If you want to save money while visiting Paris, do you plan to use the Paris Metro subway? After all, it’s the most affordable and efficient way to get around the City of Lights. Indeed, by using Paris subway trains, you’ll avoid the traffic congestion and delays you would experience by using a rental car, taxi, or rideshare. Moreover, with the Summer Olympics happening this year in Paris, you can expect more traffic than usual. Public transportation is the best way to travel and lets you see some of the world’s most famous attractions. So, whether you need a refresher or are new to riding the subway, this guide will help you travel throughout the capital city of France.
Tips on Using the Paris Metro Subway
How to Read a Subway Map
Reading a Paris Metro map should be easy if you are familiar with subway maps like New York or London. However, if you have little or no experience riding subway trains, you should understand the Metro map. While viewing a Paris Metro map might seem overwhelming, it can get easier the more you ride the subway. All you would need to know are the route numbers, the color codes, and the direction of travel.
Paris Metro Routes, Color Identifiers, Direction and Zones
The Paris Metro system comprises 14 color-coded routes and five regional express routes. For example, Route 2 is blue, while Route 4 is purple. In addition, there are tram routes, although you might not have to use this form of public transportation. When you’re in Paris, you’ll probably not use all 14 routes to help you get around. You might use about five routes, depending on where you’re staying. As for zones, you may just be using the subway in zone 1, although you’d have to pay a higher fare if you travel outside zone 1, like Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland Paris, or the Palace of Versailles.
Related: Riding the Subway to Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt
Tickets and Fares
The base fare on a single ride onboard a Paris Metro train with same-direction transfers is €2.10 ($2.26). In other words, you would pay this single ride fare each time you want to take a subway line and its connecting lines. However, passes like the Paris Visite Pass and Navigo Pass can help you save money on rides. Regarding the Paris Visite, a pass can be valid for 1, 2, 3, or 5 consecutive days and starts at €13.95 for adults. On the other hand, you must ride subway trains at least seven times a day to make that pass worthwhile. If you plan to be in Paris for seven days or longer, a better value is the Navigo weekly or monthly pass, starting at Ï26.80 weekly. Of course, there are discounts for children ages 4 to 10 and older riders. Please note that Paris Metro fares will increase substantially during the 2024 Summer Olympics. From July 20 to September 8, 2024, regular fare will rise from €2.10 to €4 ($4.34). This is meant to offset the cost of increasing and maintaining service during the Olympic Games. Similarly, the Paris 2024 Pass will rise to m €16 ($17.35) per day.
How to Pay for Fare
Tickets can be purchased at Paris Metro vending machines via smartphone or SMS. In addition, some retailers and the official Paris tourism office sell these passes. While your smartphone is convenient for fare payment, please remember your phone’s battery usage. If you’d like to see your ticket options, you can visit the official Paris Metro website.
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Sample Itineraries
Arc de Triomphe to Lourve
If you are starting from the Arc de Triomphe and want to visit the Lourve Museum, you must take one subway line. First, you must find the Charles de Gaulle – Étoile station, near the Arc and the Champs-Élysées. Once inside the Paris Metro station, looking for where Route 1 departs would be best. However, you must also know the directions to reach the Louver. In this case, you would find Route 1 via Chateau de Vincennes rather than via La Defense in the opposite direction. In other words, Chateau de Vincennes and La Defense represent the endpoints of Route 1. You then would get off at the Palais Royal-Musee Lourve station.
Arc de Triomphe to Eiffel Tower
When visiting Paris, you likely want to see many major attractions, like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. Fortunately, the city’s top attractions are within walking distance of a Paris Metro subway or RER station. As for getting to the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe, it’s pretty simple. From the Charles de Gaulle – Étoile Metro station, you must take the Green Line route 6. Since that station is one of the endpoints or terminus, you would take route six toward Nation. But don’t relax too long onboard, as your stop comes up shortly at Bir-Hakeim. From there, you would walk to the Eiffel Tower, one of the iconic landmarks of Paris.
