Paris has made its transit fares easier to understand, but you still need to match your ticket to your journey. To navigate Paris Metro ticket types, first decide whether you are traveling on the Metro, RER, bus or tram, and whether your trip includes either airport.
Paris Transit Essentials 2026
Time to choose and buy: Allow 10 to 15 minutes at a larger Metro or RER station, especially on arrival.
Closed days: None. The Paris Metro, RER, buses and trams run every day, although schedules are reduced on some public holidays and late at night.
Dress code: None.
Nearest Metro stop: Not applicable. Buy tickets at any Metro or RER station with ticket machines or staffed sales points.
What to arrange ahead: If you are arriving at Charles de Gaulle or Orly with a group, decide before landing whether you need an airport journey only or several days of unlimited travel. Keep a contactless payment card available, but do not assume every visitor’s phone wallet will work with every transit feature.
The system is run by Île-de-France Mobilités, with Metro and RER operations largely handled by RATP and SNCF. Station machines can be switched to English, and they show the ticket options before payment. Do not buy transport tickets from people approaching you in station corridors. Use official machines, staffed counters, or the official transit apps.
The Two Tickets Most Visitors Need
For most independent visitors, the choice is between the Metro-Train-RER ticket and the Bus-Tram ticket.
The Metro-Train-RER ticket is for travel on the Paris Metro, RER trains within the regular regional network, suburban trains, and the Montmartre funicular. It replaced the old zone-based thinking for many everyday journeys. One ticket covers a continuous trip across these rail services, including transfers, as long as you follow the ticket’s time limit and do not leave the paid area.
This is the ticket for journeys such as the Louvre to Montmartre, Saint-Germain-des-Prés to the Eiffel Tower, or Gare du Nord to the Latin Quarter. You can transfer between Metro lines and, where needed, between Metro and RER without buying another rail ticket.
The Bus-Tram ticket is separate. Use it on Paris buses and trams, with transfers between eligible buses and trams during its validity period. It does not cover a transfer onto the Metro or RER. If you ride a bus to a Metro station and continue underground, you need one ticket type for the bus and another for the rail journey.
That distinction prevents one of the most common visitor mistakes: assuming a ticket used on a bus will also open the Metro gates. It will not.
Airport Tickets and Airport Transfers
Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport require their own airport ticket for rail travel. A standard Metro-Train-RER ticket does not cover airport journeys.
From Charles de Gaulle Airport, the usual rail route is RER B. Follow signs for “Paris by Train” and then RER B, not signs for taxis or private transfers unless that is your plan. The RER station is connected to Terminal 2, while travelers at Terminal 1 use the airport shuttle to reach the train station. The rail trip to central Paris usually takes around 35 to 50 minutes, depending on your destination and service conditions.
From Orly Airport, Metro Line 14 is often the most straightforward route into central Paris. Orlyval and RER connections are also available, but Line 14 is especially useful for destinations around Châtelet, Pyramides, Saint-Lazare, and Gare de Lyon. Allow about 25 to 40 minutes to central Paris, including the walk through the airport.
Buy the dedicated airport ticket before entering the rail gates. If you have an unlimited pass, check its conditions before relying on it for an airport ride. Some passes include airport access, while others do not.
Navigo Easy for Short Stays
For a short visit with a handful of Metro rides, a Navigo Easy card is usually the clearest physical option. It is a reloadable contactless card that can hold individual Metro-Train-RER tickets and Bus-Tram tickets.
Each traveler needs their own card or their own compatible phone setup. Do not expect one physical card to carry a whole family through the gates at once. Every person must validate separately.
A Navigo Easy card is practical if you prefer not to manage paper tickets, want to load several rides at one time, or expect to mix buses and the Metro. Keep it until the end of the trip. You may need to validate again when leaving certain RER stations, and a card with no valid ticket will not open the exit gate.
If you use a phone for tickets, make sure your battery has enough charge before entering the system. A dead phone is not a valid ticket. For travelers who rely on a phone for maps, museum reservations, and banking, a physical card can be the less stressful backup.
