Paris Metro - Bus - RER Tickets & Passes

		Paris Métro-Bus-RER Tickets & Passes
		You save money by buying multiple tickets, or using a Navigo transit pass, on Paris's Métro, city buses, RER suburban trains, and SNCF Transilien trains, funiculars and trams.

Paris transport in the time of King Henry IV...

Titre de Transport

To ride the Paris Métro, city buses, trams, RER trains, SNCF trains, funiculars and other forms of Paris transport, you need a titre de transport (a ticket or transit pass).

If you've been to Paris in the last 120 years, you've probably used a paper ticket to ride. That's changing! Paper tickets are being phased out in favor of plastic Navigo RFID transit passes for paying fares in Paris and the Île-de-France. Paper tickets are still valid and in use; but we recommend using the future: the Navigo Easy fare card, or other rechargable pass. Read on:

Zone System

Fares for public transit in Paris and the Île-de-France are based on a zone system, and you will buy passes and tickets on the basis of zones.

Zones 1 and 2 cover central Paris, all covered by one standard fare. Zone 3 includes La Défense Grande Arche, but if you go by Métro (but not by bus or RER), you pay only the standard Zones 1 & 2 fare. Zone 4 includes ORY airport, Zone 5 extends all the way to CDG airport and Disneyland.

Here are some landmarks:

Zones 1 & 2

You pay only one standard fare to travel in central Paris as far as Stade de France/St-Denis, Port Maillot, Boulogne Port de St-Cloud, Pont de Neuilly, Gallieni, Château de Vincennes, La Défense Grande Arche (by Métro).

Zone 3

Farther out to La Défense Grande Arche (by bus or RER), Université de St-Denis, Saint-Cloud, Robinson, Antony (OrlyVal), Bondy.

Zone 4

Versailles, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Champ de Courses d'Enghien, Rungis, Aéroport d'Orly, Massy Palaiseau.

Zone 5

Aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle, Mitry Claye, Marne-la-Vallée Chessy (Disneyland Paris), Saint-Rémy-Lès-Chevreuse, Rambouillet, Pontoise.

How Will You Use Public Transport?

First, let's look at how you plan to use public transit. After that we'll explain the advantages and disadvantages of each sort of pass and ticket.

Just a Few Trips

If you think you'll use public transit just a few times over a few days, the simplest way is to buy a few ticket t+ paper tickets. For convenience, or if you plan to return to Paris, consider a Navigo Easy transit pass.

A Day or Two of Heavy Use

Only a day or two and you want to see everything? Consider a Navigo Jour pass, especially if you're traveling from or to CDG or ORY airports. An alternative: Navigo Easy with a 10-fare carnet of tickets discounted 20% (not valid for the airports).

About a Week (or More) in the City

If you plan to take several trips daily for about a week—particularly if you are a repeat visitor to Paris—you want a Navigo Découverte weekly pass, especially if you'll be traveling to or from an airport.

Navigo Easy Pass

The Navigo Easy pass is a reusable plastic RFID card sold for 2€ which can be charged with transit credit at any Navigo machine—it's like London's Oyster card, Boston's Charlie card, etc.

You pay the standard fares valid on all Métro (underground train) lines, city bus lines, funiculars, trams, and RER trains between central Paris stations: 1.90€ at the tarif normal (normal fare), but if you buy un carnet (unh kahr-NEY, a "booklet") of 10 tickets on a Navigo Easy pass, fares are discounted by 20% to 1.49€ each. For most visitors visiting Paris for a few days, this is the cheapest, most convenient option.

Children from 4 to less than 10 years of age pay half-fare.

Paying one fare entitles you to one journey on the Métro or tram system, including switching Métro lines. On city buses, one fare allows you to ride on one bus, then within 90 minutes to transfer to another bus line. It does not include transport to/from Paris's airports.

The Navigo Easy can be anonymous, and transferrable to any other person. Or you can set up an account with RATP and re-charge your Navigo Easy pass right from your mobile phone. Here's more about Navigo passes.

Paper Tickets: ticket t+

The traditional single paper ticket, called ticket t+, is being phased out in favor of rechargable, reusable RFID cards like the Navigo Easy (see above). Paper tickets may still be used for the forseeable future, but as of March 2022, ticket t+ will no longer be sold in carnets of ten, so to take advantage of the 20% carnet discount you will have to use a Navigo Easy card or other transit pass.


	The iconic ticket t+:* on the way out*

For convenience, you may still be able to purchase and use single ticket t+s, but at the full fare of 1.90€. Also, you can pay a single fare in cash right on any RATP city bus, but it costs 2€ and cannot be used for a transfer to another bus.

The Problem with Paper Tickets

The paper ticket t+, Mobilis and Paris Visite tickets (see below) have a narrow magnetic strip on the back that holds data on the ticket's validity. If this data is corrupted, your ticket will not work. Corruption can be caused by putting the ticket near any metal object, including keys, a mobile phone or any other device with magnetic influence. Keep your paper ticket away from any metal or electronic gizmos, batteries, etc.

If the ticket fails to work within the period of its validity, take it to a ticket agent, or hand it to a bus driver, and ask for a replacement ticket.

Smartphone Apps

RATP and other Île-de-France transport services offer smartphone apps which allow you to buy tickets, recharge passes, plan routes, be warned of service problems and suspensions, etc. Look for Vianavigo/Bonjour RATP and/or Île-de-France Mobilités on your smartphone app store.

Buy Navigo Passes in Advance!

If you see a sign like this at a station entrance...

"Access for passengers with tickets only..."

Accès réservé aux voyageurs munis de billets" means "Access is restricted to passengers who already have passes or tickets." No passes or tickets are sold at this entrance. You must already possess one to enter the system here.

"Accès principal..." tells you where the main station entrance is. You can buy passes or tickets there and enter.

Navigo Jour Pass or Mobilis Ticket

The Navigo Jour 1-day pass or Mobilis paper ticket permits unlimited travel on all modes (SNCF, RER & Métro trains, city buses, trams & funiculars) within the zones you choose: 7.50€ for Zones 1 & 2, 10€ for Zones 1 through 3, 12.40€ for Zones 1 through 4, 17.80€ for Zones 1 through 5; Zone 5 includes Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports (except for OrlyVal).

The 1-day Navigo Jour card or Mobilis ticket saves you money if you fly into a Paris airport, buy a Navigo Jour or Mobilis valid for Zones 1 through 5, and make a round-trip return from and to the airport, or if you use it to travel from the airport into the city, andalso use it for at least four transit rides in the city on that day.

Navigo Découverte Weekly Pass

For short-term but frequently-returning foreign visitors, the Navigo Découverte pass is available by the calendar week (Monday to Sunday). It offers great savings and convenience for frequent transit users, but requires a bit more trouble (photo + proof of identity) and expense to obtain. More...

Paris Visite Ticket

The Paris Visite paper ticket entitles you to unlimited travel on most modes of travel in central Paris for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days, as well as substantial discounts at several Paris museums and attractions, but you must do a good amount of planning and calculating to determine if it will save you money. In most cases, the weekly Navigo Découverte transit pass is a better deal, though more hassle to obtain. More...

Speaking of tickets, there are a few situations in which you can encounter big problems when moving from the Métro system to the RER suburban train system. Here are the details.