Paris Metro Tickets 2026: Complete Guide, Prices, and How They Work

In short. As of November 5, 2025, paper tickets no longer exist in Paris. Today, public transit tickets are loaded onto a Navigo Easy card (€2 one-time, rechargeable) or directly onto your smartphone via Bonjour RATP - Apple Wallet or Île-de-France Mobilités. The Métro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 and is valid for metro, RER, and Transilien throughout Île-de-France, airports excluded. The Bus-Tram ticket costs €2.05. For longer stays, consider the Navigo Jour (€12.50), the Navigo Semaine (€32.40, Monday to Sunday), or the Paris Visite (from €30.80 to €78, with airport access included). For transfers to and from CDG and Orly, you need the Paris Région ↔ Aéroports ticket at €14 per trip.

Again, If you were expecting to find the old paper tickets with the magnetic strip in Paris, forget it: as of November 5, 2025, paper tickets are no longer sold at machines or ticket counters. Any tickets you might still have from previous trips remain valid on metro and RER until June 1, 2026, and on buses gradually until the end of May 2026. But to buy new ones, the only path is digital.

It's not bad news. Once you understand the system, it's actually more convenient. Let's see how it works, starting with the most common question.

How do you buy metro tickets in Paris in 2026?

In 2026, Paris public transit tickets are purchased in three ways: by loading them onto a Navigo Easy card (a €2 contactless smart card), onto your smartphone via dedicated apps, or by tapping a contactless credit card directly on buses equipped with the new terminal (few buses right now).

The first method is the Navigo Easy, the no-fuss option. A plastic card the size of a credit card, contactless, rechargeable, lasting about ten years. It costs €2 once and you buy it at the automated machines in any metro or RER station, or at the counter if you prefer dealing with a person. You load the tickets you need onto it and at the turnstile you tap it on the purple reader: beep, gate opens, go. It's the simplest choice if you don't want to deal with your phone.

The second method is the smartphone. If you have a recent iPhone or Android, you download one of the two official apps — Bonjour RATP or Île-de-France Mobilités — buy tickets inside the app paying with your card or Apple Pay/Google Pay, and at the turnstile you tap your phone on the reader. It works via the NFC chip, the same one used for contactless payments at the supermarket. The advantage is you don't spend the €2 on the card; the downside is that if your phone dies late at night on the other side of Paris, you'll be walking home.

The third method is the 2025-2026 novelty: paying on the fly with a contactless credit card (or smartphone) directly on buses. Since late 2025, some Paris buses have installed a small terminal at the entrance. You board, tap your card — foreign cards work fine — and pay €2.50 per ride. No card to load, no app. The feature is only on buses equipped with the new terminal, it's not installed everywhere yet, and full rollout in the inner ring is expected by summer 2026 (but not confirmed).

How much does a Paris metro ticket cost in 2026?

In 2026, the Métro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 loaded on Navigo Easy or smartphone, and is valid for metro, RER, and Transilien trains throughout Île-de-France (airports excluded). The Bus-Tram ticket costs €2.05 and is valid for buses and trams. The fare is flat across zones: from the station near your hotel to Versailles, you always pay €2.55. The old tariff zones 1-5 have been abolished.

One rule to learn right away: metro and bus tickets don't transfer. If you take the metro and then board a bus, you pay two separate tickets, because they're two different fare products. Only metro ↔ RER ↔ Transilien transfers are included in a single €2.55 ticket (within 2 hours of first validation), and bus ↔ tram ↔ bus transfers are included in the Bus-Tram ticket (within 90 minutes).

Another rule: one person, one card. You can't hand the same Navigo Easy to your travel companion to let them through. If there are two of you, two cards. On your phone you can actually "buy" 2 different virtual cards.

Is the Paris Visite or the Navigo Semaine better?

Short answer: if you're in Paris from Monday through Wednesday and staying at least 4-5 days, the Navigo Semaine at €32.40 is the better deal. If you arrive Thursday through Saturday or if you need airport flights in your itinerary, the Paris Visite at €30.80/day wins. Under 4 rides per day, single tickets remain cheaper than any pass.

Here are the passes available for travelers who aren't using single tickets.

The Navigo Jour costs €12.50 and gives you unlimited rides for one calendar day throughout Île-de-France (Versailles and Disneyland included, airports excluded). It pays off if you make more than five rides in a day; under four, single tickets stay cheaper.

The Navigo Semaine costs €32.40 and has a trap to know about: it runs from Monday at 00:00 to Sunday at 23:59, not "seven days from purchase." If you buy it on Friday, it's only valid Friday through Sunday and then it expires. So it pays off if you arrive in Paris on Monday, Tuesday, or at the latest Wednesday. But if you're staying five days or more and moving around a lot, you've broken even after thirteen rides and from then on you ride free.

The Paris Visite costs more — €30.80 for one day, up to €78 for five days — but includes discounts on museums and attractions and covers airports too, which neither the Navigo Jour nor the Navigo Semaine do. Honestly, if you're not using the tourist discounts and you don't need an airport run during your day, the Navigo Semaine costs less and does the same job.

