The Paris Metro Guide: How to Use It Like a Local (2026)

The Paris Metro is one of the world's great transit systems — 14 lines, 308 stations, 2 million passengers a day, and almost everywhere in central Paris within a 5-minute walk of a station. It's also the fastest way to get around the city for distances over a 15-minute walk.

This guide covers everything a weekend visitor actually needs: tickets, fares, lines worth knowing, transfers, etiquette, and the small things that separate a confused tourist from someone who looks like they live there.

Tickets and fares (2026)

What we recommend

For a 2-day weekend with normal sightseeing: buy a Navigo Easy card (€2) + a 10-pack of t+ tickets (€17.35). Total €19.35, which covers about 10 Metro journeys — plenty for two days of moderate getting-around. Any unused tickets stay loaded on the card for your next trip.

If you'll do 4+ journeys per day: buy two Navigo Liberté day passes (€8.65 each, €17.30 total) — slightly cheaper than 10 individual tickets and unlimited.

If you're doing a Versailles or CDG day: buy the zones 1–5 day pass (€20.85) for that day specifically. It covers the whole journey on a single ticket.

Skip Paris Visite unless the attraction discounts genuinely match your plans — for most weekenders it's overpriced.

How to buy

• Ticket machines at every station. English language option clearly available; cards welcome (chip and PIN works best — American mag-stripe occasionally fails).
• The official RATP app (Bonjour RATP) sells t+ tickets directly to your phone — no card purchase needed if your phone has NFC.
• At the booth in larger stations if the machines are giving you trouble. Most agents speak basic English.

The t+ ticket is the standard fare — it covers a single Metro / RER / bus / tram journey within zones 1–2 (almost all of central Paris). It allows transfers within the Metro/RER system but not between Metro and bus.

Knowing which line to take

The 14 Metro lines are the workhorses. The 5 RER lines (A, B, C, D, E) are suburban express trains that double as fast cross-Paris connectors. For a weekend visitor, these are the lines that matter most:

The lines you'll actually use

Line 1 (yellow) — east-west, runs along the Champs-Élysées corridor through the Louvre, Châtelet, Hôtel de Ville and Bastille. The most useful single line for tourists. Driverless and reliable.

Line 4 (purple) — north-south through central Paris. Connects Gare du Nord (Eurostar arrival) to Châtelet, Saint-Michel and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The first line to ride if you've just arrived by Eurostar.

Line 6 (light green) — partly elevated, runs above ground past the Eiffel Tower (Bir-Hakeim station) and along the southern arrondissements. The Bir-Hakeim approach is a postcard view.

Line 14 (purple) — newest line (1998), driverless, fast. Runs from Saint-Lazare south to Olympiades. Less central but very efficient.

RER A (red) — east-west express. Used mostly to reach Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy) and La Défense. In central Paris, the same Châtelet–Les Halles → Auber stops are accessible on Metro lines 1 and 14 at a more leisurely pace.

RER B (blue) — north-south express. Connects CDG airport to Gare du Nord, Châtelet, Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame and Luxembourg. The airport line; see our CDG transfer guide.

RER C (yellow) — runs along the Seine, the line you'll take if you're going to Versailles (Versailles Château–Rive Gauche).

How to plan a journey

The official RATP app handles routing in real time, including disruptions and lift availability. Citymapper is also excellent in Paris and arguably better for visualising transfers. Google Maps works but is sometimes slower to update for closures.

A simple rule: if the route involves two or more transfers, walking part of it is often faster.

Transfers: knowing when to walk instead

Paris transfers are not always quick. Some are 30-second platform-to-platform; others involve 5–10 minutes of corridors and stairs. The big ones to know:

• Châtelet–Les Halles is one of the largest transfer stations in the world. Allow 10 minutes between any two distant lines. Avoid it if you can route around it.
• Saint-Lazare has long underground corridors between the SNCF station and the Metro lines. Allow 8 minutes from main-line train to Metro 14.
• Bastille has a relatively short transfer between lines 1, 5 and 8 — around 3 minutes.
• Concorde has a long walk between line 1 and lines 8 / 12 — closer to 5 minutes.

Rule of thumb: for journeys under 1.5 km, walking is faster than the Metro once transfer time and station entry/exit are factored in. The map's straight-line distance is misleading; the actual walking distance via Paris's streets is usually a touch shorter than the time the Metro suggests.

Etiquette: how to look like you live here

Small things signal you know what you're doing:

1. Stand on the right on escalators. Walking lane is on the left. The whole city operates on this rule and it's enforced by glares.
2. Let people off before you board. Push your way on and you get the same disgusted look every time.
3. Take your backpack off in crowded carriages. Keeping it on is considered both rude and pickpocket-friendly.
4. Move into the carriage interior. Hovering by the doors when there's space inside blocks people getting on and off.
5. Don't talk loudly on the phone. Parisians answer calls in lowered voices and step into the gangway between cars for longer conversations.
6. Greet the bus driver with "Bonjour" when boarding the bus. Not on the Metro, but mandatory on buses.

