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Getting Around Paris
Paris is one of the easiest capital cities in the world to cross without a car, thanks to a dense, decades old network run mostly by a single operator. RATP operates the Métro, most buses and several tram lines, while regional trains fall under a mix of RATP and national operator SNCF, all coordinated by the regional authority Île-de-France Mobilités.
For most visitors staying within central Paris, the Métro is the fastest way to reach museums, monuments and neighbourhoods, with a station rarely more than a short walk away. Anyone heading further out, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Versailles or Disneyland Paris, will rely on the RER instead, since Métro lines do not reach that far.
The ticketing landscape has changed significantly through 2025 and 2026, with RATP phasing out paper tickets in favour of digital alternatives loaded onto phones or a reloadable Navigo Easy card. Longer stays and frequent travel are still best served by a Navigo Découverte weekly pass or a tourist-oriented Paris Visite pass, depending on how many days are involved.
None of this needs to feel complicated once the basic shape of the network is clear. Most single journeys cost a similar, modest amount whichever ticket type is used, and the right choice mostly comes down to trip length and how many days are being spent in the city.
This guide explains how the Métro, RER, buses and trams fit together, what has actually changed with tickets and contactless payment, and how the zone system affects the cost of getting to and from the airports.
Paris Public Transport at a Glance
Île-de-France Mobilités oversees the whole regional network, but day to day, most visitors deal with just four modes of transport. The table below summarises how each part of the system works before the rest of this guide goes into more detail.
| Mode | Operator | Where It Runs | Typical Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Métro | RATP | Central Paris, 16 lines | Every 2–4 minutes at peak |
| RER | RATP / SNCF (Transilien) | City and far suburbs, including CDG, Orly, Versailles and Disneyland Paris | Every 5–15 minutes, less on outer branches |
| Bus | RATP | City-wide by day, Noctilien network at night | Every 5–15 minutes on main routes |
| Tram | RATP | Mostly orbital and suburban routes | Every 5–10 minutes |
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Check dealsWho Runs Paris Public Transport?
Two names matter most here. RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) runs the Métro, most Paris buses, several tram lines and part of the RER.
SNCF, through its Transilien and RER divisions, operates the rest of the RER and the wider suburban rail network reaching well beyond the city limits. Both organisations answer to Île-de-France Mobilités, the regional authority that sets fares, zones and ticket rules across the whole system.
For a visitor, this division mostly stays invisible, since a single Navigo Easy card or t+ ticket works across RATP and SNCF-operated lines within Paris. The practical exception is long-distance regional trains such as TER and TGV, which sit outside this everyday ticketing system entirely.
RATP is one of the largest urban transport operators in Europe, carrying millions of passengers a day across a network that has been expanding for well over a century. The Métro opened in 1900 for the Paris World’s Fair, and new extensions, including the driverless Line 14 reaching further into the suburbs, are still being added today.
Knowing which operator runs a specific line rarely changes how a ticket works, but it does explain why service quality and modernisation can vary noticeably between lines. RATP-run Métro lines tend to have more frequent, newer trains, while some SNCF-operated RER branches further from the centre see older rolling stock and less frequent service, particularly outside peak hours.
How the Paris Métro Works
The Métro is Paris’ backbone, a network of 16 numbered lines running 1 to 14, with two short additional shuttle branches labelled 3bis and 7bis. Each line carries its own colour on the map, and directions are given by the name of the terminus station rather than compass points, so knowing where a line ends matters more than knowing which way is north.
Line 1 is the network’s spine, running east to west from La Défense through the Champs-Élysées, the Louvre and Bastille to Château de Vincennes, tying the business district to two of the city’s grand green spaces. Line 4 cuts north to south instead, linking Gare du Nord and Montparnasse on its way from Porte de Clignancourt to Bagneux, while the fully automated Line 14 now runs the length of the city from Saint-Ouen in the north to Orly Airport in the south, the only Métro line that reaches either Paris airport directly.
