To get around Paris, you have several choices: on foot, by bike, by car, by bus, by tram or by metro. One of the simplest is the Paris metro, formerly known as the métro. It is managed by the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) and has sixteen lines.
You can identify them by their colours or numbers. To go in either direction of the line, always look at the last station, this is the one that will be indicated to direct you. For example, if you take the metro on the Champs Elysées, George V station, line 1 and you want to go towards the Louvre, you will have to take the direction “Château de Vincennes”, the eastern terminus of this line.
The subway Apps
I advise you to download the RATP apps. It will geolocate your position then you will indicate the station or the street where you want to go and it will give you the different possibilities (metro, bus, tram or RER).
Travel cards and ticket
RATP offers you a whole range of transport tickets. Here are the simplest and most useful ones:
- For several journeys for several people: take a book of 10 tickets at €14.90, i.e. €1.49 per journey. You can then share the tickets. It’s cheaper than a single ticket for a single journey: 1.90€.
- If you are alone or in a couple and you are going to take frequent transport during the day, take the Mobilis, with which you can make as many journeys as you like (keep it after each use) during the day. It will cost you 7,50€.
- If you are under 26 years old and coming for the weekend, take the Youth ticket. You will be able to travel in Paris unlimitedly for 2 days for
- If you come for 5 days, take the Paris Visite ticket, which will cost you 38.35€ for Paris centre, and 65.80€ to go anywhere outside Paris (Disneyland, Versailles…). Children pay 50% less.
The metro operates in zones: the centre of Paris and its close suburbs are in zones 1 to 3, the greater suburbs are in zones 4 to 5. You buy your tickets at the RATP ticket offices or at the automatic machines. Paper maps will be provided. As soon as you have your ticket, pass it through the machines and, above all, take the bus back in the event of an inspection. And if it is valid several times, you will be able to use it again. Little tip: you can also use it for the Montmartre Funicular.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)