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Métro Sign

(Please note that fares may increase. These were updated in 2013. Check the RATP website for the most up-to-date fare information.)

For passes, you will just need zone 1 and 2 tickets if you are staying in Paris.

Carte Navigo

For Paris transit, visitors who are non-residents can buy weekly Navigo Découverte passes, which presently costs €19,80, plus a one-time fee of €5; for the cost of the pass, which is reusable for future visits.

You must bring a photo. There are photo machines in some of the métro stations, but I strongly urge guests to bring a stamp-sized photo from home where you’re less-stressed, since the machines require correct change, may be confusing, and sometimes don’t work. (If you press the wrong button, you might get a 10-inch close up of your nostrils.) It doesn’t need to be passport-quality, so any snapshot will do.

Carnets of Tickets and The New Ticket t+

Carnets of 10 tickets, as always, are also available at métro stations for €13,30; and in Tabacs. Bravo to the new Ticket t+ that allows you 1½ hours to transfer between buses, trams, or métros…although not between the bus and métro systems for some reason. Tickets sold onboard buses can’t be used for transfers, which are marked sans correspondance.

Individual tickets are available as well for €1,70, but the carnet is a better deal and any unused tickets can be saved for your next trip. Or given to a friendly American fellow who lives there.

Where To Buy

Weekly Navigo cards are available at SNCF train stations and métro stations manned by cashiers, as well as métro stations with an actual RATP office.

(Most of the regular métro stations have gone to electronic machines which take cash and some credit cards if they have a puce, or microchip, which replaced human cashiers. Larger métro stations, for the most part, still have cashiers to buy tickets and Navigo Découverte cards.)

What About a Paris Visite Card?

You can also buy a Paris Visite card which costs substantially more but can start or begin on any day. They’re available in 1 (8.5€), 2 (14€), 3 (19€), and 5 (27.5€) denominations. The Paris Visite card offers discounts on various monuments, museums, and other attractions, plus 25% off the Bateaux Parisiens boat, so they’re not necessarily a bad deal. You can buy them online, in advance from a third-party, or during your stay.

(All prices listed are subject to change.)

UPDATE: You can find more information at my post: Paris Transit Options.

More Paris Travel Links and Tips

Official Navigo website

Transilien French Train Information (in English)

Navigo Decouverte Information

Which Paris airport transfers to use

Some of my favorite Paris Travel and Dining Guides

Navigo to Carte Orange details on the RATP site. (The site is in French, although some information is available in English by clicking on the British flag.)

List and links for Paris Cooking Classes

Confused about how much to tip in France?

10 Insanely Delicious Things You Shouldn’t Miss in Paris, according to me

More of my Paris Travel Tips


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17 comments

    • Clementine Wall

    i am leaving for Paris for a semester at the Sorbonne in a couple weeks and am getting more and more excited the more i read your blog! thanks for posting these useful tips about every aspect of life (or the important ones at least…what to eat and how to get there) now i just have to figure out how to fit it all in!

    • matt

    And THIS is why I’m intimidated by Paris, yessirreeee.

    • David

    Matt: If you come to Paris, I will personally pick you up at the airport and drive you into Paris.

    After a few minutes behind the wheel with me, though, you’ll be begging to be let out at the next transit stop. Let me know when you book your ticket!

    Clementine: You should get a regular Navigo card; that way you can just hop and off transit as you wish (unless you want to ride with me and Matt…)

    • disha

    thank you for updating, that keeps me from working..a few minutes of reading and then a couple of hours of daydreaming..ahh what bliss..procrastination!

    • Val

    Ah, the depths of procrastination! I love it! And really good info, too, which id great. Thanks for taking the time to share. Have you reorganized the linen closet yet? Become a master of spider solitaire? Cleaned out and relabeled everything in the freezer? Obviously these all need immediate attention before you can even think of getting back to work!

    • travelingmcmahans

    Thanks for the info. Is the Decouverte weekly (Mon-Sun) like the Carte Orange was? I’m arriving in Paris on a Thursday (in 1 month and 25 days, thank you Google countdown clock) and wouldn’t it be lovely to be able to use a week long pass.

    • Laura

    Hi David,

    I am a somewhat new reader of your blog and have enjoyed seeing Paris/France through your eyes. I have a sister who also lives in Paris and also writes a blog. Strangely enough she also wrote about procrastination and working with a deadline in one of her past entries. So in case you were looking for more ways to procrastinate here it is:

    http://wampoline.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html

    Good luck with your project.

    Laura
    Amherst, MA

    • Bob Spencer

    Great information, David. But you left out where to buy a monthly metro pass and how much it costs. Please?

    • debinsf

    You have *absolutely* the most interesting procrastination anywhere. I’ve never really been interested in visiting Paris, until reading all your detail (yes, I know, freak)… Thanks!

    • David

    Hi Bob: Didn’t mean to omit, but I was writing about the new ‘weekly’ passes. Check out the links above for agencies and RATP offices where most likely you can get a monthly pass. I added a link to the Navigo website as well.

    (I got my Navigo card through the mail and believe they have to be sent to you, since the photo is embedded, but I could be wrong.)

    Traveling McM: Yes, it’s a Mon-Sun thing only as far as I can tell. Unless they decide to change that in the future.

    • Laura

    And for those of you traveling with children-children four and under ride for free and children five to ten pay half fare and you can buy them a demi-carnet of 10 tickets.

    Fabulous post! Thank you for allowing me to procrastinate too!

    • David

    Laura: Oh my goodness….don’t tell me it’s contagious?!

    • Mary

    You are so responsive to your readers…wow! And what a relief to learn of the Navigo Decouverte, which will ease the pangs of withdrawal from my beloved Carte Orange. Thanks for the info!

    • Tartelette

    While cleaning up my “Boite a Souvenirs” that I brought with me to the US, I found one of my Carte Orange from when I was taking the train to school in highschool…the card was from my last month as a senior…Ah! Nostalgie quand tu nous tiens!

    • grace

    David you have made my planning for my ‘inspiration’ trip much more organized-thank you. I was thoroughly confused… but now I am a bit less frantic =)

    • ParisBreakfasts

    I always arrive in Paris on a Monday morning so I can get the carte at the airport or first Metro encountered.I’m excited about the new card. I think the Navigo type cards are about to be launched in NYC – some testers already have them.
    BIG MERCI David!

    • ladyvictoria

    This is my first comment (first reading of blog, really). I just found you, and am glad. We are going to Paris in May for our “life time” trip (not old, but only able to afford it once). I was counting on the Carte Orange. Now I will not freak out when I hear about them going away, AND I already have a possible alternate idea. Thank you soo much.
    Your ideas and tips are great and my husband loves your food recommendations!

A

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