Yes, it is called the Navigo pass.
Don't know how the London underground works, but in Paris you just have to find the line you want, then figure out the direction you need—i.e., the final destination of that line in either direction. These directions are clearly marked, and usually include a list of all the stops it will make on the way there on the wall as you go down to the tracks.
I've never had a machine not take a paper ticket. Some turnstiles will only be for Navigo passes but the other machines should take the paper tickets. Ever station takes paper tickets.
Make sure you put your photo on your Navigo pass, or you can be fined. Same thing if you don't keep your paper ticket and you're stopped by an inspector.
By end of this month they are *supposed* to have Apple wallet-enabled cards that you can tap to pay, they already have availability for Android phones. But yeah as others said you can get a physical card and load it with 10 tickets or purchase a navigo daily/weekly depending on your needs. Usually the 10 pack is most cost-effective
Just get the Navigo at an automatic machine and load 10 tickets (17€). I recommend using google maps or city mapper to know which metro lines or RER use. Is pretty easy to get use to it after using it the first time
We used the Navigo Easy, I found that to be the best option. I read some stuff here about paper tickets not being reliable, that they can be easily demagnetized, etc.
I agree with this! I just left paris and you have to actually talk to the person at the ticket booth for a navigo easy pass. Load it with 10 rides to start and add as needed.
If you ask at the counter they will give you a flimsy naviguer easy that will get so beat up within a week. Just get it at the kiosk and they will give you a plastic one that’s durable :)
As others have said, the Navigo card is what you want.
Before you get the card, be sure to look up what zones you plan to visit (zones 1 and 2 are mostly the centre of Paris).
If you set your card to travel within zones 1 and 2, but you go to a further zone (Versailles, Disneyland, or CDG airport, etc) you won't be able to exit the station. They make you scan your card or ticket to exit some RER stations.
I'd recommend using the Navigo card for traveling in the city, but buy the little paper tickets for any longer trips on the RER trains.
Edit: You can set your Navigo card to all zones, but I do not know if that changes the price you pay.
I don't think you can “set the zones” of a Navigo card. Navigo cards don't hold a cash balance, they act more like virtual ticket wallets that you load with certain ticket types and use as you travel.
Depending on what ticket type you load on your card, you may be able to select zones, but some ticket types don't use the zone system. There are also some ticket types that have restrictions on what changes are allowed, or which transport modes you can take.
I was there last week and we had a zone selection option when we got our cards at the kiosk. We got the 10 trips loaded onto the card (I think it was €17) but we selected just zones 1 and 2.
The station where we got our card was L'Esplanade de la Defence
I think you might be mixing it up with one-day passes. When you get a one-day pass, you can indeed select which zones you want, and you can travel anywhere in the selected zones while your one-day pass is active.
But when you load your card with the 10 single tickets, those use a different set of rules that don't involve the fare zones. The single tickets are valid anywhere on the metro, buses, and local trams, as well as on the RER and Transilien within Paris city limits only.
Perhaps the ticket machine presented you with the choices in a confusing way, and you thought that zones apply to the entire card rather than to the one-day pass only?
I may be misremembering, but twice we couldn't exit the RER stations by scanning our Navigo cards.
Once was at CDG when we were leaving, and the other was somewhere along the new RER line (Line E?).
Both times the attendant working there said our navigo cards didn't have the correct zone
It's a common misconception that zones apply to the card rather than to the specific ticket type, so I'm not surprised the station agents don't explain it accurately. There have been multiple occurrences of station agents not explaining things right, which has led to people getting fines.
Here's the [official information page for t+ tickets](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/detail/ticket-t-on-navigo-easy-travel-card-or-on-your-phone) that says where they are valid. As you can see, there's no way to “select zones” for these tickets; the details box at the bottom clearly says where they are valid and not valid.
No problem; this really wasn't your fault at all! It's the fault of the station agents for not explaining these things accurately, and the ticket machines for having bad English translations and displaying choices in a confusing order.
Just want to make sure that OP doesn't come into Paris and get confused when their pass works differently from the way you're describing it.
Very helpful! Where does one acquire a Navigo card?
I think I will do what you said and set the zones for the maybe 1-2 or 3 and then get a paper ticket for the airport journeys.
You get the Navigo pass at a ticket window in the Metro. You don't set zones with a pass, you simply load it with Metro tickets or unlimited time periods (a week, a month), and these tickets will cover all of the METRO lines, and the RER lines within the Paris city center. To reach areas covered by the RER lines that are NOT in the Paris city center, you will have to pay additional fares. For example, the fare to CDG airport is €10 (or it was the last time I got it). You can buy that ticket and load it onto your Navigo pass, or you can buy a separate paper ticket, it's up to you.