Gare du Nord to Musee d’Orsay
The following itinerary shows how you can take a subway route and then transfer to a RER train to your destination. If you were starting at Gare du Nord train station and traveling to Musee d’Orsay, you first start with the purple line route 4. Traveling toward Bagneux Lucie Aubrac, you stay on route four until you reach the St-Michel station. From there, you must walk to the St-Michel Notre Dame RER station. At this RER station, you would take the yellow C line with three endpoints in the same direction. These endpoint stations are Pontoise, Versailles, or St-Quentin en-Yvelines. Fortunately, any of these three options stop at Musee d’Orsay station.
Related: How to Use the Tokyo Subway
Paris Opera House to Roland Garros Stadium
The incredible City of Lights will host several important events this year, including the Summer Olympics. However, there are annual events like the Tour de France and the French Open at Roland Garros Stadium. If you plan to visit the French Open, you can take public transportation, although it’s not nearly as difficult as it might seem. For example, starting at the Paris Opera House, you can take a direct line route nine from the Havre-Caumartin station to Roland Garros. However, it would be best if you remembered that the Havre-Caumartin station is further from the Opera House than the Opera Metro station. Yet by taking the mustard-colored route 9 line, you wouldn’t have to make a transfer. Please note that you will travel into Zone 2 to reach Roland Garros Stadium.
Concorde to Stade de France
Stade de France will be the primary venue for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in the St. Denis section of Paris. With this in mind, you can take public transportation to reach the country’s largest stadium. For example, starting from the Concorde station, you must walk 500 meters to the Saint Lazare station. You would then take the royal blue route 13 to the stadium from Saint Lazare, getting off at Saint-Denis-Porte de Paris. Another option that requires less walking from Concord is taking the Green Line Route 12 to Saint Lazare.
Related: Top 2024 Attractions in Tokyo
Trips Outside of Zone 1
Charles de Gaulle International Airport
Most major airlines will fly into Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport, although Orly Airport (ORY) does have international airlines. Either way, you can take a Paris Metro RER train into Paris. However, for CDG, you’ll travel through five zones to reach the heart of Paris and four zones for ORY. If you plan to travel primarily in Zone 1 during your visit, you should pay a separate fare from and to the airport. For CDG, the fare is €11.40 one way on the B line, and for ORY on the C line, it’s €14.50 to and from Paris.
Disneyland Paris
Instead of driving to Disneyland Paris, why not take a RER train? The RER red line A makes a direct connection from places like Charles de Gaulle, Chatelet Les Halles, and Gare de Lyon. However, when you arrive next to the last stop at Vincennes, ensure you’re on the RER train to Parcs Disneyland/Marne-la-Vallee. After leaving Vincennes, another RER A train goes in a different direction (Boissy-St-Leger).
Palace of Versailles
Like Disneyland Paris, you can take a RER train to the historic Palace of Versailles. Formerly the capital of France, Versailles is located in zone 4, about 10.5 miles southwest of Paris. Fortunately, you can take the RER yellow route C to the Versailles Chateau station. From there, it’s a brief walk to the entrance of the majestic palace. However, like Disneyland Paris, route C branches off in two different directions after the next to the last stop. To be clear, you must be on the Versailles line upon leaving the station at Viroflay Rive Gauche.
Safety at Paris Metro Stations and on Trains
Like any other major international city, you must know your whereabouts and belongings. As a general rule, walking through stations and riding on Paris Metro trains are considered to be safe. However, Paris does have many pickpockets that might try to steal your smartphone or other personal belongings. Moreover, many pickpockets operate in groups to distract and steal from you. If that’s not enough, many pickpockets are school-age children. To prevent theft of your valuables on the Paris Metro subway, please take safety measures, like money belts, anti-theft bags, and keeping everything close to your body.
Related: How to Get Around Downtown Toronto with Public Transportation
About the Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University and has nearly 25 years of experience in the transportation industry.