With 321 stations and 61 interchange points, a Métro station is rarely far away anywhere inside central Paris. Trains run roughly from 5:30am to around 1:15am, extending to about 2:15am on Friday, Saturday and the night before a public holiday.
Frequency is one of the network’s strongest points, with trains arriving every two to four minutes at peak times on most lines. The trade-off is that the Métro was built for a dense, compact city, so stops sit close together and it simply does not reach the airports or satellite towns that the RER covers instead.
Buying into the Métro means loading a Métro/RER/Train t+ ticket, priced at €2.55 (£2.19/$2.98), onto a reloadable Navigo Easy card, a smartphone or a smartwatch, since RATP has phased out paper tickets from its station machines. How to Buy a Ticket in Paris below covers every purchase channel in full, while a standard Métro-only journey itself needs just a single tap against the reader at the entrance gate, with no tap-out required unlike the RER covered next.
Navigating the network is largely intuitive once the terminus-name system clicks, though accessibility remains a genuine weak point, since only a small share of stations, mostly on Line 14 and a handful of others, have lifts or step-free access throughout. Interchanges at busy hubs like Châtelet-Les Halles or République can also involve a genuinely long walk between platforms, so building in a few extra minutes at a major interchange is sensible rather than optional.
RER: The Regional Express Network
The RER (Réseau Express Régional) is where the Paris network stops being a city metro and becomes a regional express railway. Five lines, labelled A to E, run faster trains with far greater distances between stops, letting them cover suburban and airport routes the Métro was never designed for.
This matters directly for visitors: RER B is the line to Charles de Gaulle Airport, RER C serves Versailles, and RER A runs out to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy, the stop for Disneyland Paris. Ownership is split between RATP, which runs the core of lines A and B, and SNCF, which operates C, D, E and the outer branches of A and B.
The other two lines matter more to commuters than sightseers, but they show how far the network reaches. RER D runs a long north-south spine from Orry-la-Ville and the Roissy area down through central Paris to Melun, while RER E, known as Eole, crosses the region east to west and was extended through the centre to La Défense in 2024, giving the business district a direct rail link it never had before.
Inside central Paris, RER stations often sit alongside Métro stations and can look similar on a map, which is where confusion usually creeps in. The key difference to remember is that an RER fare for a trip beyond zone 1 typically costs more than a standard Métro fare, since pricing follows the zone the destination sits in rather than a flat citywide rate.
Buying for the RER works differently depending on distance. A trip staying inside zone 1 uses the same €2.55 (£2.19/$2.98) Métro/RER/Train t+ ticket loaded onto a Navigo Easy card or a phone, while a journey out to Versailles, CDG or Disneyland Paris needs a separate zone-priced ticket or the flat-fare Paris Region <> Airports ticket instead.
The mechanics differ from the Métro too, since a journey beyond zone 1 requires tapping in at the start and tapping out again at the destination through the same style of ticket gate, letting the barrier work out the correct zone-based fare as the trip ends. How to Validate a Ticket in Paris below covers this tap-out step in full, since it is one of the most common mistakes visitors make on the RER.
RER trains also run express patterns on the busiest lines, skipping smaller stations during peak periods to save time on longer journeys. Seat reservations are never required, but carriages can get genuinely crowded at rush hour, so travelling just outside peak times makes for a noticeably more comfortable ride to the airport or Versailles.
The Best Stations for Changing Lines in Paris
Four stations do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to changing lines or arriving in the city by rail, and knowing which is which saves a lot of backtracking. Each one specialises in a different kind of journey, from crossing the city on the Métro to catching a long-distance train out to the Alps.
Châtelet-Les Halles is the largest underground station in the world and the single busiest interchange in the network, linking Métro lines 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14 with RER A, B and D. Anyone basing themselves centrally, near the Louvre, Notre-Dame or Les Halles, will likely pass through it at some point, since it sits almost dead centre of the historic core.
