Paris has great public transport, but for tourists it can confusing to figure out which tickets and passes you need, how to buy them and how to get the best price.
Well, we’ve done all the research for you – so you can just focus on planning out your Parisian adventure.
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What’s the Best Paris Navigo Travel Pass for Tourists?
There are many different options when it comes to travel passes and public transport tickets in Paris. But what even is a Navigo card? And is it the only way to get around Paris on public transport?
The best Paris travel pass for you will depend on your specific plans – whether you like to cover 10,000s of steps on foot, or you prefer to zip all over on metros, buses and trams to see as many sights as possible.
Whatever your sighseeing style, we’re going to run you through everything you need to know.
What ticket types and travel passes are available for tourists in Paris?
As a tourist or visitor, you’ll be most interested in these ticket types:
- Single journey ticket
- 1 day pass
- 2, 3 or 5 day pass
- Week pass
- Airport ticket (standard tickets don’t include Orly or Roissy Charles de Gaulle airports)
We’re going to run through the main aspects of these passes for you in this article.
Single Journey Tickets
There are two types of digital ticket for single journeys on Paris public transport – it depends which modes of transport you are using.
You can get digital tickets either on your smartphone or a reloadable card, called a Navigo Pass.
Paper tickets (which were known as t+ tickets or boarding tickets) aren’t sold anymore.
Metro-Train-RER ticket
€2.50
This is a digital ticket, valid for a single journey.
You can use it on the metro in all zones, as well RER regional trains in Île-de-France (the region Paris belongs to). The only exception is if you’re travelling to or from one of Paris’ airports – then there’s a specific one you have to buy (more on that later).
This ticket includes connections as long as they are within 2 hours of when you first used the ticket. You must to stick to the same means of transport though – so you can swap metro to metro but not metro to train, for example.
Bus-Tram ticket
€2
This is a digital ticket, valid for a single journey.
You can use it on the bus or tram in all zones.
This ticket includes connections as long as they are within 1 hour 30 mins of when you first used the ticket. You can swap between buses and trams during a single journey.
How to buy and use a digital ticket
You can either buy digital tickets in one of Paris’ public transport apps, or get your hands on a reloadable card, called a Navigo Pass.
Smartphone
- To use your smartphone to travel around Paris, you’ll need to download one of Paris’ public transport apps
- You can use either the Bonjour RATP app (RATP is the operator of the network) or the Île-de-France Mobilités app (IDFM is the public authority that covers the wider region)
- Buy the single tickets you want in the app. You can pay for these using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay, or with a Visa or Mastercard card
- Use your phone to touch in and out on your journey
Navigo Easy Pass
- If you prefer to use a transport pass rather than your phone, then get a Navigo Pass
- There are different types of Navigo Pass, depending on which type of ticket you’re buying. For single digital tickets, you’ll need a Navigo Easy Pass to load them on to
- You can pick up a Navigo Easy for €2 at ticket counters and ticket machines at stations, and some corner shops (look for the ‘tabac’ sign)
- Load it up with the single tickets you want – you can do this at ticket counters and machines, corner shops or on your smartphone
- Use your Navigo Easy Pass to touch in and out on your journey
SMS boarding ticket
€2.50
This is an SMS ticket, valid for a single journey.
It’s just for use on the bus. It’s valid for one hour, and you can’t make any connections.
How to buy and use an SMS ticket
When you see the bus approaching your stop, you should text 93100 with the word bus and the route number in this format: Bus29.
You’ll receive an SMS reply which is your ticket, that you show to the driver.
The cost of the ticket will be added to your phone bill. If your phone tariff doesn’t include unlimited SMS in France, then you may be charged for the cost of the SMS as well.
If you have trouble downloading the Paris transport apps or creating an account in your home country, wait till you get to France. We’ve accessed them fine from the UK, and they appear to work without issues across Europe too.
Apple and Android phones work slightly differently when it comes to the payment technology – the IDFM website has more info on getting around with your Android phone or iPhone.
Can I use contactless on the Paris metro?
