Overview
The Paris Metro (short for Métropolitain) is the rapid transit system serving Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region. It is operated by the Régie autonome des transports parisiens (RATP), which also runs part of the RER commuter network, most of the tram lines, and many bus routes in and around the city. It is the second-busiest metro system in Europe and carried 1.523 billion passengers in 2025 — roughly 4.17 million a day — making it the most-used public transport system in Paris, ahead of the RER.
For a visitor, riding it end to end is straightforward. You buy a ticket or load a pass onto a smartcard, tap or scan it at the gate on entry, follow the signs to your line and direction, ride to your station, and exit. Lines are identified on maps by a number and a specific colour, and the direction of travel is shown by the terminus — the last stop on the line. All trains run from one end of the line to the other, serving every station along the way, so you never need to worry about express or skip-stop services within the Metro itself.
One thing to plan around: the system generally has poor accessibility for people with reduced mobility, because it is old (established 126 years ago) and most of the current infrastructure was built before accessibility standards existed, with only a few stations retrofitted since. All new infrastructure and rolling stock does meet current accessibility standards, including modern extensions of historic lines.
The network
Central Paris and its urban area are served by several complementary systems, which together make Paris one of the best-served cities in the world by public transportation.
- Métro (subway): 245.6 km (152.6 mi) long, mostly underground, with 321 stations, of which 61 allow transfers between lines. There are sixteen lines, all numbered 1 to 14, plus two extra branches, 3bis and 7bis, named such because they are former parts of Lines 3 and 7 respectively. Three lines — 1, 4 and 14 — are fully automated. The network is exceptionally dense, with 244 stations within the 105.4 km² (41 sq mi) of the City of Paris. Châtelet–Les Halles, with five Metro and three RER lines, is one of the world's largest metro stations.
- RER (Réseau Express Régional): five commuter rail lines, 602 km (374 mi) with 257 stations, using higher-capacity standard-gauge trains. RATP operates part of the RER network.
- Tramways: fourteen light-rail lines, 186.6 km (115.9 mi) with 278 stations.
- Transilien: nine suburban train lines, 1,299 km (807 mi) with 392 stations.
- Buses: many bus routes within and around Paris, operated by RATP, including the Noctilien night bus network.
- Airport people movers: three VAL lines at Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport — CDGVAL at CDG and Orlyval at Orly.
A large expansion programme, the Grand Paris Express (GPE), is under construction: four new orbital Metro lines (15, 16, 17 and 18) around the Île-de-France region, outside the limits of Paris, intended to relieve traffic on the near-exclusively radial historic network. Further plans exist for extensions of Lines 1 east, 7 north, 10 east and 12 south, a merger of Lines 3bis and 7bis, and a proposed Line 19 in the northernmost urbanised suburbs across the Val-d'Oise department. The eastbound extension of Line 11 towards Rosny–Bois-Perrier in 2024 is the network's most recent extension.
Tickets & fares
Since 1 January 2025, Paris region fares have been simplified: single journeys now use mainly two flat-fare tickets regardless of the number of zones, with airports excluded from the standard fares. Île-de-France is treated as a single tariff zone for visitors. The old Ticket t+, carnet, Paris Region Pass, Roissybus and Orlybus have been discontinued. There is no contactless bank-card tap-in/tap-out system in Paris. All prices below are approximate and change — check the operator's site for current fares.
Single tickets
- Ticket Métro-Train-RER: €2.55 (reduced €1.30). Valid on Metro, RER and Transilien across Île-de-France, including Paris-to-suburbs trips, with unlimited transfers for up to 2 hours or until you exit the station. Airports excluded.
- Ticket Bus-Tram: €2.05 (reduced €1.05). Valid on buses, trams and Noctilien night buses across Île-de-France, with unlimited transfers for 90 minutes; no return or backtracking and no long interruptions.
- Ticket Paris Région <> Aéroports: €14.00 (reduced €7.00). Rail modes only (Metro, RER, train, Orlyval) to or from Orly or Roissy-CDG, from any Île-de-France station.
Train and bus/tram tickets are separate — transferring between the two networks requires a new ticket. You scan on entry and generally not on exit, except where gates require it; follow the "Correspondance" signs to avoid leaving the paid area.
Reduced fares: children under 4 travel free when accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket; children aged 4–10 get reduced fares, with full fare from the 10th birthday.
Passes (all zones)
- Navigo Jour (day pass): €12.30, valid until midnight, with unlimited transfers including train↔bus; no airport access. Worth it at 5+ train or 6+ bus journeys a day.
- Navigo Semaine (weekly): €32.40, valid Monday–Sunday, on sale from the preceding Friday; includes airport transport (Orly via Metro 14; Orlyval generally not covered).
- Navigo Mois (monthly): €90.80, valid for a calendar month, on sale from the 20th of the preceding month.
- Navigo Annuel: €998.80.
- Imagine R (annual): €393.30, for students and young people, all zones (admin fee excluded).