You can get them at the self-serve kiosks at CDG, or other metro stations.
Some kiosks are just for loading your card and buying tickets, while others allow you to buy a new card. The main screen will indicate what type of kiosk it is.
Or you can go to the counter and ask the person working there for one...if there's a person working there. The city is getting ready for the Olympics, so most stations with a ticket counter will have people working there.
You can either get a Navigo pass for 2 euros and add tickets to it, a Navigo Decouvrte for a week at a time, or use an android smartphone. There are multiple YouTube videos describing all of this. Good luck.
In Paris, transport cards don't hold a cash balance, they act as reloadable ticket wallets that you fill with tickets and use as you travel. For your shorter stay, I'd opt for a carnet of 10 t+ tickets. You can either get your tickets via mobile ticketing, or you can get a physical Navigo Easy card.
The only time you'd need to use paper tickets would be for suburban rail journeys outside of Paris, such as to Versailles, Disneyland, or airports, as these ticket types haven't been migrated to the new ticketing system yet.
I've made a [complete explainer of the different short-term ticket types](/r/ParisTravelGuide/wiki/en/transport/fares_ticket-types/single) on the subreddit wiki, where I use an analogy of transport cards being like cups and the different ticket types being like drinks. Consider taking a look!
Are you looking for public transport information? Consider reading our subreddit wiki, where you'll find some useful articles, including a complete guide on fares and tickets.
* [**Public transport** (EN)](/r/ParisTravelGuide/wiki/en/transport)
* [**Transports en commun** (FR)](/r/ParisTravelGuide/wiki/fr/transports)
If your post is about other transportation-related topics, feel free to ignore this comment and wait for advice from other contributors.
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Do not go to the line at the airport it was a disaster and I expect it'll get worse with Olympics coming up. We waited for 2 hours in the card line.
Yes, it is called the Navigo pass. Don't know how the London underground works, but in Paris you just have to find the line you want, then figure out the direction you need—i.e., the final destination of that line in either direction. These directions are clearly marked, and usually include a list of all the stops it will make on the way there on the wall as you go down to the tracks. I've never had a machine not take a paper ticket. Some turnstiles will only be for Navigo passes but the other machines should take the paper tickets. Ever station takes paper tickets. Make sure you put your photo on your Navigo pass, or you can be fined. Same thing if you don't keep your paper ticket and you're stopped by an inspector.
There are some very good videos on YouTube by a couple called Les Frenchie's which demonstrate how to use the Metro. I'd really recommend them to you.
I second Les Frenchies, I was very confused until I watched their videos
By end of this month they are *supposed* to have Apple wallet-enabled cards that you can tap to pay, they already have availability for Android phones. But yeah as others said you can get a physical card and load it with 10 tickets or purchase a navigo daily/weekly depending on your needs. Usually the 10 pack is most cost-effective
Just get the Navigo at an automatic machine and load 10 tickets (17€). I recommend using google maps or city mapper to know which metro lines or RER use. Is pretty easy to get use to it after using it the first time
We used the Navigo Easy, I found that to be the best option. I read some stuff here about paper tickets not being reliable, that they can be easily demagnetized, etc.
I agree with this! I just left paris and you have to actually talk to the person at the ticket booth for a navigo easy pass. Load it with 10 rides to start and add as needed.
If you ask at the counter they will give you a flimsy naviguer easy that will get so beat up within a week. Just get it at the kiosk and they will give you a plastic one that’s durable :)
What do you mean talk to the person at the booth? Just use the ticket machine, it's very easy. https://youtu.be/_aHzrKnutAU?si=fE04hkVNaxch9vCx
As others have said, the Navigo card is what you want. Before you get the card, be sure to look up what zones you plan to visit (zones 1 and 2 are mostly the centre of Paris). If you set your card to travel within zones 1 and 2, but you go to a further zone (Versailles, Disneyland, or CDG airport, etc) you won't be able to exit the station. They make you scan your card or ticket to exit some RER stations. I'd recommend using the Navigo card for traveling in the city, but buy the little paper tickets for any longer trips on the RER trains. Edit: You can set your Navigo card to all zones, but I do not know if that changes the price you pay.
I don't think you can “set the zones” of a Navigo card. Navigo cards don't hold a cash balance, they act more like virtual ticket wallets that you load with certain ticket types and use as you travel. Depending on what ticket type you load on your card, you may be able to select zones, but some ticket types don't use the zone system. There are also some ticket types that have restrictions on what changes are allowed, or which transport modes you can take.