You can’t use a contactless payment card directly from your smartphone wallet to pay for journeys on the Paris metro.
The way to touch in and out with your phone is to get digital tickets on one of the public transport apps (Bonjour RATP or IDF Mobilités) which work with NFC technology.
1 Day Pass
If you’re doing a lot of travelling by public transport in Paris, then you might want to consider a transport pass that’s valid for multiple journeys.
If you’re looking for a ticket that will cover all your transport for one day, you have a couple of options:
Navigo Day Pass
€12
The Navigo Day Pass gets you unlimited travel in all zones – although importantly it excludes any journeys that include an airport.
You can get a Navigo Day Pass in the RATP or IDFM transport apps, or on your Navigo Easy Pass.
Have you sorted your Paris accommodation yet? I’ve put together a list of my top hotels in Paris, which you can check out here. My personal pick is Mob Hotel, a 3 star hotel on the northern edge of the city. One of my favourite hacks is to stay somewhere nicer a bit further out – as long as you’re near a metro or bus stop, you can still navigate the city very easily.
Paris Visite 1-day Pass
€29.90
Somewhat confusingly, there’s another day pass you can buy – which costs over twice as much!
Paris Visite is a travel pass aimed at tourists, and is available as a 1, 2, 3 or 5 day ticket. It’s just for travel, and doesn’t include entrance to any attractions.
It covers you for unlimited travel in Paris and the wider Île-de-France region, including the airports, as well as Disneyland Paris and the Palace of Versailles.
Even though this pass is designed for tourists, it can work out more expensive than buying just the tickets you need – so you’ll need to think about exactly where you plan to go during your stay to figure out if it’s a good option for you.
Your can get the Paris Visite Pass (also called the Paris Tour Package) on a physical Navigo Easy Pass, or on your smartphone via the transport apps.
2, 3 and 5 Day Pass
You can also get a Paris Visite card for 2, 3 or 5 days.
It’s quite spendy though, so probably only makes sense for you if you’re doing a shed load of sightseeing, and/ or travelling to Disneyland, Versailles or an airport.
Bear in mind that a Navigo Day Pass costs €12, so if you’re just going to be travelling within central Paris, you could always buy several day passes to get you around the city for a reasonable price.
Paris and the Île-de-France region | Adult |
|---|---|
1 days | €29.90 |
2 days | €44.45 |
3 days | €62.30 |
5 days | €76.25 |
Still planning your Paris trip?
If you’re curious about what I like to see and do when I’m in Paris, take a look at my 3-day Paris itinerary, tips on how to save money and the best things to do for every budget.
Navigo Weekly Pass
If you’re in Paris for a week and you want to have the run of the place, there isn’t actually a straightforward 7-day ticket. But stay with us, we’ll talk you through your choices!
Navigo Weekly Pass
There’s a digital weekly ticket – the Navigo Week Pass – which costs €31.60. BUT the tricky thing is it’s only valid from Monday to Sunday.
So if your trip falls within those days – great! But let’s say your stay is from a Wednesday to a Tuesday – well then then there’s no dedicated 7-day pass that would cover you for the whole time.
Depending on how much you plan to travel, it could still be worth getting it – even if it only covers a portion of your trip.
Navigo Weekly on your smartphone app
You can get a Navigo Week Pass on the Bonjour RATP and IDF Mobilités transport apps. You just need to upload a passport-style photo when you apply.
We signed up for this no problem as UK residents, but we’ve read some reports online that people have had issues. If that’s you, you can try waiting until you arrive in France – or Europe.
If it your phone still won’t co-operate once you arrive, or you just prefer using a separate pass to touch in and out, then you’ll need to get a Navigo Discovery Pass.
Navigo Weekly on the Navigo Découverte Pass (Navigo Discovery Pass)
To get the Navigo Week Pass on a physical travel pass, you’ll need the Navigo Discovery Pass. It’s also known as the Navigo Découverte. This is because you can’t put a Week Pass on a Navigo Easy.
