Paris’ most beautiful metro stations
There are over 300 metro stations in Paris, and while some are designed to get on our nerves (the labyrinthine Châtelet station comes to mind), others are worth a stop for their unique aesthetics alone. Here are our top five of the most stunning metro stations (from the inside, the most beautiful metro entrances would be a topic for another post).
Arts et Métiers
The platform of line 11 is like no other in Paris: covered in smooth copper plates instead of white tiles, it resembles a steampunk submarine straight out of Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The work of French screenwriter Benoît Peeters and Belgian illustrator François Schuiten, it was installed to celebrate the bicentennial of the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers. Like the museum of the same name, the station pays tribute to the inventors and industry of the time.
Villejuif – Gustave Roussy
After seven years of construction, the Villejuif – Gustave Roussy station on line 14 (and line 15 from 2026) has finally opened in all its glory. Located in the suburbs, halfway to the airport, it was designed by French architect Dominique Perrault, who is also responsible for the Bibliothèque François Miterrand. The giant glass dome illuminates the different levels up to 50 meters below ground and lights up the beautiful sundial by Chilean artist Iván Navarro.
Louvre-Rivoli
One of the oldest stations in the French capital, Louvre-Rivoli (line 1) is also one of the most impressive, thanks to the replicas of art that line the walls of the platforms. It’s designed as a vestibule to the Louvre Museum and features reproductions of ancient and medieval statues.
Mirabeau
The Mirabeau (line 10) station has a unique configuration with a single platform serving only eastbound trains to Javel-André Citroën. Behind it is an ascending ramp for trains going to Église d’Auteuil. If you’re patient (or lucky), you’ll see the trains passing on top of each other.
Cluny-La Sorbonne
Also on line 10, the Cluny-La Sorbonne station has the most remarkable ceiling. Look up to admire Jean Bazaine’s mosaics with the signatures of famous Sorbonne students such as Rimbaud, Sartre and George Sand.
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