Day 3338 (Wednesday) 29th July 2026
This is the Chateau d’Anglais between Nice and Villefranche
and this is Menton.
Is it really illegal to put on make-up on a French train?
A video has gone viral in France claiming that putting on make-up or nail polish while on either a French train or the Paris Metro can now land you a fine of €60 - there's just one small problem . . .
The Instagram video has been widely shared in recent days and features a female narrator solemnly explaining that passengers can now be fined €60 for applying make-up on a train. The video is accompanied by (of course) AI generated images.
The problem? It's untrue, according to both SNCF, which operates France's mainline trains and RATP which operates the Paris Metro.
Contacted by French media, SNCF said that it had "no policy" around passengers applying make-up while on board, and said that fines would not be issued for this.
RATP told French newspaper Le Parisien "there is no fine for applying make-up on public transport".
Both companies can levy fines for passengers who soil the seats, so theoretically this could apply if you accidentally spill your bottle of nail polish all over the seat.
Perhaps the video went so viral because it doesn't seem too implausible? While applying make-up is allowed, French trains do have some quite strict rules on passenger behaviour and there is a widespread social expectation that activities like applying make-up are best done at home.
So what's actually illegal on French trains, and on the Paris Metro?
Trains
Phone use - most right-thinking people surely believe that watching videos, listening to music or conducting video calls without headphones on public transport should be punishable by death by garrotting?
SNCF doesn't go quite that far, but it will issue fines of up to €200 for passengers who listen to music or videos without headphones - this covers both the train itself and the platform.
If you wish to make or receive a call while on the train, you are requested to leave your seat and go into the vestibule between carriages. Announcements at the start of each train journey remind passengers of this rule.
Talking - chatting to friends or fellow passengers is fine, but you may notice that on most French trains, conversations are conducted at a low volume.
The basic principle when travelling on France's SNCF train network is that you should avoid doing anything to unreasonably disturb your fellow passengers.
Being extremely loud - and refusing to pipe down when asked - could lead to a fine.
Eating and drinking - eating on French trains is totally fine; the high-speed TGV InOui services have a buffet car, but the budget Ouigo lines or the local TER services do not. Bringing your own food on board is completely normal. Alcohol is allowed on French trains, and wine and beer are sold in the buffet car. There is no limit to the amount of alcohol you can bring on board, but being drunk and lairy could earn you a fine for disturbing your fellow passengers.
Bikes - you can usually take your bike onto the train, although depending on the type of train you may need to book a space for it in advance.
Dogs - dogs are allowed on all French trains (they are not allowed on the Eurostar) but need their own ticket. Assistance dogs go free. Depending on the size of the dog, it may also need to wear a muzzle. Other pets such as cats are allowed but must be in a carrier.
Luggage - since 2024, passengers on the high-speed TGV services are limited to two large pieces of luggage per person, plus a smaller handbag/laptop bag/rucksack. Local TER services have no limits, but usually have quite limited luggage space.
Eurostar passengers are limited to two large pieces of luggage, there is no weight limit, but passengers must be able to carry their luggage themselves (and please know that if you are one of those people who block the aisle with your suitcase the size of a walk-in fridge, then your fellow passengers heartily dislike you).
Tickets - naturally you will need a ticket and in almost all cases that must be purchased in advance. Some local trains allow you to purchase tickets on board, but most do not.
Paris Metro
When it comes to the Paris public transport system, the rules are different, and some vary between the Metro, bus, tram or RER suburban trains.
Eating - not actually banned but not common and might earn you a stern look from your fellow passengers, who are likely to believe that food is something that should be savoured at a table, not stuffed down your face on the Metro. Littering is banned, so take any packaging away with you.
Smoking - obviously this is banned, as is vaping. In fact, smoking has been illegal on the Paris Metro since its launch in the 19th century, although in the early days this was because of the risk of fire, rather than the risk of passive smoking.
Drinking - drinking water is actively encouraged on hot days in order to avoid people fainting in soaring temperatures and causing stoppages on the line. Drinking alcohol is not banned, but being in a "state of manifest drunkenness" is.
Phones and music - unlike trains, listening to music or making calls without headphones is not explicitly banned, but passengers are encouraged to "adopt a moderate volume" for both conversation and phone use. You can be fined €60 for disrupting the "order and tranquillity" of the service or disturbing fellow passengers.
Luggage - there are size limits to what you can take on the Metro, whether that is luggage or something else. It's not completely unusual to see Parisians trying to take a wardrobe, a Christmas tree or a length of garden trellis onto the Metro, but the rules stipulate that items must be "no more than 2 m long, but measuring no more than 20 cm in other dimensions, provided you hold them vertically".
Dogs - when it comes to dogs, too, size matters. Dogs are allowed on the Metro without a ticket, but small ones must be carried in a closed bag or basket, and big dogs must be muzzled and on a lead.
Priority seats - you will see certain seats marked as 'priority seats' for certain groups, and these seats have a strict pecking order;
There are nine levels of priority passengers, and this is the order of importance.
1. War and military disabled
2. Blind civilians
3. Disabled workers
4. Disabled civilians who have trouble standing
5. Pregnant women
6. Persons with children under age 4
7. Disabled civilians who do not have trouble standing
8. Persons with a card stipulating that they have trouble standing
9. Seniors aged 75 and over
If you are in the fold-down seats next to the doors and the train becomes very busy, you should stand up to allow more space for standing passengers.
Bikes - Bicycles are generally not allowed on the Metro, except on Line 1 on Sundays and public holidays until 4:30pm. Taking them on the escalators is forbidden, so even if you decide to do this, you may have to carry it up quite a few stairs since not all stations have lifts. You can, however, bring a bike or an electric scooter on the metro as long as it is folded.
Praying - As a public place, laïcité rules (the view that religion should be exercised in private) apply on public transport. Praying on the Metro is therefore not allowed.
Tickets - of course, you need a ticket to ride. Paris has recently scrapped the zone system, so that now a single ticket will get you anywhere in the greater Paris region for the same price - with the exception of airports, where you still need to buy a special (and considerably more expensive) airport ticket.
You will see plenty of people leaping over the barriers at the entrance to the Metro, but fare-dodging is an art best left to the locals, and the Paris Metro police are merciless if they catch you travelling without a ticket.
Comments
Post a Comment