Updated for 2026 | How to choose the best Paris Metro, RER, bus, and airport ticket for your itinerary
Paris Transport Tickets: Quick Guide
Planning a first trip to Paris? Choosing the right Paris transportation pass can be more confusing than planning the sights. This guide explains the Metro, RER, buses, trams, Navigo cards, mobile tickets, airport transfers, and the best ticket combinations for 1 to 5+ day itineraries.
To choose the right option, check four things first:
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Your Paris arrival day
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Length of stay
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Whether you need an airport transfer
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How many public-transport trips you expect to make each day
Paris Public Transport Explained
The Paris Metro is the main way to travel within the city. Most major attractions—including the Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Le Marais, Montmartre, and the Eiffel Tower—are close to Metro stations.
The RER is the regional express railway. It works much like the Metro within central Paris, but is especially useful for longer trips such as Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland Paris, and Versailles.
Buses are a good choice when you want to avoid stairs or enjoy views of Paris along the way. Trams mainly serve outer parts of Paris.
One important rule: Metro/RER/train tickets and bus/tram tickets are different products. You cannot transfer from the Metro to a bus using the same ticket, so use the appropriate ticket for each mode.
Paris Transport Prices for 2026
A Metro, RER, or train single ticket can be used for Paris and nearby trips such as Disneyland Paris and Versailles. Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly airports are exceptions: use an airport ticket or a valid Navigo Weekly Pass.
The Carnet of 10 Tickets Is Gone
Some older Paris travel guides still recommend a carnet, a discounted bundle of 10 Metro tickets. This discounted 10-ticket bundle is no longer sold.
Instead, load only the number of journeys you need onto a Navigo Easy card or a mobile ticket. At €2.55 per Metro/RER/train journey, 10 individual trips cost €25.50, so avoid loading more tickets than your itinerary requires.
Navigo Easy vs. Navigo Découverte
Navigo Easy Card
Navigo Easy is the most practical physical card for most short-term visitors. The card costs €2 and is available from station ticket offices and vending machines.
You can load the following products onto a Navigo Easy card:
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Metro, RER, and train single tickets
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Bus and tram single tickets
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Navigo Day Pass
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Airport ticket
For a 2-night/3-day or 3-night/4-day Paris itinerary, one Navigo Easy card is usually enough. Load a day pass on sightseeing-heavy days and single tickets on slower days spent in one neighborhood.
Navigo Découverte Card
Consider Navigo Découverte when using a weekly pass. The physical card costs €5 and is a personal card requiring a photo and name.
The Navigo Weekly Pass is valid on a fixed Monday-to-Sunday schedule, not for seven days from purchase. Buying it on Thursday, for example, gives access only until Sunday night, so it is usually poor value for arrivals later in the week.
Mobile Tickets in Paris
You can use Paris public transport without buying a physical card. Install the official transport app on an NFC-enabled smartphone, buy tickets in the app, and tap the back of the phone at a gate or bus reader.
iPhone users can use Navigo in Apple Wallet as well as the official transport app. Compatible NFC-enabled Android phones can also buy and use tickets through the app.
The main drawback is battery life: if your phone has no power, you may not be able to pass through the gate. Bring a power bank, especially for late arrivals, full sightseeing days, or family trips. If you prefer a simpler setup, choose a physical Navigo Easy card.
Can You Use a Contactless Card?
A contactless payment card cannot be tapped directly at Paris Metro gates as a replacement for a transit ticket. Unlike London, Paris public transport does not generally work as a pay-as-you-go system with an ordinary contactless bank card at the gate.
Use one of these options instead:
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Navigo Easy physical card
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Navigo Découverte card
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Smartphone mobile ticket
A contactless card can be useful to pay for tickets and for purchases at restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, and shops, but it does not replace a Paris transit card.
Paris Airport Transfers
Plan airport travel separately from city transport. Standard Metro/RER tickets and the Navigo Day Pass do not cover Charles de Gaulle Airport or Orly Airport.
For rail travel between an airport and central Paris, buy a dedicated airport one-way ticket for €14. From CDG, the RER B is the usual route to central Paris; from Orly, Metro Line 14 is one option.