- Paris Visite (tourist pass): airports included. Approximate adult prices: €30.60 (1 day), €45.40 (2 days), €63.80 (3 days), €78 (5 days). Financially sensible mainly if you include two airport journeys.
Week and month passes require a named Navigo account (photo and name, non-anonymous), and inspectors may require proof — set up your account before you travel. Navigo Liberté+ is a post-paid option billed the following month, but eligibility requires living or working in Île-de-France (and a French bank account), so it is not available to most visitors.
Where and how to buy
- Vending machines at Metro and RER stations and authorised sales points; machines accept credit/debit cards and cash and offer multilingual options.
- By phone: Apple Wallet (Wallet > + > Travel Card > France > Navigo Paris), or the official Île-de-France Mobilités / RATP apps.
- Navigo Easy card: €2 from station vending machines; rechargeable and anonymous. It holds a maximum of 20 Métro-Train-RER or 20 Bus-Tram tickets at once, cannot hold two ticket types simultaneously, and is not shareable between travellers on one journey. Separate cards are recommended for trains versus buses, and one per person.
Fines run to roughly €100 per person for invalid or unvalidated tickets; you can appeal to RATP, but not for failure to validate. Long journeys (such as Paris–Versailles) are cheaper than they were in 2024, while short journeys and transfers cost more; airport tickets cost notably more than city travel.
From the airport
Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), the primary airport, lies north of the city and is used mainly for long-haul flights. It has three terminals — Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 — connected by the CDGVAL people mover.
- RER line B serves central Paris and is the fastest and most economical option for most travellers. Most trains stop at each station along the way; express trains with fewer stops run during off-peak hours. Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Luxembourg, Port-Royal, Denfert-Rochereau and Cité Universitaire are always served. A full-fare single ticket is €14 and trains run every 10 minutes. Your ticket allows you to transfer to the Métro and other RER lines to complete your journey.
- Noctilien night buses N140 or N143 get you to the city centre if you arrive at night, leaving every 30 minutes after 00:30.
Orly Airport (ORY), the secondary airport, lies south of the city and is used mainly by Air France for domestic departures and for several international departures, mostly towards the Mediterranean. It has four terminals — Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 — connected by the Orlyval people mover.
- Métro line 14 serves central Paris and is the fastest and most economical option for most travellers. A full-fare single ticket is €14 and trains run every 5 minutes. Your ticket allows you to transfer to the RER and other Métro lines.
- Orlyval runs from the airport to Antony for onward connections to the city via RER line B. A full-fare single ticket is €14 and people movers run every 6 minutes; the journey from the airport to Antony takes 6 minutes.
- Tram line T7 runs from the airport to La Fraternelle for onward connections via RER line C. A full-fare single ticket is only €2.05 and trams run every 10 minutes; the journey to La Fraternelle takes 8 minutes.
- Noctilien night buses N22, N31, N131 or N144 serve the city centre if you arrive at night, leaving every 60 minutes after 00:30.
Beauvais–Tillé Airport (BVA) is 85 km (53 mi) northwest of central Paris and is used by some low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and WizzAir. The airport operates a shuttle service to the Métro at Porte Maillot station. Buses run as early as 06:00, leave 20 minutes after each flight arrives and a few hours before each flight departs, and take about an hour in good traffic. The fare is €16.90 each way online or €18 each way in person, with no reduced price for children over the age of 2. Unless you hire a car, this is the most realistic way to reach Paris; the alternative is a train between Gare du Nord and Beauvais plus a connecting shuttle or taxi, which costs more and takes longer. Missing the shuttle bus could mean a taxi fare well over €100.
Etiquette & customs
- Queuing: Let passengers off before you board, and wait your turn at the doors rather than crowding the opening.
- Escalators: Stand on the right so that people in a hurry can pass on the left — the standard convention on Parisian escalators and moving walkways.
- Priority and quiet seating: Priority seats near the doors are reserved for people with reduced mobility, pregnant travellers and older passengers; offer them up when needed. Keep noise down and use headphones for audio.
- Eating and drinking: Keep food and drink off the trains and out of the stations; it is not the done thing and you may be asked to stop.
- Rush hour: Trains are extremely busy at peak times. Move right down the carriage to make room, keep backpacks in front of you or on the floor, and avoid blocking the doors as the train prepares to leave.
- Validation: Always validate or scan your ticket on entry. Inspectors do patrol, and an unvalidated ticket carries a fine of around €100.
Official links
Survival terms
- Métro (métro) — subway/metro
- Billet (bee-yay) — ticket
- Ligne (leen-yuh) — line
- Entrée (ahn-tray) — entrance
- Sortie (sor-tee) — exit
- Correspondance (ko-res-pon-dahns) — transfer/connection
- Tarif (tah-reef) — fare
- Forfait jour (for-fay zhoor) — day pass
Before you travel, set up a named Navigo account if you plan to use a weekly or monthly pass, and load a Navigo Easy card for everyday single rides so you are never caught out at the gate.