Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Check Out This Charming Parisian Subway Etiquette Guide
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 7, 2013
Modified Dec 8, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 6
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 7, 2013
Modified Dec 8, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Subway etiquette is a topic that is very near and dear to our hearts, one which we'll never get tired of discussing because New Yorkers will never get tired of breaking the most basic and rudimentary social contracts (SEAT FEET). This isn't just a NYC phenomena of course—all major metros around the world have to deal with inconsiderate ingrates. But some countries have slightly more whimsical ways of dealing with rudeness, like the Paris transport authority, who has released a subway etiquette guide that has a certain je ne sais quoi.
French Subway Etiquette Manual
Besides the charmingly old-fashioned pictures you see above, the "politeness manual" includes 12 basic commandments for French travelers, divided into four "pillars of civility" (helpfulness, courtesy, manners and politeness). They cover the areas you'd expect—don't play loud music, don't have phone conversations, don't urinate on the train, cover your mouth when you sneeze for crissakes—but put a decidedly cutesy twist on the whole enterprise with lines like, "the huge crossed out cigarette on the platform is not a work of contemporary art but a ban on smoking" and "It's worth losing two minutes of your time for a good cause if only to hear the [foreign] passenger struggle to pronounce [train stations] Trinité d'Estienne d'Orves or La Motte Piquet-Grenelle."
So below, we've put the almost totally incoherent (but unintentionally poetic) Free Translation versions of the 12 rules—and in brackets, we've re-translated that garble with the help of Uncommon Courtesy's Jaya Saxena (and her high school-level French).
1 TO BE COURTEOUS
Understanding that it is the huge
cigarette crossed out on the wharf is not
a work of contemporary art,
but a ban on smoking.
[Understand that the huge crossed out cigarette on the platform is not a work of contemporary art, but a ban on smoking.]
2 TO BE HELPFUL
It is propose of the aid to the person in
Bermuda which takes
a map of the metro in one hand
and his hair in the other.
[Propose to help the person in the Bermuda shirt with a metro map in one hand and the other hand in their hair.]
3 TO BE POLITE
This is not to make his laptop
a unbearable
[You shouldn't make your smartphone insufferable.]
4 TO BE HELPFUL
It is take the exit door to the person who
follows you. In life,
you never lose the opportunity
to cross a pretty sight!
[Hold the exit door for the person who follows you. In life, you never lose the opportunity to cross a pretty sight!]
5 TO BE POLITE
It is use his handkerchief, but
not only to say goodbye
on the edge of the wharf ...
[Use your handkerchief, but not only to say goodbye on the edge of the platform...]
6 TO BE HELPFUL
It is take the bag of a
old lady ... and him make
with a smile at the top of the stairs.
[Take the bag of an old lady ... and she will give a smile at the top of the stairs.]
7 MANNERS
It is sharing its new
musical discoveries on social networks.
Today it
is also expressed in silence.
[Um... Share your music on the internet, not outloud]
8 TO BE POLITE
It is hail the machinist,
especially if it is a man or a woman
[Greet the engineer, especially if it is a man or a woman [But...what else could it be other than a man or a woman?]]
9 TO BE COURTEOUS
It is not deciding a passenger
with insistence, even when
it would have the eyes revolver.
[Umm...Don't stare at other passengers, even if they are going to shoot you]
10 TO BE COURTEOUS
This is not cause to a duel
the knight that you crushed
the foot by mistake!
[You scuffed my kicks]
11 MANNERS
This is the days of great heat, such as the
emperor penguin, well keep the arms
along the body and take its best
taken in bottom of the pole, not at the top.
[On hot days, it is best to keep your arms along your body like a penguin, and hold the pole at the bottom, not the top.]
12 MANNERS
It is not to be confused the metro with
its bathroom, even if the there is also
the tiles on the walls.
[Don't confuse the metro with the bathroom, even if both have tiles on the walls.]
Tagged
france
french
ooh la la
paris
subway
subway etiquette
trains
trains bien
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .