Art Nouveau and Nord-Sud: the metro's period décor
Before it was simply a way to get around, the Paris metro was a playground for decorators. This route begins at Abbesses, where Hector Guimard's entrance, reassembled here in 1974, still charms passers-by with its cast-iron floral lines. It then heads for Liège, Saint-Lazare and Madeleine, where the Nord-Sud company left its tiles and décor, the other great signature of the 1910s metro. In between, Pigalle, Blanche and Place de Clichy take you through the cabaret and theatre districts. Look up, look at the walls: it is all there, within reach of a single ticket.