Gare du Nord is the arrival point for Eurostar services from London and the former Thalys routes to Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne, both now run under the same combined Eurostar network. It also carries RER B, the line out to Charles de Gaulle Airport, plus RER D and RER E via a short walk to Magenta, making it the natural first stop for anyone arriving from abroad and heading straight on to CDG.
Gare de Lyon is Paris’ gateway to the south, with TGV services running to Lyon, Marseille and the Alps, and onward into Switzerland and Italy. RER A and D both call here, and Métro line 14 gives a direct run out to Orly Airport, so it doubles as a useful interchange for anyone combining a long-distance train with an airport transfer.
Nation, on the eastern edge of the centre, brings together Métro lines 1, 2, 6 and 9 with RER A, and is a genuinely useful place to switch between four Métro lines away from Châtelet’s crowds. It sits close to the Bois de Vincennes, so it also works well as a reference point for anyone based in the quieter 11th or 12th arrondissements.
| Station | Key Lines | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Châtelet-Les Halles | Métro 1, 4, 7, 11, 14; RER A, B, D | Reaching the historic core; changing between almost any line |
| Gare du Nord | Métro 4, 5; RER B, D, E; Eurostar | Arriving from London, Brussels or Amsterdam; RER B to CDG |
| Gare de Lyon | Métro 1, 14; RER A, D; TGV | Long-distance trains south; Métro 14 to Orly |
| Nation | Métro 1, 2, 6, 9; RER A | Quieter interchange for eastern Paris and the Bois de Vincennes |
Paris Buses
RATP’s bus network is the least glamorous part of the system but often the most useful for short hops that would mean an awkward change on the Métro. The network runs more than 350 daytime routes across Paris and its suburbs, of which around 65 operate mainly within the city itself, and a separate, slightly cheaper Bus/Tram ticket tier covers all of them rather than the Métro/RER fare.
A few routes are genuinely worth knowing by number rather than just hopping on whatever arrives. Line 72 tracks the Seine from the Hôtel de Ville past the Eiffel Tower out to Saint-Cloud, Line 69 crosses town from the Eiffel Tower past the Louvre and the Marais to Père Lachaise cemetery, and Line 38 links Gare du Nord to the Luxembourg Gardens and on to Porte d’Orléans.
Buses are also one of the better ways to actually see the city while travelling, which is what makes routes like these popular with visitors as an informal sightseeing option. Digital displays at most stops now show real-time arrivals, and the Bonjour RATP app covers live tracking across the whole network.
The trade-off against the Métro is speed, since surface traffic means bus journeys can take noticeably longer than the equivalent underground route. Buses work best, then, for shorter trips or journeys where changing Métro lines would otherwise cost more time than it saves.
Boarding used to mean buying a ticket from the driver, but that option ended when RATP phased out onboard and paper sales through 2025, so a ticket now needs to be ready before stepping on. That means a Navigo Easy card loaded in advance, then tapped once against the reader by the driver’s cab, or a contactless bank card tapped directly for a flat €2.50 (£2.15/$2.93) fare with no transfer included, with How to Buy a Ticket in Paris below covering every place to load a card ahead of time.
Night bus route numbers all start with an N, distinguishing them at a glance from the daytime network. RATP has also been gradually replacing older diesel buses with electric models on several central routes, part of a wider fleet renewal running through the late 2020s.
Paris Trams: A Smaller, Orbital Network
It is easy to assume Paris has a tram network on the scale of a city like Amsterdam or Brussels, but that is not the case. The Île-de-France tram system currently runs 15 lines, numbered T1 to T14 with a T3b branch, and with the exception of a couple of short stretches, almost none of it passes through the historic centre of Paris.
