Arriving at Charles De Gaulle Airport, first thing was to catch the train to the city. Cabs are really expensive and if you are planning on using a taxi then this is probably not the guide for you. Trains from the airport cost e8.50 (there's a cheaper way to get back which I'll explain later). You'll probably have to pay this e8.50 and you can ask for directions at the information counter in English, probably the last time you will be able to do that, the other stations are not so English-friendly once you leave the airport. Get a Metro map and a City map at the information counter while you are at it. The automatic payment machines will all be in French, you can try to figure it out but risk buying the wrong ticket.
Here's when the fun begins. The Paris metro is made up of many lines. To change between lines you will need to look for stations where the lines intersect. Let's use an example starting from the airport and getting to Gare de Lyon
1) You will take line B (the only line) towards Orly.
2) Get off at Chatelet Les Halles and change to line A towards Gare de Lyon/Nation or line D towards Gare de Lyon or line 14. You can only pick 1 of the 3 lines as the platforms are a long distance from each other. From experience line B and line A towards Gare de Lyon are just next to each other, so just get off the train and walk across the platform.
Take note of the direction that the train is travelling towards. Trains with the same number may not always be on opposing platforms. For example Line A at Chatelet Les Halles towards Gare de Lyon is NOT facing Line A towards La Defense.
The naming of the stations may vary slightly from the map. Gare means station in French, Gare du Nord is also referred to as Paris Nord. Tickets are per entry no matter the distance, so if you are traveling between 2 really near Metro stops, you might want to refer to the City Map and take a short walk instead. That also means if you are lost in the city, it doesn't matter which Metro station you get to just ask for directions to the nearest Metro station it'll cost you the same amount to get to your next destination.
Saving Tip:
1) You can buy a set of 10 tickets for the Metro for about e11.00. This ticket will also get you back to the airport. For some reason if you ask the guy at the information counter, he will tell you to buy a e8.50 ticket to go to the airport.
2) If the entry gate to the station is open, dun bother inserting your ticket just walk right in, you've just saved a ticket for the next trip.
3) Try and reuse your tickets from the same day. Sometimes they work!
Note: The train stations in Paris are really old and the system is kindof faulty or has loop holes. I've once seen about 10 students put 1 ticket into the handicap entry gate and all of them got right in, and of course 2-3 persons walk through the normal gates while it is still open. You can do that at your own risk (of the door slamming on you), but it's a common sight.
Next we'll be visiting the museums.