Pickpocket awareness

Paris's Metro pickpocket scene is real but not unique to Paris — every major-city Metro has it. The locations where you should be most alert:

• Lines 1, 4, and 9 at peak tourist hours
• RER B between CDG and central Paris (luggage = target)
• The escalators and corridors at major tourist stops — Châtelet, Concorde, Trocadéro, Tuileries, Opéra
• Anywhere the carriage is densely packed and someone is paying unusual attention to you

Practical defence: bag in front of you, fully zipped, valuables in inner pockets. Don't put bags on the seat next to you. Never accept "petitions" from someone with a clipboard — it's a distraction tactic. If someone bumps you and apologises effusively, check your pockets immediately.

If something is taken, file a report at the Police Préfecture (or any commissariat) within 48 hours — needed for insurance and for your bank to refund cards.

Lifts (elevators) and accessibility

Paris's Metro is one of the least accessible in Europe — most stations have stairs only. The newer lines (14, parts of 1) have lifts; the older ones don't. The RER stations are mostly equipped.

If you're traveling with luggage, a stroller, or mobility aids, plan around lift-equipped stations:

• Most accessible: Line 14 (every station has lifts), most RER stations, Châtelet–Les Halles, Madeleine, Concorde
• Least accessible: Lines 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11 — many stations are stairs-only with multiple flights

The Bonjour RATP app shows lift availability in real time. Buses are universally lift-equipped and a better option for accessibility-aware travel.

Practical scenarios

Just arrived at Gare du Nord on the Eurostar

Take Metro line 4 (purple, southbound) directly. Châtelet (5 stops) for central; Saint-Germain-des-Prés (8 stops) for the Left Bank. Or line 5 (orange) for Bastille and the eastern Marais.

Going to the Eiffel Tower

The closest Metros are Bir-Hakeim (line 6) for the south side / Champ de Mars approach and Trocadéro (lines 6 and 9) for the classic across-the-river photo. Bir-Hakeim is the better arrival for visiting the tower; Trocadéro for the view.

Going to Versailles

Take any Metro to a station on RER C (Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel, Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame, Musée d'Orsay, Invalides). Then RER C to Versailles Château–Rive Gauche. ~40 min from central Paris. €4.20 each way; cheapest with a zones 1–5 day pass if you're also going elsewhere that day.

Going to Disneyland

Take any Metro to a station on RER A (Châtelet–Les Halles, Auber, Charles de Gaulle–Étoile). Then RER A toward Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy. ~45 min from central Paris. See our Disneyland Paris guide.

Going to CDG airport

RER B northbound from Gare du Nord, Châtelet–Les Halles, Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame, or Luxembourg. €11.80, ~35 min. See our CDG transfer guide.

Late at night (after 00:40)

The Metro stops. Use:

• Noctilien night buses — 47 routes covering most of Paris and the suburbs, running roughly 00:30–05:30. Same t+ ticket validates.
• Bolt or Uber — typically €15–€30 within central Paris, plus surge on weekend nights
• Official taxis — flat rates apply only for airport runs; otherwise on the meter

Buses: the hidden good option

Paris's bus network is excellent but underused by tourists. Same fare as the Metro (€2.15 t+ ticket, validate when boarding). Slower than the Metro for long distances but a much nicer way to see the city.

Routes worth knowing:

• Bus 24: along the Seine — Madeleine to Bercy, hits Concorde, Tuileries, Pont Neuf and Notre-Dame
• Bus 38: north-south through the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain
• Bus 69: east-west covering the Eiffel Tower → Louvre → Marais → Père Lachaise corridor — possibly the single best free sightseeing route in Paris
• Bus 95: Montmartre to Montparnasse via the Opéra

Catch one above ground rather than going underground; you'll see far more of the city.

Vélib': the free-after-Metro option

Vélib' is Paris's bike-share. €5 for a 24-hour pass, €15 for a week. Each trip under 30 minutes is free; over 30 minutes adds €1 every additional 30 min. Just dock and re-borrow to keep going free.

Excellent for the Seine paths, Canal Saint-Martin, and the Bois de Vincennes. Less great in central traffic — the cycle lanes are getting better but still patchy. Wear a helmet (not provided).

A short list of things that confuse tourists

1. The metro logo is a yellow M with a green border for Métropolitain (the original Metropolitain railway). The blue RER sign means the suburban express. They're operated by different agencies (RATP for Metro/RER A and B; SNCF for some RER lines) but tickets are interoperable.
2. The same t+ ticket covers Metro, bus, tram and central RER. It does not cover transfers between Metro and bus on a single fare — buses need a fresh t+.
3. Validate your ticket before boarding at the orange machine. Failure to validate = €40+ fine if controlled, even with a valid ticket.
4. The Metro logo on a station entrance sometimes lights up red when service is disrupted, green when running. Look up before going down.
5. "Sortie" means exit, not entrance. "Correspondance" means transfer.

Apps to install before your trip

• Bonjour RATP — official, free, real-time disruptions and route planning
• Citymapper — better UI for transfer-heavy routes
• Google Maps — works but often a step behind on disruptions
• Bolt and Uber — for the after-Metro hours

Related guides

• The Ultimate Weekend in Paris Itinerary — when you arrive
• CDG to Paris City Centre — airport transfers in detail
• Weekend in Paris by Eurostar — Gare du Nord to your hotel
• Cheap Paris Trips — the budget context
• Paris Travel Tips — etiquette and broader practical advice
• Essential French Expressions — Metro and transit phrases