Have you ever felt like you were in a giant escape game that you couldn't get out of by stopping at Châtelet-LesHalles station? This joke, often made on social networks, has a grain of truth to it, since this is the world's largest underground station, enough to make you get lost every other time in this enormous labyrinth! While tourists are the most likely to get lost, even Parisians sometimes struggle to find the right exit, and end up taking the first one that comes along.
This veritable hub is made up of three different stations in one: Châtelet to the north, Les Halles to the south and Châtelet-les-Halles below. Châtelet is the oldest, created in 1900 under the eponymous square, with 5 metro lines: 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14. Les Halles is a station on line 4, and Châtelet-Les Halles is the RER station that has been home to lines A and B since 1977, as well as line D.
All this adds up to 1,500 trains on 7 platforms, 315 meters long, 60 meters wide, on two levels, with 19 entrances, spread over 3 sectors: Forum des Halles, Rivoli and Seine, and crossed by endless conveyor belts. According to RATP, this makes it the world's largest underground rail facility. What's more, the RER A is Europe's busiest train! From Châtelet-Les Halles, you can reach 302 other stations in the Paris region- a real hub for the region! During rush hour, almost 120 trains (when all goes well) stop every minute, that's 1 every 2 seconds.
All you need to know about the Paris metro: history, anecdotes, news and rules for users
Millions of Parisians and tourists use public transport and the Paris metro system every day. But do you know the rules of the metro and its history? Discover our many anecdotes! [Read more]
Location
Châtelet-Les Halles metro station
Châtelet
75001 Paris 1
Access
Metro Châtelet (lines 1, 4, 7, 11, 14)
All you need to know about the Paris metro: history, anecdotes, news and rules for users
