© Daniel Thierry
The metro is a simple, fast and economical way to get around Paris. The network is made up of 16 lines and has more than 300 stations, the entrance to which is indicated by a large yellow letter “M”. The metro service starts every day – including public holidays – around 6am and ends around 12:45am (Sunday to Thursday) or 1:45am (Friday and Saturday). The metro's frequency varies according to the times and the days: at peak times, the metro runs every 2 minutes.
Metro tickets cost €2.10 each and are available for purchase at ticket machines located in stations.
The Navigo Easy pass is an interesting option for occasional trips. Sold pre-charged for 10 transport journeys in intramural Paris, it can then be recharged in stations.
The Paris Visite pass allows unlimited travel for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days in Paris and Île-de-France. You have two choices of zones. The Paris Visite zones 1 to 3 for unlimited travel in Paris and the inner suburbs (Stade de France, La Défense, the Château de Vincennes, etc.). The Paris Visite zones 1 to 5 for unlimited travel in Paris, in the inner suburbs but also Versailles, Disneyland® and as far as Orly and Roissy – Charles de Gaulle airports.
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The RER network has 5 lines (from A to E) serving Paris and its region (Ile-de-France). Each line has a distinctive color that can be found on the signage and the plans of the RATP and the SNCF. The RER service begins every day – including public holidays – around 6 a.m. and ends around 12:45 a.m. For the RER, the tickets and fares are the same as those of the metro, on the condition that you travel only within Paris intramural. Beyond that, you must have a ticket or pass, the price of which covers the journey to your destination in the Ile-de-France region. If your RER station is connected to the metro, you can take a connection with the same ticket.
© Marc Bertrand
Paris and its region have 13 tram lines which serve the outskirts of the city and part of Île-de-France: T1, T2, T3a, T3b, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10, T11, T13. Tram tickets are the same as those for the metro and RER in Paris.
© Daniel Thierry
The bus is a great way to discover Paris. The lines are numerous and many pass through the center, along the quais de la Seine, cross the historic districts... The creation of special corridors on the main thoroughfares has significantly reduced journey times. Buses run Monday through Saturday from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Some lines stop running around 8:30 p.m. Almost half of the lines operate on Sundays and public holidays.
The line number and direction are indicated on the front, above the driver's cabin, and on the sides of the bus. You have to wave to the driver to ask for the bus to stop. At the bus shelters, electronic panels tell you the waiting time before the next passage and are sometimes equipped with USB connectors allowing you to recharge your smartphone. The stops appear as glass shelters or simple posts. They bear the number of the lines serving the stop and the routes followed. They also display the time of the first and last bus, as well as the average frequency. The boarding is done by the front and the descent by the middle or the back of the bus. In the articulated buses, you get on and off through all the doors; to open the doors, press the button next to it.
Remember to stamp your ticket or validate your pass. To request a stop, once on the bus, press the red buttons distributed throughout the bus. The "stop requested" light signal is then displayed on the back of the driver's cabin.
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The Noctilien is the night bus service that allows travel in Paris and its region from 12:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. About fifty lines run through Paris and its region to allow everyone to get around. This service is accessible with a pass or ticket valid for the areas traveled (identical to those of the metro/RER).
The Transiliens are regional trains leaving from the main Parisian stations (Paris Gare du Nord, Paris Est, Paris Gare de Lyon, Paris Austerlitz, Paris Montparnasse, Paris Saint-Lazare). Tickets and passes are on sale at "Ile-de-France" counters and vending machines in stations, as well as in metro/RER stations. Free leaflets giving timetables are available at station ticket offices. Suburban lines complete the RER network, with which they share many connections. All the information on the Transilien website. The SNCF and Île-de-France Mobilités accompany you wherever you go.
