can be relax about the ticket booth staff since they have nothing to do with ticket checks.

RER system

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.

Buses

Like in most cities of France, you can walk onto the bus without showing or validating a ticket. Checks are said to be rare, and occur mainly late at night.

Fines and punishments

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 40 euro 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.

Going to Charles de Gaulle/Roissy airport

Bus line 350 goes to Gare de l'Est, and line 351 - to Place de la Nation. You're supposed to validate 3 tickets (which is a lot cheaper than travelling by RER); checks are said rare to occur.

Sleeping in Paris

Hospitality exchange networks can be a great choice when staying low-budget in Paris. However, one must plan usually such staying well ahead since Paris is a popular destination for many backpackers, and many hospitality exchange networks' members are usually overloaded with requests to have guests.

It is also possible to sleep in the Champs de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower - police generally lets you sleep until 9 or 10 in the morning. There are many trees that offer you a protection in case of a rain. You can also put up a tent (at night) in a discrete spot although keep in mind that police officers will wake you up around the sunrise. You can also sleep under the bridge at the Seine river on the other side of the Eiffel Tower. During the first European Hitchhikers Week (888) around 50 people slept in front of the Eiffel Tower. trash:Paris