Lines T3a and T3b form a loop around the southern and eastern edge of the city, following the old boulevard des Maréchaux, while T2 runs a separate route from La Défense along the western edge of the city to Porte de Versailles. Most of the remaining lines simply connect suburbs to each other or to RER and Métro stations without ever reaching the centre at all, which makes the tram largely irrelevant for a typical sightseeing itinerary built around the Louvre, Notre-Dame or Montmartre.
Where trams do earn their place is on cross-suburb journeys that would otherwise mean travelling into central Paris and back out again. Visitors staying near La Défense, Saint-Denis or the southern suburbs are the ones most likely to actually use one.
Two or three lines do brush the edge of central Paris rather than avoiding it completely. T3a runs along the southern boulevards from Pont du Garigliano to Porte de Vincennes, passing close to the Parc Montsouris and the Cité Internationale Universitaire, making it a genuinely pleasant way to see a less touristy slice of the city from a tram window.
Tickets follow the bus fare, not the Métro one: the same €2.05 (£1.76/$2.40) Bus/Tram t+ ticket and Navigo passes cover every tram line, priced lower than the Métro/RER tier despite a tram often feeling like an overground Métro. Since trams have no ticket gates, a ticket or pass has to be tapped at a validator post on the platform before boarding, and it is easy to forget this step precisely because nothing physically blocks the way on, as How to Validate a Ticket in Paris below explains further.
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View transfersHow to Buy a Ticket in Paris
Every ticket in this guide, from a single t+ ticket for the Métro to a weekly Navigo Découverte pass, has to be bought or loaded through one of a handful of official channels now that RATP has phased out paper sales. Station ticket machines remain the most obvious starting point, accepting cash and card, and sell t+ tickets, Navigo Easy top-ups and Paris Visite passes side by side.
The Île-de-France Mobilités app does the same job from a phone, storing digital t+ tickets and topping up a Navigo Easy or Navigo Découverte balance without a trip to a station at all. RATP-approved tabac shops and newsagents across the city sell Navigo Easy cards and top-ups too, which is genuinely useful outside station opening hours or when a machine is out of order.
A staffed ticket window is still worth seeking out for anything that needs a human touch, chiefly registering a personalised Navigo Découverte card with a passport photo on arrival. Most central stations keep at least one window open during the day, though smaller suburban stations may not.
Since November 2025, Paris buses have accepted a contactless bank card tapped directly at the reader, with no ticket purchase needed at all, and the same option is now spreading to the Métro and RER, starting with the Orly airport line, Métro line 14 and the Montmartre funicular. Coverage is rolling out gradually with a small surcharge over standard fares, so it works best as a backup for a forgotten ticket, as Contactless Bank Card Payment below explains in full.
| Channel | What It Sells | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Station ticket machine | t+ tickets, Navigo Easy top-ups, Paris Visite | Any visitor, cash or card |
| Île-de-France Mobilités app | Digital t+ tickets, Navigo Easy/Découverte top-ups | Phone-based travellers |
| RATP-approved tabac/newsagent | Navigo Easy cards and top-ups | Outside station hours |
| Staffed ticket window | Navigo Découverte registration, passes | First-time Navigo Découverte signup |
| Contactless bank card | Direct tap, no ticket needed | Emergency backup, rolling out mode by mode |
Which ticket actually makes sense depends on the trip itself: a t+ ticket loaded onto Navigo Easy suits short stays, while Navigo Découverte and Paris Visite passes suit longer or more intensive sightseeing, each covered in full further down this guide.
How to Validate a Ticket in Paris
Validating a ticket in Paris works differently by mode, and getting it wrong is an easy way to end up with an invalid fare despite paying for one. On the Métro, every station has staffed, barrier-gated entry, so a single tap of a Navigo Easy card, phone or contactless bank card against the reader at the gate is all that is needed, with no tap-out required anywhere on the network.
The RER starts the same way, tapping in at a barrier-gated entrance, but a trip beyond zone 1 also needs a tap-out at the destination through an exit validator, which lets the system work out the correct zone-based fare as the journey ends. This is a genuinely common mistake for visitors heading to CDG, Versailles or Disneyland Paris, since forgetting to tap out can trigger a maximum-fare charge instead of the fare actually owed.
