To get to Paris, you might take a train, plane, bus or car. Looking at a map of Paris, you'll notice that the districts are laid out in a spiral pattern that the locals refer to as the escargot, or snail in French. To move between the districts, you might walk or take a personal or shared car, bicycle, motorcycle or electric scooter. You could even take a boat ride on the Seine river, which runs right through the middle of Paris! Depending on how far you need to go, you may decide to ride the metro, a bus, or a local or long-distance train. The public transportation here is very well-connected.
Public transportation plays an important role in daily life in Paris. Most people who live within the city make use of the metro, regional train or bus systems. The word métro is a shortened version of the French word métropolitain, meaning subway. Métropolitain can also refer to cities and other densely populated areas.
Sometimes biking is faster than taking the metro! The bike share system in Paris, called Vélib, is a practical way to get around when the weather is nice. Vélib is the combination of two French words, vélo meaning bicycle and liberté meaning freedom. Recently, shared electric scooters were introduced on the streets of Paris as well.
