PARIS: Quick guide to using the metro or bus with autistic kids
- sunshinelayla
- Oct 8
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 12
As a capital city Paris has a comprehensive transport system - with metro trains, overground trains as well as buses. But which one is best for families with autistic children?
This is obviously a personal decision based on the needs of your own autistic children, but during our trip we deliberately chose to avoid the metro. Instead we used the bus network - which we found straightforward and easy to use (once we worked out where to buy the tickets).
Although in some circumstances the metro may have been faster, the boys were much more regulated on the buses, they always had a seat and they enjoyed seeing some of the sights they might otherwise have missed like the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysee. It was also a lot quieter.
Why we chose the buses over the metro for our autistic children in Paris:
(For a comprehensive overview to visiting Paris with autistic children you can read our article:
Six Brilliant Activities for Autistic Children in Paris or visit our Five nights in Paris Destination Guide)
PARIS METRO TRAINS
METRO NOISE
Like most underground networks many of the lines can be very loud and screechy which totally stresses the boys out even if they wear their ear defenders. For the boy's sake we try to avoid these types of environmental noises if we can.
A lot of the stations also have rather intimidating full height barriers which slam shut with quite a loud bang - quite scary and they could be very dysregulating for autistic children.
METRO TEMPERATURE
Currently only 44% of metro trains offer cool 'ventilated air' - although they are increasing this each year as old trains are replaced with new. In the summer or warm periods (we were there in a mini-heatwave) it can get dangerously hot and crowded.
METRO ACCESSIBILITY
Paris Metro stations are often full of endless stairs, long walks between connections, and then more stairs. I know from personal experience that you can sometimes walk for a very long way. This would not have suited the boys, or more widely, anyone with mobility issues.
There is limited (but continuously improving) access to elevators from street level - you can visit the RATP website for the most up-to-date information on accessible lines. As we had the buggy with us on all our trips, this would have meant a lot more work for J carrying it up and down the steep stairs while I would have needed to take the bags and look after the boys.
PARIS BUSES
The Parisienne bus network uses the same ticketing system as the metro.
All buses are single deck and quite long, with three doors running along their length. Passengers are expected to enter at the front door and exit using the doors at the centre or the back of the bus. Although we were there during April school holidays, we nearly always got a seat, or if not, we didn't have to wait long for one to become available.
We found taking the bus was pretty straightforward, once we worked out which side of the road to wait on to go left or right along the road!
Then there is the added, and little realised benefit that if you are travelling to tourist attractions, in particular the Eiffel Tower, then you will find that the bus is likely to drop you off much closer to your final destination than the metro.
(You can read our Family guide to Visiting the Eiffel Tower with Children here)
The bus system is very comprehensive meaning there is a really good spread of bus stops throughout the city. We never had to walk very far in order to get to where we wanted to go and interchanges were also easy. There were a handful of bus stops near our apartment all for different routes, and all much closer to walk to then then nearest metro station.
From a sensory point of view the buses were quieter, cooler and less claustrophobic than the metro trains. They were also much easier to manage getting on and off with the buggy and the copious amount of day baggage we seem to take wherever we go!
This is a good map of the Bus Network
BUYING METRO and BUS TICKETS
If you do decide to use the Paris Metro during your visit, a useful website for information on the network including how to buy tickets is the Paris Digest
Summary of information taken from their website:
Entrance to the metro is by automated gate, opened by tickets, Navigo passes or Paris Visite travel pass. Gates return metro tickets for passengers to keep. Metro tickets are being phased out and replaced by Navigo travel cards. These cards can be bought at metro stations. It should then be loaded with transport tickets. During a trip, each traveller must carry and have validated their own card.
More information on T+ tickets
T+ tickets are a convenient option if you just need the odd journey around Paris over 1 or 2 days and can be used on both buses and trains. From 13 October 2022, cardboard t+ ticket packs were replaced and are no longer sold from vending machines at 182 stations and bus stations.
As a visitor in Paris your transport ticket options are:
Contactless t+ ticket packs of 10 - (from 17 euros for adult or 8.65 euros for kids)
A Navigo Easy Pass for €2 which you can top-up at ticket machines and retailers or with your smartphone.
Or you can still buy a single use ticket on board the bus for €2.15.
Tickets can be bought from ticket offices or automatic ticket machines at metro, bus, tramway and RER stations. You need to validate your ticket each time you board a bus using the machine for that purpose and each time you change bus or tram.
Once validated you can use your T+ ticket to make unlimited connections within a 90-minute period (between the first and last validation) on other bus and tram lines.
Your ticket may not be used for round-trip journeys on the same line or to get off and then back on a bus from the same line.
For more information visit the Paris Toolkit website
OTHER TRANSPORT OPTIONS IN PARIS
Here is a brief description of a couple of other transport options in Paris that I have used on previous visits, however we did not need to use them on this trip.
RAIL
There are six Paris train stations, or gares, taking passengers to destinations throughout France and the rest of Europe — Gare du Nord (Eurostar Terminal), Gare de l'Est, Gare de Lyon, Gare d'Austerlitz, Gare Montparnasse, Gare Saint-Lazare. Frequent trains connect communters to the city, and link with the RER system - see below.
RER
The RER is the Paris regional metro. It connects the city with Disneyland, Fontainebleau, Versailles Palace, Orly Airport and Charles de Gaulle Airport.
BOATS
The river Seine offers numerous options for boat trips of all sorts. I have previously done the Bateaux Mouches boat trip which start from 8 euros per person - it was a nice activity on a cold and rainy September day in Paris. I recommend booking directly with their website.
There are also night cruises with drinks, brunch trips and daytime lunch trips available from a range of operators such as Bateux Mouches, GetYourGuide, TripAdvisor and Viatour.