Buses work in reverse, since there are no gates at all, so a ticket, Navigo Easy card or contactless bank card has to be tapped against the small validator by the driver’s cab every time, even with a ticket already bought and loaded. Skipping this step because a ticket is technically already paid for is a genuine trap, since an unvalidated ticket counts as no ticket at all if an inspector boards.
Trams follow the same logic as buses, with a platform validator post standing in for a gate before boarding rather than anything checked once aboard. It is worth glancing for one on the platform specifically, since nothing physically blocks the way onto a tram the way a Métro barrier does.
Paris genuinely mixes gated and open validation across one system rather than using a single method throughout, so the mechanics matter more here than on many networks. Checking which pattern applies before the first ride of the day avoids most of the fare problems visitors actually run into.
Contactless Bank Card Payment
Paris has been rolling out open-loop contactless payment gradually rather than all at once, and it currently works differently depending on the mode of transport. Buses have accepted a tap-to-pay contactless bank card since November 2025, charging a flat €2.50 (£2.15/$2.93) per journey with no transfers included, aimed squarely at occasional riders without a ticket to hand.
The Métro and RER have been slower to follow. The RER B link to Orly, Métro line 14 and the Montmartre funicular gained contactless readers from 30 June 2026, with the wider network following in stages through 2027 and 2028 before full coverage is expected by 2030.
Where contactless is available on rail, it comes at a premium of roughly €0.80 (£0.69/$0.94) above the standard fare and, like the bus version, does not include transfers. It is best treated as a backup for a forgotten ticket rather than a primary way to pay, since a Navigo Easy card works out cheaper on almost every journey.
Apple Wallet and Google Wallet already offer a more integrated alternative for phone users, since a Navigo pass or Navigo Easy card loaded into either wallet can be tapped directly at a gate without unlocking the phone or opening an app. This Express Transit-style setup has worked in Paris since 2019, well before contactless bank cards arrived, and remains the smoothest option for anyone comfortable managing tickets digitally rather than carrying a physical card.
Paris Public Transport Ticket Prices
Prices below reflect standard fares confirmed for 2026, but always check the official RATP fares page before travelling, since Île-de-France Mobilités adjusts rates periodically. Reduced fares, shown in brackets, generally apply to children aged four to nine.
| Ticket / Pass | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| t+ Métro/RER/Train ticket | €2.55 (£2.19/$2.98), reduced €1.30 (£1.12/$1.52) | Single journey across Métro, RER and suburban train lines within Paris, transfers included |
| t+ Bus/Tram ticket | €2.05 (£1.76/$2.40), reduced €1.05 (£0.90/$1.23) | Single bus or tram journey, priced separately from the Métro/RER ticket |
| Contactless bank card (bus) | €2.50 (£2.15/$2.93) per journey | Emergency backup on buses only, no transfers included |
| Navigo Easy card | Around €2 (£1.72/$2.34), one-off, reloadable | Holding any of the tickets or passes below; the default option for most visitors |
| Navigo Découverte, weekly | Around €32.40 (£27.86/$37.91), all zones | Unlimited travel Monday to Sunday on stays of four days or more |
| Navigo, monthly | Around €90.80 (£78.09/$106.24), all zones | Extended stays or short-term relocation |
| Paris Visite, one day | Around €30.60 (£26.32/$35.80), zones 1 to 5 | A single busy sightseeing day with a flexible start time |
| Paris Visite, five days | Around €78 (£67.08/$91.26), zones 1 to 5 | A week-long trip combining city sightseeing and airport travel |
| Paris Region <> Airports ticket | €14 (£12.04/$16.38), reduced €7 (£6.02/$8.19) | Flat-fare single trip to or from CDG or Orly, regardless of zone |
Zones Explained: Why They Matter for Airport Travel
Île-de-France is divided into five fare zones, with zone 1 covering central Paris and the numbers rising as the zones spread further into the suburbs. Most sightseeing happens entirely within zone 1, which is why a Navigo Découverte or monthly pass restricted to zones 1 to 2 is enough for many city breaks.