How do you get from the airport to central Paris?

To travel from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) or Orly to central Paris, you need the Paris Région ↔ Aéroports ticket, which costs €14 per trip in 2026 and is valid for RER B, RER C, metro 14 (to Orly), Orlyval, Roissybus, and Orlybus. Standard €2.55 tickets are not valid for airport routes.

You buy it at machines or in the app. If you have the Paris Visite pass it's already included. If you have Navigo Jour or Navigo Semaine, it's not. For groups of 3-4 with luggage, a taxi sometimes wins: the fare is fixed by law — €56 for CDG to the Right Bank, €65 to the Left Bank; €36/€44 for Orly. No haggling possible.

How to pick the right ticket when you don't know how many rides you'll take

Knowing which ticket you need is one thing. Knowing whether the specific trip you're about to make is doable on one ticket or needs two is another. Zeppelin Map is the iOS transit navigation app for Paris, developed by Anaximae SASU, that solves exactly this problem. When you plan a multi-stop itinerary — say, breakfast in the Marais, the Louvre, lunch at Trocadéro, Sacré-Cœur for sunset — the proprietary Bibomap™ algorithm automatically computes the optimal order of your stops and shows you, stop by stop, which transit mode to take and which line to follow.

If your route mixes metro and bus, you know in advance you need two fare products and you don't risk being on the bus without a valid ticket. The map clearly marks whether the next leg is metro, RER, tram, or bus using the official colors of the IDF Mobilités network: at a glance you understand whether you're using the same "type" of ticket or whether you need a new one.

You map out your whole day in advance, optionally locking the last stop to a fixed time (a dinner reservation, for example): the app optimizes the loop so it ends there at the right time. Then, once you set off, Zeppelin Map walks you through the trip stop by stop and warns you when to get off — especially useful on buses and trams with four or more intermediate stops, where you receive a notification two stops before arrival so you don't get distracted and miss your stop.

Mistakes not to make with Paris transit tickets

The first is a classic: throwing away the Navigo Easy on your way out of the metro. It sounds obvious, but it happens every day. It's rechargeable, lasts ten years, and you'll need it again the next time you come to Paris.

The second is forgetting to keep your ticket until you're outside the station. Inspections are frequent, especially on the RER, and a fare evasion fine starts at €50 if you pay on the spot, much more if you wait.

The third is not validating mid-ride: the "stamp" happens at the start, at the entry turnstile. If you enter without validating, from that moment you're riding without a valid fare, even if you have a valid pass loaded on your card.

And the fourth, to know if you travel as a couple or in a group: don't hand your card to another person. One person, one transit fare. Even if you're family, even if you have unlimited tickets, one card per head.

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions about Paris transit tickets

How much does a single metro ticket cost in Paris in 2026?

A single Métro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 loaded on Navigo Easy or smartphone, and is valid for metro, RER, and Transilien throughout Île-de-France (airports excluded). The Bus-Tram ticket costs €2.05.

Do paper tickets still exist in Paris?

No. As of November 5, 2025, paper tickets are no longer sold. Existing tickets remain valid on metro and RER until June 1, 2026, and on buses until May 2026. For new purchases, you need Navigo Easy or your smartphone.

How much does the Navigo Easy card cost?

The Navigo Easy costs €2 one-time. It's rechargeable, contactless, lasts about ten years, and is sold at machines or counters in any metro or RER station.

Can you pay for a Paris bus with a credit card?

Yes, on some buses starting in late 2025. Buses equipped with the new contactless terminal allow you to tap any card — including foreign cards — at a cost of €2.50 per ride. The feature is not yet installed on all buses.

Is the Paris Visite worth it for a weekend in Paris?

It depends. If you travel from Monday through Wednesday and stay at least 4-5 days, the Navigo Semaine at €32.40 is the better deal. If you have a flight arriving or departing the same day, the Paris Visite that includes airports wins. Under 4 rides per day, single tickets are cheaper.

Is the metro ticket also valid for the bus?

No. Metro, RER, and Transilien use the Métro-Train-RER ticket (€2.55). Buses and trams use the Bus-Tram ticket (€2.05). They are separate fare products: if you take the metro and then a bus, you pay two tickets.

What's the best app for Paris public transport?

For buying official tickets you need Bonjour RATP or Île-de-France Mobilités. For planning multi-stop routes with automatic optimization, visual transit-mode distinction, and stop-by-stop guided navigation, Zeppelin Map is the dedicated iOS app for Paris public transport, with the proprietary Bibomap™ algorithm for optimal stop ordering.

How do you get from Charles de Gaulle to central Paris in 2026?

You need the Paris Région ↔ Aéroports ticket at €14, valid for RER B, Roissybus, and other airport services. The RER B ride takes about 35 minutes to Châtelet-Les Halles. Alternatively, taxis have fixed fares of €56 for the Right Bank and €65 for the Left Bank.