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Key figures

Origin and history

Saint-Michel station, served by line 4 of the Paris metro, is located under the eponymous square, on horseback between the 5th and 6th arrondissements. Inaugurated in 1910 at the junction of the central section of Line 4 — originally split between Raspail and Châtelet — its construction was delayed by the technical challenges posed by the underground crossing of the arms of the Seine near the island of La Cité. The station was built on the surface as a metal box and then buried in muddy soil. His name pays tribute to Place and Boulevard Saint-Michel, a major axis of the Latin Quarter.

In the 1970s, the quays of Saint-Michel were renovated in the "Andreu-Motte" style, characterized by bright orange ramps, flat tiles and similar-tone seats. The metal caissons of the stairs, initially white, were painted in blue in 2008. In 2017, the orange decoration was removed to modernize the station as part of the automation of line 4, including the upgrading of the docks and the installation of pallet doors between August and September 2020. The station, deep and structured in three concrete steel casings, has a 12.5 metre high elliptical vault.

Saint-Michel is a major transportation node, served by several bus lines (including the Tootbus tourist line) and offering a connection to the RER line C via Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame station. The latter also allows connections to RER B and line 10. Close to iconic sites such as Notre-Dame Cathedral, Saint-Michel Fountain or the islands of La Cité and Saint-Louis, the resort attracts a significant number of visitors: 6.3 million travellers in 2019 (55th rank), falling to 2.5 million in 2020 (85th rank) due to the health crisis, before a partial recovery in 2021 with 3.7 million admissions (65th rank).

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