There are changes ahead for the infamously conservative Parisian RATP. On July 1, the price of a single trip metro ticket will increase from €1.40 to €1.50.

Some slight improvements will come with this price hike. Metro tickets will be valid for an hour and a half after purchase, enabling passengers to transfer between buses and trams. (Transfering from buses or trams to the metro, however, will not be an option.)

Popularity: 9% [?]

Photo by Kaymaria Daskarolis

Athens is one of the most walkable large cities in Europe.

Today, the city offers many well-organized, clean, safe transportation options. If you don’t want to walk or drive, you can take the bus, trolley, tram, suburban railway, electric railway, or metro.

If you do not want to have to worry about buying individual tickets each time you use some form of public transportation—let alone worry about figuring out how much you are supposed to pay for each form (€.40, €.50, €.60, or €.80 per ticket—consider buying a pass that gives you access to all forms of public transportation.

A one-day pass costs €3, a weekly pass runs €10, and a monthly pass tops out at €38. Note that a passport-sized photo is required for purchase of a monthly pass.

Also good to know: Children aged six and under ride free on all modes of public transport in Athens.

Once you validate a daily, weekly, or monthly ticket, you won’t need to validate it again. Don’t forget to validate your ticket. If you run into a patrolling inspector without a valid ticket, you will be fined 60 times the cost of the ticket.

Popularity: 5% [?]

photograph courtesy of hereiskaty

If you were in the dark about London’s transport system before—paying a ridiculous 4 quid (€5,90; $7.70) for a single journey on the Tube—you needn’t be anymore. Last week we highlighted London’s love affair with the Oyster card.

To simplify things for short-term visitors, there are also two Oyster cards specifically intended for tourists—a one-day card and a three-day card. The Oyster card for Visitors gives cardholders nearly 50% off all cash fares around London on tube, tram, bus, and Docklands Light Railway. Although you have to register your details to get an Oyster card—this part is too Big Brother for us; we suggest you register as “John Doe” if you don’t want Transport for London knowing your every move—it’s worth it for the savings.

With an Oyster card, you’ll pay £1 for bus fares and between £2 and £2.20 for Tube rides, a fraction of what you’d otherwise spend. The beauty of it is you can now snag an Oyster card for Visitors before you even get into London. A new partnership with Gatwick Express allows visitors to buy cards on the train from Gatwick on your way into town. For more information, poke around the Transport for London site.

Popularity: 8% [?]

photograph courtesy of Kaymaria Daskarolis

It is impossible to forget that Greece is the birthplace of democracy. Modern Greeks practice their right to assemble and voice their opinions in an organized—but, it must be said, not necessarily orderly—fashion on a regular basis.

Yesterday (February 14, 2007), three protests were held in Athens at mid-day. Two of these took as their subject education reforms. All three protests had the effect of shutting down roads in central Athens.

Today, February 15, Athens metro workers went on strike from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. By 11.45 a.m., metro services had shut down.

Protests, rallies, and strikes are literally a near-daily expression of democracy in Greece; without question, they have a disruptive effect. Given their sheer frequency, however, it becomes reasonable to question how well they achieve their protagonists’ aims.

Popularity: 3% [?]

On Tuesday morning, a new freebie daily paper appeared on the streets of Paris and throughout France. “Matin Plus” debuted with a mission to be “informative and neutral,” and free.

The new 28 page daily joins an increasingly crowded rack of free morning papers, including “20 Minutes” and “Metro.” “Matin Plus” is partially owned by “Le Monde,” whose editorial staff will contribute four to five pages to the free paper every morning.

Meanwhile, the union of newsstand owners is urging a boycott against “Le Monde” for introducing the free paper.

A delegate of the union stated in an interview on French TV channel TF1, “If tomorrow, there are only free newspapers on the sidewalks of Paris, what will people buy?”

Let them buy cake?

Popularity: 2% [?]