How to Use Paris Metro: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Pick the €2.55 ticket for most metro rides

To use the Paris metro on most rides, you only need the Métro-Train-RER ticket, and here is how to use it. It costs €2.55 for adults and €1.30 at the reduced fare in 2026, according to Île-de-France Mobilités, the region's transport authority. One ticket takes you on the metro, the RER and regional trains. It also lets you change between them for two hours after you first tap in.

Two limits matter. The ticket doesn't cover buses or trams, which use a separate €2.05 Bus-Tram ticket. The ticket is also not valid for the airports, where you need the €14 Paris Region–Airports ticket. For rides above ground and other ways of getting around, read the wider guide to Paris uber and the rest of your options.

Key Takeaway Buy the €2.55 Métro-Train-RER ticket for the city, and the €14 airport ticket only for trips to Orly and Charles de Gaulle.

Step 2: Load your ticket on your phone or a Navigo Easy card

You load the ticket in the Île-de-France Mobilités app or on a Navigo Easy card. Only these two ways are listed on the ticket page to buy, and paper tickets are not offered there. The app stores tickets on your phone, and you can send them to a Navigo Easy card too.

The Navigo Easy card costs €2 at ticket offices. The card is not personal, so you can pass it to a friend between rides. The card holds up to 20 tickets of one kind, and also takes the day pass. If you plan to ride a lot, load several tickets at once so you don't queue again.

You can also tap a contactless bank card, but this is a back-up. The same transport authority says tap-to-pay is live on buses in Paris and the inner suburbs, and it reaches metro line 1 in July 2027. Lines 4, 14, 15 and 18 follow by the end of 2027, and lines 7 and 12 by the end of 2028. A metro ride paid this way costs €3.35, and it includes no changes.

To pay with your phone, load the ticket in the app and hold the phone on the reader. The operator pages list no other phone payment for the metro. They also give no date yet for bank cards on every line.

Step 3: Tap in at the gate and find your line

You tap in by holding your phone or card on the reader at the gate until it opens. Each ride starts with a tap, so have your phone ready or your card in hand before you reach the barrier.

Next, find your line. Each metro line has a number, and the signs name the end station in each direction. Pick the end station that lies beyond your stop. A station can serve several lines, so check the number as well as the name.

The Catacombs show how this works. The entrance is at 1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, next to Denfert-Rochereau station, and the site is closed on Mondays, according to the City of Paris. Get off at Denfert-Rochereau and walk to the entrance. Many visitors book ahead, for example the Catacombs entry ticket with audio guide, from €38 per person. For the full picture, see our page on catacombs tickets.

Pro Tip Look up your route before you go underground, because signal can drop on a platform. Write down the line number and the end station for each leg.

Should you ride to a walk or visit on your own? On your own, the €2.55 ticket is all you pay for the trip, and you set the pace. A guided walk adds a local guide and a fixed start time. The Marais walk is a small group. The Montmartre walk costs from €20 per person and the Marais walk from €15, and both have free cancellation. So a walk is a low-risk try if you want a guide, and going alone is better if you want to change plans on the day. The official ticket pages give no steps for a gate that does not open, so if that happens, ask a staff member at the station.

Step 4: How to use the Paris metro when you change lines and exit

You change lines by following the signs for the new line's number and end station, without tapping again. The €2.55 ticket allows changes between metro, RER and train for two hours after your first tap, as long as you stay inside the network. A change to a bus or tram needs a new ticket.

To get out of the station, follow the exit signs and use the street names shown on the signs to pick the right exit. At some stations the walk between two lines is long. Leave a few extra minutes if you have a timed ticket or a meeting point.

Public transport in a big city rewards the traveller who plans one ride ahead.

Works and closures change over the year. For example, the Île-de-France Mobilités works page lists metro line 8 skipping République station from July 2026 to April 2027, which can add a change to your route. Check your line before you leave.

Step 5: Compare single tickets with the day pass

A day pass beats single tickets once you ride more than a few times a day. The Navigo day pass covers all zones from 1 to 5, and the metro, RER, trains, trams and buses until the end of night service. The pass is not valid to the airports or on the Disney shuttles.

The numbers are simple. The 2026 2026 Paris Travel Cost Study found that the €12.30 Navigo day pass pays off from the fifth metro ride of the day, against single €2.55 tickets.

A day with a Montmartre morning, a museum, a dinner across town and a ride back easily reaches that count. A quiet day on foot does not. If you plan to walk most of the day, single tickets cost less. The pass can be bought on the same day or up to six days ahead.

Step 6: Ride late and keep your bag safe

You can ride late, but the last trains leave earlier than you might think. RATP lists the last metro trains reaching the end of the line at about 1:15 a.m., and about an hour later on Friday and Saturday nights. The first trains run from about 5:30 a.m. On those nights that is about 2:15 a.m. A train at your own station leaves earlier than the end-of-line time, so check the schedule for your line in the Bonjour RATP app or site before you rely on the last ride. RATP does not publish one last-train time for every station on the page we could read, so the line schedule is the only way to be sure.

The metro is a normal place to get pickpocketed. The UK government warns that thieves and pickpockets operate on the Paris Métro, on RER lines and at mainline stations, often in pairs, with one person distracting you. Carry your bag across your body, keep it closed and split your cards and cash between pockets.

One honest limit applies. This guide covers the central metro and the €2.55 ticket. It is not the right one for airport trips or long RER rides, which have their own tickets. Our figures also come from the operators' pages as read on 24 October 2026, and fares change each January.

Step 7: Use the metro to reach walking tour meeting points

The metro gets you to most walking tour meeting points, so a ticket and a few rides are all you need for a free or guided walk. Many walks start at a fixed spot, and the start point matters more than the line. Best Things to Do in Paris' count of GetYourGuide listings on 24 October 2026 found 558 of 658 Paris listings with no pickup, so you reach the start yourself on most of them. That is why the meeting point matters: be there on time, and allow for the ride.

Here is what to know before you book. The Montmartre walk lasts 140 minutes and has free cancellation. The Marais walk is a small group of about 1.5 hours with free cancellation. The Catacombs ticket is a one-hour visit with an audio guide, and it has no free cancellation. Each listing names who it is not suitable for, so read it first. We have no list of what each price leaves out, so check the listing page. Plan to pay for your metro ticket yourself. On trust, the Montmartre walk is run by Paris Tours Experiences and rated 4.9 from 2,872 reviews. Discover Walks runs the Marais walk, which is rated 4.7 from 642 reviews. GetYourGuide Tours & Tickets GmbH sells the Catacombs ticket, which is rated 4.6 from 12,417 reviews. These are the platform's own ratings, so treat them as a guide. Only the Marais listing calls its group small, and it gives no number.

Pick your walk, then look up the station nearest the meeting point before you leave. The Montmartre highlights walking tour is from €20 per person and meets at Place Saint-Pierre, 75018. Your €2.55 ticket also covers the Montmartre funicular, which saves the climb. The guided Marais walk is from €15 per person and starts at 10 Rue des Nonnains d'Hyères, 75004.

Prices and ratings are as shown on GetYourGuide on 24 October 2026. For more walks you can reach by metro, see these Paris free walking tour options.