For families, travelers with large luggage, complicated hotel connections, or late-night arrivals, compare airport shuttles and pre-booked transfers. Saving a little on transport is not always worth a stressful first evening.
When Is a Navigo Day Pass Worth It?
The Navigo Day Pass costs €12.30. Since a Metro/RER/train single ticket costs €2.55, consider the day pass when you expect roughly five or more journeys in one day.
Example of a high-mobility sightseeing day:
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Morning: Montmartre
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Lunch: Le Marais
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Afternoon: Louvre Museum
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Sunset: Eiffel Tower
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Evening: Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe
If you plan to spend most of the day in one museum, nearby cafés, shops, and walkable streets, single tickets may cost less. The day pass does not include airport travel.
When Is a Navigo Weekly Pass Worth It?
At €32.40, the Navigo Weekly Pass is most attractive for travelers who arrive Monday or Tuesday, will make frequent Paris trips, plan to visit Disneyland Paris or Versailles, need CDG or Orly airport travel, and will finish their trip by Sunday.
For example, if you arrive Monday and depart Friday or Saturday, compare the weekly pass first. It can simplify airport travel, city sightseeing, and suburban day trips in a single product.
If you arrive on Thursday or Friday, the validity period is too short for most visitors. A Navigo Easy card with single tickets and occasional day passes is normally better value.
Best Paris Tickets by Itinerary
1 Night / 2 Days
For a short stay, Navigo Easy plus single tickets is usually enough. Group nearby sights—such as the Louvre, Le Marais, and the Eiffel Tower—to reduce unnecessary transport.
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Buy a Navigo Easy card
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Load Metro/RER single tickets as needed
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Buy airport tickets separately
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Consider a day pass only on a day with five or more trips
2 Nights / 3 Days
This itinerary works well with a mix of single tickets and one day pass. Arrival and departure days are often limited to airport travel, hotel check-in, and a nearby walk; use a day pass for the full sightseeing day.
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Buy a Navigo Easy card
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Use single tickets on arrival and departure days
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Use a day pass for the busiest sightseeing day
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Buy airport tickets separately
3 Nights / 4 Days
Your arrival day matters. If you arrive Monday through Wednesday and include Disneyland Paris or Versailles, compare the weekly pass. If you arrive Thursday through Sunday, use Navigo Easy with single tickets and a day pass only when needed.
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Monday–Wednesday arrival with frequent travel: consider a Navigo Weekly Pass
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Thursday–Sunday arrival: Navigo Easy + single tickets + day pass if needed
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Airport transfer: airport ticket or weekly pass
4 Nights / 5+ Days
A Monday arrival with departure on Friday or Saturday, plus city sightseeing and suburban day trips, makes the weekly pass especially convenient. Its value increases with airport round trips, Disneyland Paris, Versailles, La Vallée Village, an outer-Paris hotel, or four or more daily journeys.
For a 4-night/5-day trip beginning Thursday or later, do not force the weekly pass into the plan. Navigo Easy and individual tickets can be the better-value option for a city-focused itinerary.
Disneyland Paris and Versailles Tickets
Unlike airport travel, Disneyland Paris and Versailles can be reached with standard Metro/RER/train single tickets. A return journey costs €5.10 using two €2.55 tickets.
If you will take several additional trips around Paris that day, compare the Navigo Day Pass. Single tickets are better for limited travel; a day pass is more convenient for a transport-heavy day.
Paris Transport Pass: Quick Decision Table
Final Checklist Before Buying
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Slow city sightseeing: Navigo Easy + single tickets
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Several neighborhoods in one day: Navigo Day Pass
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Monday–Wednesday arrival with heavy travel: Navigo Weekly Pass
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Airport trips: use a dedicated airport ticket unless covered by a weekly pass
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A contactless card is not a transit card for Paris Metro gates
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Bring a power bank when using mobile tickets
For a smoother first Paris trip, choose accommodation within a five-minute walk of a Metro station. The distance to the station, number of transfers, and airport arrival time matter just as much as the ticket you buy.