With the Navigo Easy card you'll be able to zip around Paris win the easiest way possible. Overall, the Paris transportation system (Metro, bus & RER) is the best way to navigate the city. Here, we'll tell you a few tips and techniques.

It's not unusual to see confused groups of tourists in the Metro trying to figure out how to buy tickets or how to use the Metro map. Do your homework and you won't be one of them. Virtually every station has machines to purchase Metro rides (which nowadays means reloading your Navigo Easy card) using either cash or a credit card, and instructions are available in English. Once you get the hang of using the Metro, you'll be surprised how many times you use it everyday.

Navigo Easy – The New Way to Buy Paris Metro Tickets

A new, modern way of buying and using Paris Metro tickets was introduced in June 2019. The traditional rectangular cardboard tickets with a magnetic strip down the middle have been replaced by a rechargeable plastic card called Navigo Easy — aimed specifically at tourists and occasional users. There is a one-time cost (about €2) to purchase a permanent card that can be loaded with Metro "tickets" at machines or ticket counters at every station across the Paris region. You can also reload the card from your phone using the Bonjour RATP app.

At machines found at all Metro stations you can recharge your Navigo Easy with either individual tickets or carnets (a pack of ten tickets, which costs less per ticket). A carnet is around 15€, versus around 2€ for a single ticket. By now paper tickets should be completely phased out.

Instructions are clearly explained in several languages. Using a credit card you can buy tickets anytime, day or night, as long as the Metro is open – about 5:00 AM to 12:45 AM.

Each ticket is good for one ride on the Metro, no matter how many changes you have to make. So, you can get from Parc de la Villette (in the far northeast of central Paris) to the sports complex at Porte de St Cloud (in the far southwest) on one ticket! (That entire journey, by the way, takes 45 minutes and only involves one Metro change.)

Then & Now – Paris Metro Tickets vs Navigo

How it Used To Be – Using Paper Tickets

As you entered the Metro station, you would dig around in your pocket or bag to find a valid Paris Metro ticket. Then, you'd put the ticket into the slot on the front of the turnstile machine and push through. But, you also had to make sure to grab your ticket out of the machine as you left because you may have needed to show it to Metro security to prove you paid.

That Was Then, This is Navigo Easy

Take your card out of your pocket. Walk up to an entry gate. Tap your card on the sensor (like above). Walk through. That's it… you're in! You can lend or pass on a Navigo Easy to someone else, no ID is required.

Paris Metro Etiquette & Safety

Just as in Paris restaurants, there is a certain etiquette observed on the Paris Metro that may be a little different from what you're used to.

• Speak softly.
• Don't eat or drink on the Metro.
• Keep your personal belongings on your body.
• Move aside for people who are leaving the train.
• When on the platform waiting for a train, leave some space around the doors for departing passengers.
• As a car fills up, move back when you can to provide space for new passengers.
• When you have to get around other passengers to leave the train, simply say "pardon" (PAHR-doh) and they will let you by.

Useful Underground Information

You can find additional helpful information about the Paris Metro in some of our other guides —

• Reviews of Metro Maps …
  
• Guide to the RER Rail System…