If you have decided to go to Paris, you will undoubtedly ask the question how you will get around from site to site. The Paris public transit system and especially the metro is the easy answer to that question. Keep reading below for everything you need to know about navigating the metro before you start your trip.
Post Contents
Why you should take the Paris Metro
When you are in the city center of Paris, using the Paris metro is one of the best ways to navigate the city. The metro beats most other forms of transportation in the city for many reasons:
- There is a metro stop almost anywhere you want to go
- Getting anywhere in the city rarely takes more than 1 metro transfer
- A one-way ticket to anywhere in the city center costs €1.90/person
- No waiting in Paris traffic
If you come from an urban area or have used the metro or subway often, this metro will be similar. If you aren’t familiar with metros or thoughts of the Paris metro makes you anxious, this is the post for you. This will tell you everything you need to know about using the metro to navigate our Must See Paris in 3 Days: France Itinerary.
Paris Metro Cost
Riding the metro can be one of the most economical means of travel for smaller groups. As the number of people in your party increases, the savings over surface transit options like Uber diminishes. However, you may still opt for the metro for the small cost savings or avoiding traffic.
Paris Metro Single Tickets
A basic single one-way ticket on the metro within the city center (known as a t+ ticket) costs €1.90. With this ticket, you can get on any metro or RER train within the city center. The ticket holder is allowed to make as many transfers between metro and RER trains within 2 hours. Transfers to bus and tram networks are also allowed on the ticket for 90 minutes. I have never found a need for this, but you might.
Paris Metro Discount Tickets
If you plan on taking the metro many times during your stay in Paris there are several ways to reduce the already low cost of the metro:
- Buy 10 t+ tickets at once – Buying 10 tickets at once will cost €16.90 or €1.69 per ticket. This results in an 11% savings if you use all the tickets. You will see this book of 10 tickets referred to as a carnet in many places.
- Children’s Reduced Fare Tickets – If you are a tourist, the only reduced fare that you could qualify for is children (ages 4 to 9). Reduced Fare Tickets can only be bought in a carnet (book of 10). The carnet goes for €8.45 or €0.85/ticket. If you have qualifying party members and will use most of the carnet, this is a bargain over normal prices.
Paris Travel Pass
The final way to buy a ticket for the metro is via the purchase of a Paris Travel Pass. This pass allows unlimited travel for a set number of days within Paris or Paris and the surrounding region. The price of the pass varies based on the number of days it is valid. The price is also dependent on the region of use, Paris (Zones 1 -3) or Paris and surrounding area (Zones 1 – 5). While most of the sights are located in Zone 1, the airports and Versailles are located in Zone 4 & 5.
Zones 1 – 3
| Days | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €12.00 | €6.00 |
| 2 | €19.50 | €9.75 |
| 3 | €26.65 | €13.30 |
| 5 | €38.35 | €19.15 |
Zones 1 – 5
| Days | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €25.25 | €12.60 |
| 2 | €38.35 | €19.15 |
| 3 | €53.75 | €26.85 |
| 5 | €65.80 | €32.90 |
Do the math of the Paris Travel Pass to determine if it is worth it based on your travel plans. The breakeven point is somewhere between 5 and 7 one-way trips in a day depending on the length of the stay. While many people will not use this many metro trips/day, there is less hassle factor with the Paris Travel Pass. The convenience of not buying and keeping track of individual tickets may be worth the cost premium to you. A Paris Travel Pass Region 1-3 (also called Travelcard) comes included with the Paris Pass.
Where to Buy Tickets
Buying tickets for the metro is an easy process. You don’t have to calculate distances, stops, or enter origin/destination information like some other metros systems. Despite the ease of purchase, there are a few gotchas and tips that can make the transaction go smoothly.
The first important thing to note is that not all entrances to metro stations will have ticket vending machines. Some smaller metro entrances (especially in neighborhoods) only have ticket machines at one of the entrances. The absence of a ticket vending machine is generally noted on the signs as you enter the metro station. If you encounter this and don’t have a ticket, the other entrance to the metro is likely just around the corner or across the street. This is another good reason to buy a carnet and have a ticket on hand if you will use them.
The easiest way to purchase tickets is via the automatic ticket vending machines inside metro and RER stations. Automatic ticket vending machines are multilingual and allow the purchase of single or carnet packs of t+ tickets. The vending machines accept either cash in the form of Euro coins (no bills) or card. If you are using a card, your card must support the chip and PIN feature. This is especially important if you are from the United States or another location that defaults to chip and signature.
Many (but not all) metro entrances will also have a manned ticket counter on site. If you prefer you can purchase both single and carnets of t+ ticket from the agent. This is useful as it will allow you to use bills or cards that only support chip and signature payment methods.
Finding Paris Metro Stops
While the Paris metro map is helpful for visualizing the metro lines and transfer locations, it does a downright poor job of identifying where metro stops are in the real world.
The best tool out there for finding the metro stops is a resource like Google Maps. If you have an international data plan or phone connection while you are on vacation that is the easiest way to find both your local metro station and also the route and stops to your destination.
If you don’t have data on the go, you will need to do a little preplanning:
- Identify the metro station or stations closest to your hotel. Familiarize yourself with the closest stations that are on different lines that you would be willing to walk to. Use Google Maps while on WiFi at your hotel or a coffee shop to find this information.
- Identify the closest destination station – Again using Google Maps on a WiFi connection, find the station closest to your destination.
- Plot your route using either Google Maps Public Transit tool or the published Paris Metro Map. Identify the connections and a route between start and destination.
When you know where you are going, metro stops are generally well-identified. They have signage similar to what is shown above.
Getting on the Right Metro
Once you know the route that you want to take, you have to get on the right train. Metro routes are identified by color and number. This information is fairly easy to get from Google Maps or the Paris Metro Map. In addition to the color and number, the direction of travel is identified by the terminus stations. As you likely won’t be traveling to the end of the line, remembering this additional detail can be difficult.
In the metro stations and on the trains you will often see metro line maps as shown above. These maps are helpful in identifying the station terminus in your direction of travel. Find your current station location and then your destination station. Continue past the destination on the metro line map to the station at the end. This will be the name on the platform and train that you want to board.
Using the line 12 example above, if you are at Saint Georges station and are going to Concorde, you will get on the Metro Line 12 train towards Mairie d’Issy. If you happen to pick the wrong direction and get on the wrong train, don’t fret. Hop off at the next station and cross over to the other side of the platform to get on a train going in the correct direction. Your ticket is valid for 120 minutes and you will have only lost a few minutes of your time.
Paris Metro Transfers
The final concept to understand when taking the metro through Paris is transferring lines. It would be very rare that the line you get on from the beginning can take you everywhere you want to go. Metro lines cross at various stations allowing you to transfer between trains. This allows a smaller number of lines to serve a wider variety of destination stations.
If you are using a tool like Google Maps to plan your route, it will show you the best locations to transfer from one line to the other. The example to the right shows the transfer between the yellow #1 line and the green #12 line at Concorde station.
If you are using the Paris metro map or are checking your progress on the metro line, white circles/ovals connecting metro lines show transfer locations. The example to the left shows that you can transfer between the green, yellow, or pink lines at Concorde station.
Wrap Up
Unfortunately, no one goes from novice to professional by reading one post. However, this should give you the information and confidence to get around the Paris Metro. Don’t be afraid of the metro. The worst that can happen can be undone by getting off your train, walking to the other side of the platform, and going back in the other direction. Enjoy your stay in Paris and please comment any questions you have on the Paris metro below.
