How to save money on public transport in Paris

Paris is a large city. The easiest way to get around it is on public transport, which is highly developed in Paris and its suburbs. There’s one problem, though: tickets are fairly expensive, and the security guards are very strict. We’ll tell you how to save money on transportation tickets in Paris.

Simple tickets

The biggest mistake is getting on a bus without a ticket, expecting to buy one from the driver. Such a ticket will cost €2.50 and will not be valid for transfer. Buy tickets at ticket offices or from vending machines.

One t+ ticket costs €2.10. It is valid for two hours for the subway and 1.5 hours for buses and streetcars. You can transfer from any surface transport to any surface transport, and once on the subway, you can go from line to line, but you cannot get off the subway and go down again at another station or transfer from the subway to surface transport.

Don’t throw your ticket away until the end of your trip, especially on the RER. There might be turnstiles at the station exits.

» See more – How can I buy a metro ticket in Paris?

Cheaper in bulk

Until the fall of 2021 we recommended buying 10 single tickets at once. A carnet cost €16.90. From March 2022 carnets are no longer. If you want 10 tickets with a discount you need to buy a Navigo Easy card at an RATP kiosk or a metro ticket office.

The Navigo Easy card costs €2, is sold instantly without documents or a photo, and a topup for 10 rides is €16.90. The amount is the same, only the card cannot be used by several people at the same time, whereas a carnet could be distributed to the whole party. This is probably the only disadvantage of the innovation. You will have to buy and refill the card for every traveler.

Navigo Easy can be bought for a child and topped up with a child’s carnet. 10 tickets for children from 4 to 10 years inclusive cost €8.45. Children under 4 years of age ride free.

» See more – What kind of ticket is best to buy in the Paris metro?

All-day tickets for adults and youth

The one-day pass used to be called the Mobilis. You can still buy it at the ticket office. Or you can buy the Navigo Jour pass instead. This package can be loaded onto any Navigo card, including the Navigo Easy. When you pay for a one-day pass on your card at a machine, you can travel an unlimited number of times around the city and/or in the suburbs, depending on which zones you pay for. The price starts at €8.45 Euros.

The Navigo Jour for 1-3 zones (€11.30) will save you some money if you have more than six trips to make.

It is advantageous to use the pass if you are staying in one suburb and plan to travel to other suburbs of Paris. For example, round trip from Charles de Gaulle airport (€11.45 per trip). A day pass for 1-5 zones costs €20.10 and allows you to still travel between attractions.

Tickets to Versailles or Disneyland are not as expensive as you might think. There are special prices on them. A one-way ticket to Disneyland will cost you €5 (although it is 5 zone, like an airport). A ticket to Versailles costs €4.05 (zone 4) and a 1-4 zone pass costs 14 €. If you plan to spend the whole day in the park and go only there and back, you can not take a pass.

The Navigo Jeunes Weekend will replace the Ticket Jeune. This weekend or holiday pass can be issued to a person from 10 to 26 years old and travel by any means of transport without restriction for the whole weekend. The price depends on the selected zones: €4.60 for zones 1-3 and €10.10 for zones 1-5.

It has not yet been reported that the sale of paper versions of these passes will be discontinued, but it is more convenient and reliable to use the cards.

Week-long pass

Navigo card is a travel card for Parisians. It’s a magnetic card, and a tourist version costs 5 Euros (Parisians can get it for free by mail). Then the card has to be charged either for a month or a week. A month costs €84.10 and a week is €30. This is specifically a calendar week, from Monday to Sunday, not just 7 days in a row. You can buy a week-long pass up until Thursday during that week. It’s worth buying this pass only if you’re in Paris for more than 7 days and will be there for a full calendar week. Navigo becomes a better deal the longer you’re in Paris. If you’re lucky enough to be in Paris for a month or more, definitely buy Navigo.

» See more – Navigo transport card in Paris

Paris Visite

The Paris Visite ticket lets you move around Paris without limit for a few days. The Paris Visit card can be bought for a 1, 2, 3, or 5 days. You can also pick where it works: Paris and the closer suburbs (zones 1-3) or Paris and all the suburbs and airports (zones 1-5). You can also receive discounts for museums and tourist attractions with your purchase. A ticket for one day in zones 1-3 costs €13.55 and is half-price for children under 12 years old, and an adult ticket for zones 1-5 costs €28.50.

You can buy all of these types of passes at any RATP kiosk or at the machines in every metro and RER station. 

These prices are accurate at the moment this article was written, but the prices in Paris change every month, so we recommend double checking on the official site before your trip.

And don’t forget that your time in Paris will always be better and more information with our audio guides that will take you to all the best places in the city, and tell you exactly which metro stations and buses you’ll need to take to get there.

Have a great trip!