The airports sit well outside that comfort zone. Charles de Gaulle sits in zone 5 and Orly in zone 4, so a pass limited to zones 1 to 2 will not cover the journey, and an add-on or separate ticket is needed.
This is exactly what the flat-fare Paris Region <> Airports ticket was introduced to simplify, letting anyone pay one set price to CDG or Orly regardless of which zone they started in. Visitors who already hold an all-zone Navigo pass, covering zones 1 to 5, do not need this extra ticket at all, since airport travel is already included.
Ticket inspections happen regularly on both the Métro and RER, including on platforms well before any train arrives, and travelling in a zone your ticket does not cover risks an on-the-spot fine that runs into several times the price of the correct fare. Checking a journey planner’s zone breakdown before setting off, rather than assuming a central-Paris pass stretches further than it does, is the simplest way to avoid an unwelcome surprise at Roissy or Orly.
Navigo Easy: The Card Most Visitors Need
Navigo Easy is a reloadable plastic card that costs around €2 (£1.72/$2.34) to buy and can hold single t+ tickets, day passes and the airport ticket, all at the same time. It has become the default recommendation for short trips since RATP stopped selling paper tickets at machines and on board buses in late 2025.
Unlike the personalised Navigo Découverte card, Navigo Easy is anonymous and can be shared between two or more travellers, as long as they tap in one at a time rather than travelling together on a single tap. Topping it up is done through station machines, the Bonjour RATP app or the Île-de-France Mobilités app.
For anyone staying only a few days and not planning to buy a weekly or monthly pass, Navigo Easy loaded with several t+ tickets is generally the simplest and cheapest way to get around.
The card itself is separate from the tickets loaded onto it, so losing a nearly-empty Navigo Easy only costs the small purchase price rather than whatever balance a Navigo Découverte or monthly pass might have held. It also works fine for a single visitor who simply wants to avoid queuing at a ticket machine every time a new t+ ticket is needed, since ten can be loaded onto the card in one transaction and used across the whole stay.
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Store your bagsNavigo Découverte and Longer Stays
Navigo Découverte is the personalised card behind the weekly Navigo pass, requiring a passport photo and, for visitors, a short registration step at a station counter or via the app. Once issued, it can be loaded with a weekly pass running Monday to Sunday, priced at around €32.40 (£27.86/$37.91) for all zones.
Because the week runs on a fixed calendar rather than from the day of purchase, buying it on a Wednesday still only covers travel through the following Sunday, which is worth factoring into the timing of a trip. A monthly version also exists, priced around €90.80 (£78.09/$106.24) for all zones, better suited to stays of several weeks.
This option makes most sense for trips of four days or longer that fall neatly within a single Monday to Sunday week. Shorter or oddly timed visits rarely get full value from it.
The registration step is quick but does need a passport-style photo, either uploaded through the app in advance or taken at a station photo booth on arrival, so having a digital photo ready before landing saves a stop at the counter. Losing the physical card is more of a problem than losing a Navigo Easy, since it is personalised and linked to a specific traveller, though a replacement can usually be issued at a staffed station ticket office with proof of identity.
Paris Visite: Is It Worth It?
Paris Visite is the tourist-oriented alternative to Navigo, sold as consecutive-day passes rather than a fixed calendar week, and available regardless of how long a visitor is staying. A one-day pass covering zones 1 to 5 costs around €30.60 (£26.32/$35.80), rising to roughly €78 (£67.08/$91.26) for five days.
Its main advantage over Navigo Découverte is flexibility, since the days start ticking from first use rather than being tied to a Monday start. It also comes with small discounts at some museums and attractions, though these are rarely significant enough to be the deciding factor.
