The stand-right convention exists as a social norm in Paris's transit network, and most commuters in busy stations like Châtelet-Les Halles or Gare du Nord will gravitate toward it during rush hour. However, outside peak times, in smaller cities, or among tourists, the convention is frequently ignored without any social friction. Paris's RATP transit authority has actually experimented with asking passengers to stand on both sides during certain trials, arguing that 'walk left' lanes reduce overall escalator capacity. So the norm is real but soft — don't expect it to be policed or universally followed.
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Get the France bundle →During busy commuting hours in a major station, you may get a pointed look or a quiet 'excusez-moi' if you are blocking the left side. Outside rush hour the reaction is generally indifferent. A polite step to the right resolves any tension immediately.
The stand-right norm is weakest outside Paris — in Lyon, Marseille, and other French cities it exists even more loosely, if at all. Transit networks in those cities are less intensely used, so informal queuing norms around escalators are less established.
Moving walkways, such as those at Charles de Gaulle Airport or in large mainline train stations, broadly follow the same informal stand-right convention, though again it is inconsistently observed. Keeping right is a reasonable default that won't cause confusion anywhere in France.