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Paris Metro pass, tickets and travel prices

Public transport passes on Metro, buses and RER trains in Paris

Paris Metro
Paris Metro uses six zones

Paris public transport, (the Metro, buses and RER trains) is highly integrated and this includes the ticketing system.

If you want to travel outside the centre of Paris covered by the Metro you should be aware that Paris uses a zonal system with six circular zones radiating out from the centre.

For perhaps the majority of visitors to Paris using the Metro system they will often not want to go anywhere outside the central zone or Zone 1. Zone 1 is where nearly all hotels are and where all the city centre sights are located.

You need to assess which zones you will use before buying your respective tickets. This, of course, also depends on how long you are likely to stay.

Paris fare zones

Paris public transport map
Travel zones

If you are looking to see where the various travel zones are, the Metro & RER map on the left indicates where the various zones start and finish.

Destinations that visitors will often go to outside the central zone include:

Single tickets (t+ ticket) and carnets or books of ten tickets

The RATP run the Metro, RER, buses and trams within Paris and a single ticket can be used on any of the four modes for a single journey.

Note: 'single journey' includes connections between the same types of vehicle (i.e. if you were using the tram you would remain on the tram system), as long as you do not 'exit' the transport system. You are allowed up to two hours for metro and RER after validation and 90 minutes for buses and trams.

Tickets purchased individually or in packages of 10 are permanently valid for single use and are issued without an expiration date.

Single tickets can be purchased from metro/RER stations, some bus terminals, and registered retailers, usually tobacconists and bookshops, displaying the RATP sign.

You can also buy from the same sources a booklet of ten, called a carnet (pronounced kar-nay), offering good savings.

Save money, go contactless

The cardboard t+ ticket packs of 10 have now been entirely replaced. The reasoning is that these types of tickets often get lost, so not all the tickets are used as one is put away somewhere and lost. The cardboard magnetic strip gets easily demagnitised and can no longer work and there are better electronic solutions now available.

From 13 October 2022, cardboard t+ ticket packs were no longer sold from vending machines at 182 stations and bus stations.

As a visitor your alternative is Contactless t+ ticket packs of 10, these are actually €2 cheaper overall than the cardboard version. You can also get a Navigo Easy Pass for €2 which you can top-up at ticket machines and retailers or with your smartphone. Finally, you can still buy a single use ticket on board the bus for €2.15.

PARIS SINGLE TICKET FARES (T+ TICKETS) 2024

Type Price
1 Ticket for Metro, Bus or RER within Paris €2.15
Contactless t+ 10 tickets (as above) for adult (4-10 years) €17.35
Contactless t+ 10 tickets (as above) for child (4-10 years) €8.65

For use on one journey of the Paris Metro or Buses or on zone 1 RER trains in Paris.

Day ticket - Carte Mobilis (now discontinued from 2024) use Navigo Day Pass

The Carte Mobilis was an option most visitors seemed to be unaware of. A single calendar day card that provided unlimited rides on the transport system of the Ile-de-France region for a stated number of calendar days. This covers the Metro, RER (express regional trains), bus, tramway, funiculaire de Montmartre, Montmartrobus, Noctambus (night bus) within a given fare zone. Most visitors will only need zones 1&2, broadly coinciding with the extent of the Metro system. If in doubt about zone coverage the zones are marked on the RER map (above). Single tickets can be purchased from metro/RER stations, some bus terminals, and registered retailers, usually tobacconists and bookshops, displaying the RATP sign.

Navigo Day Pass

The Navigo Day Pass to all intents is the same pass, covering various zones with prices increasing depending upon which zones you want to travel through. You can use this Navigo Day Pass for central Paris, the greater Paris area and CDG/Orly airports (Orly is by Orlybus not train).

You can buy a Navigo Day Pass at CDG Airport Train Stations, Orly Airport, Paris main trainline stations, Metro stations, RER stations and Transillien Stations. There is also an option to buy the Navigo Day Pass online using the official Navigo apps. The pass is put onto a Navigo Decouverte or Navigo Easy card or use via your app. If you do not have a Navigo Decouverte card you will need to buy one first (€5). You can choose to start your day pass from the moment you buy it or up to 6 days later, you decide this at time of purchase. You can put up to two day passes onto your Navigo Decouverte or Easy card, so you can plan your travel ahead of time.

NAVIGO DAY TICKET PRICES 2024

Fare zone Price
Zone 1-2 €8.65
Zone 1-3 €11.60
Zone 1-4 €14.35
Zone 1-5 €20.60

Available at all metro, bus and RER stations.

Paris Visite card

This is the ticket heavily promoted to tourists and visitors. Lots of people like the convenience of these tickets.

As well as being a travel pass the ticket also provides discounts to tourist attractions though not the main headliners like the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum. Typically a 25% discount on entrance to the Arc de Triomphe and 25% off entrance to the Grévin Museum, which may not be a high priority for you.

Paris Visite counts calendar days from day of first use, just like other Paris tickets, not 24-hour periods. If you arrive at night and use the pass, that will be counted as one day.

Paris Visite is widely available from outside Paris through agents and online but you will normally pay a premium for this convenience over purchasing in Paris.

PARIS VISITE CARD PRICES (WHEN PURCHASED IN PARIS) 2024

Type Price for Zone 1-3
Adult / Child*
Price for Zone 1-5
Adult / Child*
1 day €13.95 / €6.95 €29.25 / €14.60
2 days €22.65 / €11.30 €44.45 / €22.20
3 days €30.90 / €15.45 €62.30 / €31.15
5 days €44.45 / €22.20 €76.25 / €38.00

* Children 4-11 years old.

Every effort is made to keep all our information correct and the advertised prices up to date. We endeavour to be as accurate a source of information as possible but Travellers Toolkits cannot be held responsible for any price differential between our stated prices and those of the companies supplying the product or accuracy of information provided on our sites.