The Metro

You are coming to Paris. How are you getting around? Sure, you could rent a car and drive everywhere and deal with traffic and parking. Perhaps you will rent a Velib? More likely you will take the train from CDG or Orly into Paris and then take the metro for your daily outings.

Tickets bought to/from the airport are for IMMEDIATE use only. You cannot buy a aller/retour (round trip), you can only buy a billet simple (one way ticket). The one way ticket is for immediate use only and costs 9.50€.

First, you will need to know where to buy tickets, how to buy ticket, how many, etc. You can purchase tickets (billets) from a person at the ticket counter at the airport (look for Ile-de-France which is intercity, not Grands Lignes which is train tickets outside of Paris). Or if you have change, you can buy tickets from the green automatic machine.

But first, I recommend you look at the ticket packages available. If you are in Paris for a week or more I suggest you spend 5€ and purchase a Navigo Pass. This is valid for one week from Monday to Sunday only. It costs 19.50€ for the week for zones 1 and 2 and allows unlimited journeys. If you are staying for 10 days, you can also buy a day pass for the days you will travel a lot. Or if you are planning on a few trips only, you could get a carnet of 10 tickets for 13.30€. A carnet is also useful if you are in Paris only a few days. Also, be aware if you are staying outside of zones 1 and 2. Metro tickets cost more from zones 3 to 5.

When you are using the RER from the airport and/or any RER within Paris (Lines A through E) you will need to keep you ticket and pass it through the turnstile again to get out.

There is a funny little thing about metro tickets. They say you can re-use your same metro ticket if you are getting back on the metro within an hour and a half. I call BS as I have only seen this work once.

Navigo Pass

Metro ticket front (up)

Metro ticket back (down)

How to use a metro ticket or a Navigo pass, please listen closely. Stick the metro ticket picture side up, magnetic strip down, in the little slot of the turnstile. The Navigo Pass, pass it over the purple magnetic reader on the turnstile. Now go! Do not dilly dally, once you have put in your ticket or passed your Navigo, push right through because if you are not fast enough it will lock. You cannot re-pass your Navigo for another 15 minutes and your metro ticket is as good as used. Keep your ticket in the event the train security is doing a control for ticket use. If you do not have your ticket, did not pass your Navigo, or jumped over the turnstile, you will have to pay a 5€ fine.

Next you will need to know how to use the metro. Please, do a tutorial or familiarize yourself with the metro before you get on. Let’s do a quick tutorial now. Take out your metro map. Good. Locate which metro stop you are closest to; I am closest to Gare de l’Est. Let’s go to the Eiffel Tower. How are we going to get there? There are a number of different ways, but I would choose this: Take the Line 4 (dark purple) in the direction of Montrouge (it used to be Porte d’Orleans, but they added a new stop to the end, which is Montrouge). We will take the 4 to St. Michel and transfer to the RER C (a thick yellow line, NOT Line 1) in the direction towards Versailles. You will get off at Champs de Mars Tour Eiffel. If you want to be super savy or are dependant on a GPS like my brother, you can also download the RATP app on your smartphone and enter in an address, station, or whatever and it will get you where you want. Et voila!

One final note, when there is a lot of people, be patient, be safe. Don’t be like these guys…