Public transport in Paris

What types of public transport exist in Paris?

The public transport network in Paris and its region offers a variety of transport modes.

• The Metro: the Parisian subway or underground is a popular and rapid transit system for public commute in the city.
• Bus: less rapid, but there are still hundreds of bus stops throughout the city.
• RER: the RER is a rapid transit train that functions like the metro, but with significantly less stops, making it faster.
• Shuttle Busses: in Paris, shuttle buses connect the different airports to the city, but also different terminals at the airport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. See below for more information.
• Trams: the tram lines only run in the city’s outskirts and therefore visitors don’t usually take them.
• Car Sharing: Here is a list of labelled car sharing operators in Ile-de-France.
• Bicycles: You can use one of the many self-services Velib’ bike hire locations. Here you can find a map of these stations, as well as the number of bicycles currently available at each.

What are the operating hours of public transport?

• Metro and RER: stations open from 6:00 in the morning and close around 0:45 am during the week, and at 1:45 am during weekends.
• Bus: they generally run between 7:00 am and 12:30 am. Outside these hours, the Noctilien night bus network takes over to ensure continuity of service.

What are the available tickets and passes?

As a tourist, you can buy a “Pass Navigo Easy”. The pass costs 2 euros and allows you to load tickets for a journey on the metro, the RER train or the bus. There is no individual name on the pass, which means you can use it as a group.

Once you have the Navigo Pass, you can load single tickets on it : 2,55 euros for metro, train and RER, and 2,05 euros for bus and tram tickets.

Alternatively, tourists can opt for a Navigo 1-Day-Pass (12,30 euros a day) or Weekly Pass (32,40 euros), which will enable them to travel throughout the region.

How to buy tickets for public transport?

It is possible to buy tickets and passes:

• On the Île-de-France Mobilités app.
• At ticketing machines, ticket offices and counters in train stations, metro stations and airports. Here is a map of points of sale | Île-de-France Mobilités.
• Online for a delivery to your home address in their physical form.
• Directly with your bank card inside the bus or the metro.  However, this is a last-resort solution with higher fares than traditional tickets, for travellers who didn’t have time to buy a proper ticket.

Good to know: If you hop on a bus without a ticket, you can still buy one directly in cash from the bus driver or by credit card at the terminals provided inside the bus. The ticket will cost you 2,50 euros.

How accessible is the public transport system for tourists with disabilities or special needs?

All the bus lines, tramway carriages and stations and RER stations in Paris are accessible for disabled people.

Metro: 

29 Parisian metro stations are accessible to people in a wheelchair.

Line 14 is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility, from Orly airport to Saint-Denis Pleyel.

You can find lifts in service on Shared from elevators. (iledefrance-mobilites.fr)

There is a dedicated accessibility platform for Île-de-France, called INFOMOBI. It is both a call centre, available 7 days a week, from 7am to 10pm, at +33 09 70 81 83 85 (this number might be surcharged if you have a subscription with a foreign operator), and a centre providing personalised responses by email to any questions and requests for information relating to accessibility in Île-de-France.

RER (Assist’enGare):

100% of RER lines A and B are accessible, as well as all the train stations serving the Olympic venues.

Assist’enGare provides free assistance from a designated meeting point to your spot in the train or at RER stations in Paris.

To use this service, however, it is recommended to make a reservation 3 months before the date on which you plan to travel, either:

• Via Internet
• By phone from 8am – 8pm, at +33 09 72 72 00 92
• Via RogerVoice, for the deaf and hard-of-hearing travellers.

To find an accessible itinerary from start to finish and anticipate your needs, you can use this feature from “Île-de-France Mobilités” and tick the box “Find the routes suited to passengers in a wheelchair” under “Access facilities”: My journey | Île-de-France Mobilités

How can I plan my route in and around Paris?

You can use the official apps “Île-de-France Mobilités” or “Bonjour RATP” application. These apps include a route planner, current information on traffic and a ticketing module. They are useful for checking connections and viewing real-time service updates.

Who can help me navigate around public transportation in Paris?

Agents of SNCF, the national railway company, and agents of RATP, the company that operates public transport systems in Paris, can help you when you want to buy tickets or have a question about public transport.

In order to facilitate communication, these agents are equipped with translation devices. RATP and SNCF translation devices can respectively translate to 16 and 130 languages. You can either read the translated text on screen or listen to it via the device.

Are there alternatives to public transportation?

Yes, if you don’t wish to travel with the metro or the bus, you can consider renting a bike, a scooter or a car.

• Bike rentals: One of the most attractive and efficient alternatives is Paris’ extensive network of bike rentals and bike lanes. Velib is the easiest way to rent bikes in Paris. 40 percent of Velib bikes in the Paris metropolitan area are electric. It is easy to recognize the city bikes by their bright green colour. E-bikes, on the other hand, are blue. The best option is to buy your ticket in advance, available on velib-metropole.fr or with the Velib’ app. Alternatively, there are also pay stations on the street. The prices are based on renting duration and whether you choose a bike with or without electric assistance.
• Scooters: So called “free-floating” scooters are not available for rent in Paris. Since August 2023, almost the entire fleet of scooters in the public space has been removed. Nevertheless, it is still possible to rent an electric scooter from a physical store. Unlike with “free-floating” scooters, these must be returned within opening hours to the rental store. You will either pay an hourly or daily rate.
• Carsharing: check the list of certified car-sharing operators in Paris.
• Car-pooling: check the list of certified carpool companies in Paris.
• On-demand transport: it is a regional public service to meet the demand for mobility solutions for residents who live far from the existing transport offer.

How to plan a journey to/from the airport?

There are 3 airports in and around Paris: Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais.

You will find all the practical information for travelling to and from the different Paris airports on the following websites:

• Paris Airports transport | Transilien.
• Paris Aeroport Buy online services Transport to and from Paris airport.

Who can help me in case of a problem?

If you have a dispute with a French transport company that you can’t seem to settle, you can contact the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) body of the company you have an issue with. Here are some examples for public transport in France:

• For a problem with the RATP (metro, bus and tram), contact the RATP Group Mediator.
• For a problem with the SNCF (RER trains), contact the SNCF Consumer Mediator.

However, this solution is better suited for French residents.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.