Why Walking The Wrong Way In Paris Could Land Tourists A Fine

Many people think of French culture as flamboyant and free-spirited, which can often be the case — but for those in the know, France also has a reputation for stiff rules and decorum. This begins with personal etiquette, such as greeting everyone with "bonjour" and properly kissing the right people on the cheek; then it extends to France's towering government bureaucracy. This is a culture that has a regulation for everything, from banning headscarves in schools to forbidding pig-owners from naming their swine "Napoleon." And this fastidious nature extends to the Paris Metro.

Case in point: Paris' subway stations are designed for one-way foot traffic, and if you walk in the opposite direction, you may receive a fine. These often consist of special corridors that are intended for one-way walkers. Now, lots of subway systems have rules about how people move around — but a $57 fine for briefly strolling the wrong way?

The law drew international ire in 2018, when a pregnant woman attempted to take a shortcut. As reported by the BBC and others, the woman received a ticket for the infraction. Commenters zoomed in on the policy: Why would security punish someone for such a minor offense? According to the story, "a number of other metro users complain[ed] that they had been targeted the same day." This may be especially hard to believe for travelers who encounter unruly line etiquette on their French vacation.

Let's take the good with the bad: Many argue the Paris Metro is one of the best public transit systems in Europe, and it's an affordable way to explore the city. Not everyone agrees with this assessment, but travelers from the US will generally find it useful and user-friendly. Spanning 308 stations across 141 miles, the Metro can transport tourists to just about any meaningful destination in Paris, from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the Louvre Museum. No fewer than 1.3 billion trips were taken in 2022, so it's clear that somebody likes it.

Prescribed one-way traffic is also typical of underground systems around the world, along with other rules intended to maintain the flow of humanity through confined, subterranean spaces. Subway signage in Taipei, Taiwan, for example, is extremely explicit, telling you exactly where to walk and stand while waiting for your train. To enter a subway station in Beijing, China, you have to pass through a TSA-style security checkpoint, running your bag through a metal detector and showing your ID to a uniformed guard. All kinds of stations distinguish between an "entry" staircase and "exit" staircase — or corresponding escalators — so the two crowds don't have to fight for space on the steps.

When the media swarmed around the ticketed woman in 2018, the transport authority Groupe RATP responded by saying that such fines were "infrequent." It's hard to tell how this interaction played out in the heat of the moment, and the fine will strike many of us as harsh, especially for a woman who was pregnant. But if you find yourself walking the wrong way in a Paris Metro station and someone calls you on it, your best strategy is to explain (in French, if possible) that you're just visiting and got turned around. Meanwhile, don't name your pig Napoleon. That's, like, seriously illegal.