What do you need to use the subway in Paris?

There are two ways to buy Paris Metro tickets: at station ticket windows or vending machines. If you're using the vending machine, pay with euro coins, or a European debit or credit card that has a smart chip. If you're carrying euro bills or a non-European credit card, head to the staffed ticket windows for payment.



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However, travelling around the Paris Metro has become easier thanks to the introduction of a contactless pay-as-you-go card for visitors, the Navigo Easy.

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To obtain your Navigo Easy card, you can go to any ticket office, Navigo SNCF Service Counter or carrier counter. You will immediately get it there and can load the fares of your choice. You can also load tickets on SNCF and RATP ticket machines.

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The Navigo Daily Pass. It is valid for one day, from 12 am to 11.59 pm. You can buy this pass up to 6 days in advance, and it will start working after the first validation and until the end of the metro service that same day. The cost of this pass is 8,45€ (zones 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5), and 20,10€ (zones 1-5).

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Métro. The Metro is the easiest, least expensive and quickest way to go out and to get home. Fourteen lines crisscross Greater Paris, from east to west and north to south. Good to know: As part of certain celebrations and events (New Year's Eve, Fête de la Musique, etc.), the Metro is open—and free—most of the night.

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Yes, tap water in Paris is perfectly safe to drink and is readily available wherever you go, even at public water fountains. As long as taps aren't labeled eau non potable—meaning “not for drinking” in French—everything else is potable. In fact, drinking water from the fountains of Paris has been encouraged.

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As of 2023, the city has transitioned from paper tickets to a modern, electronic system, in an attempt to make it easier for both visitors and locals to navigate the city. Paper metro ticket books gradually disappeared in 2022!

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You can buy tickets and passes for Parisian public transportation networks at any metro, RER or tramway station, and when boarding buses. They are also available at Paris Tourist information centers around the city, and can sometimes be found at newsstands or tabacs (tobacco vendors).

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Tourists can purchase a Navigo Découverte pass at almost any Metro, RER, or Transilien train ticket window—including in the airport—that normally sells tickets and passes in Paris. There are currently two versions of the Navigo pass, the standard Navigo and the Navigo Découverte.

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BUYING A METRO TICKET IN PARIS The ticket machines in the stations can be set to English and are easy to use. They accept cash or credit card (though for Americans, make sure it's a chip & pin card!)

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