Getting around Paris: public transport, passes and taxis

Paris is small and dense. Most trips inside the city are 15–30 minutes door to door on the Metro, and many are faster on foot than underground. Buy a rechargeable Navigo Easy card or a day pass instead of paper single tickets, which cost more per ride and are easy to lose.

Use the RER only for longer hops: airports, Disneyland Paris, Versailles and La Défense. Buses are slower but you see the city and they run above ground, which helps if stairs are a problem. Taxis and apps make sense late at night, with luggage, or when you are crossing the city at rush hour.

The Metro has 16 lines and stations every few hundred metres in the centre. Trains run from about 05:30 to 01:15, with later service on Friday and Saturday nights. Signage is good, but interchanges can be long: Châtelet–Les Halles and Montparnasse–Bienvenüe are the two to avoid with heavy bags.

The RER is a faster suburban network that crosses the city underground. RER A, B and D are useful inside Paris, but check the destination board: some branches skip central stations. RER B serves both CDG and, via Orlyval, Orly. RER C is the one for Versailles.

The old paper carnet is gone. The current system is a rechargeable Navigo Easy card (buy at a machine or ticket office, small deposit) loaded with single rides, or a Navigo Jour day pass. A single ride covers the Metro, RER inside zone 1, buses, trams and the Montmartre funicular within about two hours of validation, including transfers.

The Navigo Semaine weekly pass runs Monday to Sunday and is only worth it if your stay covers most of a week. Visitors can load it onto a Navigo Easy or a phone. Zone 1–5 covers the airports and Versailles; zone 1–3 is enough for the city and immediate suburbs.

Buses use the same ticket and are the best option when you want to see the city or avoid stairs. They are slower in traffic, especially on the grands boulevards at rush hour. The PC lines circle the city edge; lines 69 and 38 pass major sights.

Vélib' Métropole is the city bike-share scheme, with stations every few hundred metres and electric bikes for hills. Short rides are free or cheap with a day pass; longer rides cost more. Paris has added protected lanes along many riverside and boulevard routes, and riding is realistic for confident cyclists. Walking is often the fastest way between nearby sights: the Louvre to Notre-Dame is about 25 minutes on foot.

Official taxis are metered, with a flag fall of about €4–5, higher rates at night and on weekends, and a supplement for a fourth passenger or extra luggage. From the airports, use the official ranks and fixed-fare zones rather than accepting a ride from someone approaching you inside the terminal.

Uber, Bolt and similar apps work across Paris and often cost less than a taxi outside peak hours, but surge pricing at night and in the rain can push fares above the meter. Pick-up points are sometimes set away from the door, so check the app map. For short central trips in traffic, the Metro is usually faster.

A day of sightseeing inside Paris on public transport is roughly €5–12 per person depending on how many rides you take and whether you buy a day pass. Airport runs are the big single cost: about €11.80 by RER, more by taxi or app. Bikes and walking are the cheapest ways to cover short distances.

Buy and load a Navigo Easy card on day one; it saves money and avoids ticket-machine queues. Keep tickets until you exit, because inspectors work the exits as well as the platforms. If you are staying outside the centre, check which zone your accommodation is in before choosing a pass.

At rush hour (about 07:30–09:30 and 17:30–19:30) the core lines are packed; walk or wait 20 minutes if you can. Late at night, use official taxis or apps rather than walking through empty parks and underpasses. For airport specifics, see the airport transfer page.