For most visitors staying more than a couple of days, a Navigo Easy card topped up with individual tickets or day passes works out cheaper than Paris Visite. It remains worth considering mainly for very short trips built around airport-to-airport travel, or simply for the convenience of one pass covering everything.
The museum and attraction discounts attached to Paris Visite are worth checking in advance rather than assumed, since the list changes periodically and typically covers a modest handful of sites rather than anything close to the major museums most visitors prioritise. Paris Visite also comes in a two-day and three-day option alongside the one and five-day passes, giving a bit more granularity than Navigo Découverte’s fixed weekly block for a trip that does not neatly fit a Monday-to-Sunday pattern.
Night Transport: Noctilien
The Métro does not run all night, closing at roughly 1:15am (2:15am at weekends), and this is where Noctilien, the RATP night bus network, takes over. It runs from around 12:30am to 5:30am, covering a far wider area than the daytime bus network, with routes fanning out from central hubs like Châtelet, Gare de Lyon and Gare Saint-Lazare.
Frequency is noticeably lower than during the day, with buses arriving roughly every 20 to 30 minutes on the busiest routes and closer to hourly on quieter ones late at night. The same t+ tickets and Navigo passes used during the day remain valid on Noctilien, so there is no separate night fare to plan for.
For visitors out late, especially near Gare de Lyon after a night out, checking the relevant Noctilien route in advance saves standing at an unfamiliar stop wondering whether a bus is still coming.
Noctilien lines are numbered with an N prefix and split into two patterns, with some routes running radially out from central Paris to the suburbs and others, like the N01 and N02, looping around the city centre itself connecting the main-line stations. Taxis and ride-hailing apps remain the more reliable option for a very late return from somewhere off the main Noctilien routes, since a wait for a connecting night bus can occasionally run past 30 minutes on the least frequent lines.
Common Paris Public Transport Mistakes
The most common mistake is assuming one ticket type covers everything, when in fact a Métro/RER ticket and a bus/tram ticket are priced and sold separately. Buying the wrong one at a machine, or assuming a bus ticket works on the Métro, is an easy way to end up without a valid fare.
Another frequent trip-up is airport travel: a standard Navigo pass restricted to zones 1 to 2 will not cover CDG or Orly without an add-on or separate ticket. Visitors who bought a cheaper, zone-limited pass are sometimes surprised at the barrier.
Finally, travellers used to paper tickets from a previous trip should note that RATP has largely stopped selling them. Arriving without a smartphone or a Navigo Easy card already loaded can mean extra time spent at a machine before the first journey even starts.
A less obvious mistake is tapping in without tapping out on the parts of the network that require it, since a handful of RER and Transilien stations at the edge of the zones use exit validators to calculate the correct zone-based fare. Forgetting to tap out can trigger a maximum fare charge or, on a pay-as-you-go contactless card, a higher automatic deduction than the journey actually cost, so it is worth glancing for a validator on the way out of any RER station beyond the very centre.
Apps for Getting Around Paris
Two official apps cover almost everything a visitor needs, and downloading one before landing saves time at a ticket machine on day one. Île-de-France Mobilités is the regional transport authority’s own app, and it plans journeys across the Métro, RER, bus, tram and Transilien network while also selling, storing and validating digital tickets and Navigo passes directly on a phone.
It is the app to use for anyone buying a weekly Navigo Découverte or monthly pass, since it handles registration, top-ups and the full ticket range together. Bonjour RATP, RATP’s own separate app, covers similar ground, planning, live tracking and digital tickets, but is best known for a route planner that actively suggests less crowded alternatives during engineering works.
Both apps support Apple Wallet and Google Wallet for iPhone and Android users who would rather tap a pass at the gate than open an app each time, a setup that has worked reliably in Paris since 2019. Loading a Navigo pass or Navigo Easy balance into a phone’s wallet once means it works at every gate exactly like a physical card, without needing a data connection at the barrier.
