You see, most streets meander about and most of them change names in the process. For example, the apartment I rented for this trip is at the corner of rue de Rivoli and Passage Walter Benjamin. One-half block to the northeast the same street is called rue des Ecouffes, and across on the other side of rue de Rivoli the same street is called rue Tiron for a block before it curves slightly to the southeast and is called rue de Jouy. Yikes! What’s a girl to do?
Well, in the not-so-olden days I highly recommend that Paris visitors buy a copy of “Paris Pratique” at any news stand, and keep it in their purse at all times - it contains detailed maps of all the arrondissements, with street names, traffic flow indicators, landmarks, Métro stations, bicycle rental stations, etc. - very handy for orienting yourself if you get off a subway or are in a neighborhood you don’t know, or if you want to figure out whether some destination is walkable (vs. Métro-able vs. bus-able vs. rent-a-bicycle-able). Today, of course, Google maps can do all that for you as well, but I always keep my Paris Pratique in my purse “just in case.”
Be like those schoolkids - get Paris maps one way or another and learn to use them and save your sanity!
2 comments:
I also love their book on Paris bus maps. Completely indispensable for easily riding the fabulous bus system in Paris. Shows the routes of each bus line, plus where the stops are, and on which corner you can catch the next one. I buy both Paris Pratique and Paris Bus on each trip, to keep abreast of changes.
Good point, Bob! Also handy for buses is an app called Bonjour RATP. It's interactive - you can click on a bus stop and the system will tell you exactly when the next bus will arrive for any line that uses that stop. Ditto for the Metro. It can also plan an itinerary for you (a combo of walking, metro, bus, bicycle) and tell you how long it will take. The technology these days - just wow! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bonjour-ratp/id507107090
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