Châtelet–Les Halles station in the context of "Paris métro"

The Paris Métro, short for Métropolitain, is a rapid transit system serving the Paris metropolitan area in France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, as well as its uniform architecture and historical entrances influenced by Art Nouveau. The system is 245.6 kilometres (152.6 mi) long, mostly underground, as well as its 321 stations of which 61 allow the riders to transfer between the sixteen lines (with an additional four under construction and one in project), all numbered 1 to 14, with two extra branches, 3bis and 7bis, named such as they are former parts of Lines 3 and 7 respectively. Three of these lines (1, 4 and 14) are fully automated, and the additional four are also planned as such. Lines are identified on maps by an individual number and an associated specific colour, all part of an official palette, with the traveling direction indicated by the terminus, the last stop on each line. All trains travel from one end of the line to the other, serving every station along the way. The Paris Métro is operated by the Régie autonome des transports parisiens (RATP), which also operates part of the RER (commuter standard train) network, most of the Francilian light rail lines and many bus routes around and within Paris itself.

It is the second-busiest metro system in Europe, as well as the twelfth-busiest in the world. It carried 1.476 billion passengers in 2024, roughly 4.04 million passengers a day, which makes it the most used public transport system in Paris. It is one of the densest metro systems in the world, with 244 stations within the 105.4 km (41 sq mi) of the City of Paris. Châtelet–Les Halles, with five Métro and three RER commuter rail lines, is one of the world's largest metro stations. The system generally has poor accessibility due to its old age (established 125 years ago) and because most of the current infrastructure was built before accessibility standards emerged, with few stations retrofitted since. On the flip side, all new infrastructure and rolling stock meets current accessiblity standards, including extensions of historic lines.

Châtelet station (French pronunciation: [ʃɑtlɛ]) is a station of the Paris Métro and Île-de-France's RER commuter rail service, located in the centre of medieval Paris, on the border between the 1st and 4th arrondissements. It serves RER A, B and D, as well as lines 1, 4, 7, 11, and 14 of the Paris Métro; it is the southern terminus of Line 11. The station is made up of two parts connected by a long corridor: lines 7 and 11 under the Place du Châtelet and the Quai de Gesvre (site of the original medieval river port of Paris), next to the Seine; lines 1, 4 and 14 towards Rue Saint-Denis and the Rue de Rivoli.

Châtelet is connected by another long underground corridor to the southern end of the RER platforms at Châtelet–Les Halles, the northern end of which is again connected to the métro station Les Halles. The distance from Line 7 at Châtelet to the RER lines at Châtelet–Les Halles is approximately 750 metres (2,460 ft). It is the ninth-busiest station on the métro system.