Citymapper remains a strong third option, particularly for visitors who already use it elsewhere, since it layers walking directions, live disruption alerts and crowding estimates across every mode in a single view. It does not sell official Île-de-France Mobilités tickets, so it works best paired with a Navigo Easy card or one of the two official apps rather than as a sole replacement for either.
Rupert’s Handy Travel Tips
Paris’ transport system rewards a little preparation, and getting the right ticket type sorted before you set off saves a surprising amount of hassle. Here’s what I’d tell any traveller before their first ride on the Métro or RER.
- Load a Navigo Easy card with a couple of t+ tickets before your first journey rather than queuing at a machine mid-trip.
- Remember the Métro/RER ticket and the bus/tram ticket are different products, so keep at least one of each loaded if your day mixes both.
- Check whether your Navigo pass actually covers zones 4 and 5 before relying on it for a CDG or Orly trip.
- Download the Bonjour RATP or Île-de-France Mobilités app before you land, since paper tickets are no longer sold at most machines.
- If you’re out late, look up your Noctilien route in advance rather than guessing at the stop after midnight.
- Contactless bank card payment is a handy backup on buses, but it costs more than a normal ticket and doesn’t include transfers.
Want to meet the reindeer behind our travel tips? Find out more in our page Who is Rupert?.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does one ticket work on the Métro, RER and bus in Paris?
Not exactly. A Métro/RER/train t+ ticket and a bus/tram t+ ticket are separate products at different prices, though both fit onto the same Navigo Easy card.
Can I still buy paper Métro tickets in Paris?
Barely. RATP stopped selling paper tickets at machines and on buses in late 2025, and remaining paper tickets stay valid only until 15 December 2026 on the Métro.
What is the difference between the Métro and the RER?
The Métro is a dense city network with closely spaced stops, while the RER is a faster regional railway with fewer stops that reaches CDG Airport, Versailles and Disneyland Paris.
Do Paris buses and the Métro accept contactless bank card payment?
Buses have accepted contactless payment since November 2025. The Métro and RER are being upgraded gradually from mid-2026, starting with the Orly airport line, with a small surcharge applied on rail.
Which is cheaper for a short trip, Navigo Easy or Paris Visite?
For most short stays, a Navigo Easy card topped up with individual tickets works out cheaper than Paris Visite, which is priced more for flexibility than raw value.
Do I need a special ticket to get to Charles de Gaulle or Orly?
Yes, unless you already hold an all-zone Navigo pass. Otherwise, the flat-fare Paris Region <> Airports ticket or an appropriately zoned Navigo Découverte pass is needed.
How late does the Paris Métro run?
Trains generally run until around 1:15am, extending to about 2:15am on Friday and Saturday nights. The Noctilien night bus network takes over once the Métro closes.
Are Paris trams useful for sightseeing?
Rarely. Almost the whole tram network runs around the suburbs and the outer edge of the city rather than through the historic centre.
Further Reading
Planning a trip that pairs central Paris with a day at the theme park? Our Disneyland Paris Guide covers tickets, both parks and prices for the same RER A journey out to Marne-la-Vallée covered above. It is a natural next read once the zone system and ticket types here make sense.
The RER and Transilien lines covered in this guide are also the backbone of getting beyond the city altogether. Our Paris Day Trips guide compares eleven destinations reachable on these same lines, from a direct RER C ride to Versailles to a longer TGV journey out to Reims.
Arriving by train from London rather than flying in? Our Eurostar Trains Guide covers routes, tickets and travel tips for the journey into Gare du Nord. It is worth reading before your first ride on the Métro or RER, since Gare du Nord is also where RER B departs for Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Comparing how other European capitals handle their own networks can also be useful context. Our guides to Brussels Public Transport and Getting Around Amsterdam cover metro, tram and ticketing in two other major cities. Both make a useful comparison for anyone combining Paris with a wider European trip.
