Paris’s metro is not only iconic, but it’s hands-down the city’s most relied-upon form of transport, with around 1.5 billion journeys made on it every year, according to RATP (the state-owned operator which oversees public transport in Greater Paris and Île-de-France).
However, there’s been a bit of confusion lately about the rules surrounding bringing luggage onto the network, after social media users became aware of a not-so-new but pretty noteworthy rule around size restrictions for suitcases.
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Technically, suitcases, rucksacks and packages where the largest diameter exceeds 75 cm (or 29.5 inches) are not allowed to be brought onto the metro, and an announcement reiterating this restriction was made on May 5, according to The Connexion.
However, because of the discrepancy between RATP’s sizing restrictions and those of the various airlines that operate to and from the French capital’s airports (which allow bigger bag dimensions), there’s been a fair bit of backlash.
A user on X (fka Twitter) posted: ‘Is this a joke? You can travel the world with your suitcase, but if you arrive [at the airport] on the RATP metro, you risk a fine of €200’. Now, The Connexion reports that RATP has announced that it imposes ‘no precise dimensions on suitcases’. Problem solved.
But, was it ever such a big deal? Well, according to users on Reddit, no, not really. Last month Travellerette asked if this restriction was really something to worry about. Apparently, ‘I went to ask the staff at the metro and she smiled and rolled her eyes and said I should forget about it. It seems to be a mess.’
Another user commented: ‘There is always a very small risk that a zealous controller who’s in a bad mood gives you a fine but it would probably be reimbursed if you started posting about it on social media.’
So, it looks like you’ll probably be fine bringing your large suitcase onto the metro in Paris – just keep an eye out for any jobsworth train inspectors.
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