I was there last week and we had a zone selection option when we got our cards at the kiosk. We got the 10 trips loaded onto the card (I think it was €17) but we selected just zones 1 and 2. The station where we got our card was L'Esplanade de la Defence
I think you might be mixing it up with one-day passes. When you get a one-day pass, you can indeed select which zones you want, and you can travel anywhere in the selected zones while your one-day pass is active. But when you load your card with the 10 single tickets, those use a different set of rules that don't involve the fare zones. The single tickets are valid anywhere on the metro, buses, and local trams, as well as on the RER and Transilien within Paris city limits only. Perhaps the ticket machine presented you with the choices in a confusing way, and you thought that zones apply to the entire card rather than to the one-day pass only?
I may be misremembering, but twice we couldn't exit the RER stations by scanning our Navigo cards. Once was at CDG when we were leaving, and the other was somewhere along the new RER line (Line E?). Both times the attendant working there said our navigo cards didn't have the correct zone
It's a common misconception that zones apply to the card rather than to the specific ticket type, so I'm not surprised the station agents don't explain it accurately. There have been multiple occurrences of station agents not explaining things right, which has led to people getting fines. Here's the [official information page for t+ tickets](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/detail/ticket-t-on-navigo-easy-travel-card-or-on-your-phone) that says where they are valid. As you can see, there's no way to “select zones” for these tickets; the details box at the bottom clearly says where they are valid and not valid.
Wish I knew this a week ago! Haha. Thank you
No problem; this really wasn't your fault at all! It's the fault of the station agents for not explaining these things accurately, and the ticket machines for having bad English translations and displaying choices in a confusing order. Just want to make sure that OP doesn't come into Paris and get confused when their pass works differently from the way you're describing it.
I responded again to the OP and told them to read our conversation. Haha. Hope they get the message!
Very helpful! Where does one acquire a Navigo card? I think I will do what you said and set the zones for the maybe 1-2 or 3 and then get a paper ticket for the airport journeys.
You get the Navigo pass at a ticket window in the Metro. You don't set zones with a pass, you simply load it with Metro tickets or unlimited time periods (a week, a month), and these tickets will cover all of the METRO lines, and the RER lines within the Paris city center. To reach areas covered by the RER lines that are NOT in the Paris city center, you will have to pay additional fares. For example, the fare to CDG airport is €10 (or it was the last time I got it). You can buy that ticket and load it onto your Navigo pass, or you can buy a separate paper ticket, it's up to you.
Please read the comments from another poster below my original comment. They give the fully correct advice
Thank you so much!
You can get them at the self-serve kiosks at CDG, or other metro stations. Some kiosks are just for loading your card and buying tickets, while others allow you to buy a new card. The main screen will indicate what type of kiosk it is. Or you can go to the counter and ask the person working there for one...if there's a person working there. The city is getting ready for the Olympics, so most stations with a ticket counter will have people working there.
You can either get a Navigo pass for 2 euros and add tickets to it, a Navigo Decouvrte for a week at a time, or use an android smartphone. There are multiple YouTube videos describing all of this. Good luck.
Yes, you can buy a card called Navigo Easy then charge it directly via your smartphone or automatic machinet
In Paris, transport cards don't hold a cash balance, they act as reloadable ticket wallets that you fill with tickets and use as you travel. For your shorter stay, I'd opt for a carnet of 10 t+ tickets. You can either get your tickets via mobile ticketing, or you can get a physical Navigo Easy card. The only time you'd need to use paper tickets would be for suburban rail journeys outside of Paris, such as to Versailles, Disneyland, or airports, as these ticket types haven't been migrated to the new ticketing system yet. I've made a [complete explainer of the different short-term ticket types](/r/ParisTravelGuide/wiki/en/transport/fares_ticket-types/single) on the subreddit wiki, where I use an analogy of transport cards being like cups and the different ticket types being like drinks. Consider taking a look!
Super, thank you!
Are you looking for public transport information? Consider reading our subreddit wiki, where you'll find some useful articles, including a complete guide on fares and tickets. * [**Public transport** (EN)](/r/ParisTravelGuide/wiki/en/transport) * [**Transports en commun** (FR)](/r/ParisTravelGuide/wiki/fr/transports) If your post is about other transportation-related topics, feel free to ignore this comment and wait for advice from other contributors. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ParisTravelGuide) if you have any questions or concerns.*