Weekly Passes and Visitor Passes
Unlimited passes make sense only when your travel pattern justifies them. They are convenient, not automatically cheaper.
The Navigo weekly pass is designed for intensive travel and generally runs on a Monday-through-Sunday calendar week. This creates an important trade-off: if you arrive on Thursday for a long weekend, a weekly pass may give you only a few useful days. If you arrive Monday and plan to cross Paris repeatedly, including airport travel where covered, it can be a strong option.
The standard weekly pass is loaded onto a Navigo Découverte card, which requires a small identity photo. Bring a passport-style photo if you plan to buy one. The card is personal and should not be shared between travelers.
Paris Visite is another unlimited-travel option sold for visitors over a set number of consecutive days. It can suit travelers who want a simple, preplanned arrangement, particularly if they will travel widely every day. But compare its coverage carefully with your actual itinerary. A visitor staying mainly in the central arrondissements, walking between nearby sights, may not use enough rides to make unlimited travel worthwhile.
For many first-time visitors, Paris looks larger on a map than it feels on foot. The Louvre, Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Élysées, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Notre-Dame, and the Marais can often be grouped into walkable sections. Buy an unlimited pass because you will truly use it, not because it sounds safer.
Ticket Choices by Itinerary
A two-day central Paris trip usually calls for individual Metro-Train-RER tickets on a Navigo Easy card, plus separate airport travel. You may walk more than you expect, especially when exploring the 1st through 7th arrondissements, the Marais, and the Latin Quarter.
A four- or five-day trip can go either way. Choose individual tickets if you plan one or two rail trips most days and enjoy walking. Consider an unlimited pass if you are staying farther from the center, traveling with children who tire quickly, returning to your hotel between activities, or making multiple cross-city journeys daily.
For a day trip beyond central Paris, check the destination before buying. Versailles, Disneyland Paris, and other regional destinations may involve different rules or coverage than a central Metro ride. Do not assume that “Paris” on a hotel address means every attraction is on the same ticket.
Validation, Gates, and Ticket Checks
Validate every ride. On the Metro and RER, tap your card or phone at the gate before entering. On buses and trams, validate as soon as you board. Keep your card or phone ready until the journey is finished.
Ticket inspectors can check passengers inside stations, on platforms, and onboard trains or buses. They do not need to catch you at a gate for an invalid journey to become a problem. If a machine is out of service, use another machine, a staffed counter, or an official app before traveling where possible.
Stay alert around ticket machines and gates, particularly at major stations such as Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Lazare, and around popular landmarks. A stranger offering to “help” with a machine may be genuinely helpful, but you do not need to hand over your bank card, phone, or PIN. Step aside, switch the machine to your language, or ask uniformed station staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can one Navigo Easy card be used for two people?
No. Each person needs a separately validated ticket and cannot pass a card back through the gate to another traveler.
Does a Metro ticket cover the RER?
Yes, but only for eligible rail travel outside the airport routes and within the ticket’s conditions. Airport travel needs a dedicated airport ticket unless your pass specifically includes it.
Can I transfer from a bus to the Metro with one ticket?
No. Bus-Tram tickets and Metro-Train-RER tickets are different products.
Is the weekly Navigo pass good for any seven days?
No. The weekly pass follows a Monday-through-Sunday calendar week, not seven days from the moment you buy it.
Should I buy an unlimited pass for a weekend in Paris?
Usually not. Individual tickets are often more sensible for a short, central visit unless you expect many long trips each day or qualifying airport travel.
What should I do if I lose my transit card?
Buy a replacement. Treat a lost anonymous card as lost value, because it is not normally recoverable like a personalized pass.
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Sources and official information
Opening hours, prices and rules change. These are the primary sources behind this guide; check them before you go.
- RATP: tickets and fares: The Paris transport operator’s official ticket and fare information.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Paris, Banks of the Seine: World Heritage listing for central Paris along the Seine.
- Musée du Louvre: hours and admission: Official opening hours, closing day and ticket rules.
- Paris Police Prefecture: Staying safe in Paris (PDF): Police guidance for visitors on theft, scams and how to report them.
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