SETTLING IN - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette: France - page 135

Look at the maps posted on the handsome glass bus stops
and in the métro to i gure out your route. There is one map for
each system. You should have your own maps, too. Even the
French look at these maps, though they try to do so l eetingly.
On the buses you must composter your ticket by pushing
it into a red slot that loudly punches it as 'used'. Buses are
boarded at the front and exited in the middle. (Say ' Bonjour,
Monsieur ' to the driver.) Many bus services stop at 8:00 pm
(the maps explain which ones). Most buses and all métro
services stop by 1:00 am and don't start again until 5:30 am.
Taxis accommodate by raising their prices to the maximum
during these hours.
Trains in France are generally clean, fast and inexpensive.
The TGV ( Trains à Grande Vitesse ) reaches a maximum speed
of 300 kmph (186 mph) and zips from Paris (Gare de Lyon) to
Marseilles in four hours, as well as many other destinations.
The Eurostar goes from Paris (Gare du Nord) to London in
three hours, under the English channel. You need reservations
for these trains, however, and as different ones start from
different stations in Paris, be sure you get to the right station.
(Remember the star pattern!)
With the sleek new high-speed train service, you can still stop the conductor
to ask a question, and the younger ones are more likely to speak English.