The Navigo Discovery Pass costs €5 and you can get it at ticket counters and some shops. You’ll need a physical passport-style photo to get it.
It’s made up of the travel pass and an accompanying card which has your photo on it – you have to carry them both with you in order for the pass to be valid for travel.
And somewhat confusingly, the only ticket types you can put on a Discovery Pass are Day, Week, Month and Paris Visite Passes.
So if you’re getting another ticket type during your stay, like an airport ticket, you’ll need to put it on a Navigo Easy Pass – or buy it online in the apps.
Airport Tickets
Paris’ two airports – Orly Airport or Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport – are served by public transport, but you can’t use a standard ticket to travel to them.
What ticket do I need for getting to the airport in Paris?
You’ll need a special type of ticket that explicitly includes travel to or from the Paris airports. This is either a dedicated ticket for the metro, shuttle or train, or a dedicated bus ticket.
Paris Region Airports Ticket
€13
You can use the Paris Region Airports Ticket for:
- Travel to Orly airport on metro line 14, and the OrlyVal shuttle
- Travel to CDG airport on the RER B regional train
- Express tram lines T11, T12 and T13
You can get this ticket either on one of the apps on your phone, or on a Navigo Easy Pass.
Note that you can’t have a Paris Region Airport Ticket AND a single Metro-Train-RER ticket on the same pass at the same time.
RoissyBus ticket
€13
This is an in-app ticket, that you can buy for a direct bus from Opéra to CGD airport.
These days, I am all about the RATP app when I visit Paris and honestly, it’s a welcome change from the tiny paper tickets which I was always scared I’d lose somewhere on my journey – those Parisian ticket inspectors take no prisoners!!
I love that you can use Apple Pay so that I can load a ticket onto my phone mere seconds before I head to the metro. It’s also really handy for getting a bus, as I no longer need to find a paper ticket before I get on!
FAQs: Tickets and Navigo Travel Passes For Paris Public Transport
Is Navigo Easy worth it?
It depends. If you’re used to using your smartphone to touch in and out for travel, then don’t bother getting a physical Navigo Easy pass – just download one of the transport apps and get digital tickets straight to your phone.
However if you prefer to have a separate physical ticket for transport, and avoid getting your phone out to touch in for journeys, then buy a physical Navigo Easy at an airport, train station or corner shop (tabac).
Can tourists buy Navigo Découverte (Navigo Discovery Pass)?
Yes, tourists can buy a Navigo Découverte pass – this is the physical card you need if you want a Navigo Weekly Pass on a physical card.
If you’re happy with a digital ticket, then just get a Navigo Weekly Pass on either the RATP or IDFM apps – and skip the Discovery pass.
Do I need a specific ticket for CDG airport?
Yes, you need something called a Paris Region Airports Ticket for travel to or from CDG airport on the RER B regional train.
You can get this ticket either on one of the Paris transport apps on your phone, or on a Navigo Easy Pass.
Just remember that a Navigo Easy Pass can’t hold a Paris Region Airport Ticket AND a single Metro-Train-RER ticket on it at the same time. So if you need both at once, you’ll either need a second Navigo Easy Pass, or buy the digital tickets in one of the Paris public transport apps on your smartphone.
Do I need a specific ticket for Orly airport?
It depends. For a single journey to or from Orly airport, you need a Paris Region Airports Ticket – which gets you a trip on the OrlyVal shuttle or Metro line 14.
You can get this ticket either on one of the Paris transport apps on your phone, or on a Navigo Easy Pass.
However, if you get a Navigo Weekly Pass for all zones, then it covers you for the metro all the way to Orly, so you don’t need an additional airport ticket. It doesn’t work on OrlyVal though, so if that’s what you’re taking you’ll still need to buy the airport ticket.
The Best Travel Passes For Paris Public Transport Explained
We hope you have a fab time in Paris, and that this article has helped you figure out which public transport tickets are best for your trip.
From single tickets to weekly passes, depending on how long you’re staying and how you like to get around when you’re there, there’s a ticket that’s just right for your journey. Enjoy!
