How to Get Around Paris

How transport works in Paris

Paris is a walking city with a métro underneath it. Trains run roughly every 2–5 minutes on 16 lines from about 05:30 to 01:15, later on Friday and Saturday nights, and no point in the city is more than 500 m from a station. If a journey shows under 25 minutes on foot, walk it — you will usually arrive at the same time and see more.

The Metro reaches virtually every neighbourhood; a Navigo Easy card is the simplest way to pay. Both CDG and Orly connect to the centre by train, bus or taxi in 45–60 minutes.

Métro

Fastest for anything over 2 km inside the city. Line 1 east–west and line 4 north–south cover most visitor routes. Paper tickets have been phased out in favour of contactless and the Navigo Easy card.

• Typical cost

  About €2.50 a single with contactless or a Navigo Easy card; carnets of 10 are cheaper per ride

RER

Regional express lines that skip stops across the centre. Faster than the métro for longer hops, and the only rail link to Versailles (line C) and Charles de Gaulle (line B).

• Typical cost

  Zone-based; central journeys match métro fares, airports and Versailles cost more

Bus

Slower but above ground and step-free, which makes it far better than the métro with a pushchair or heavy bags. Routes 69 and 87 double as informal sightseeing runs.

• Typical cost

  Same single fare as the métro

Vélib' bikes

Extensive protected-lane network along the Seine and the main boulevards. Good for river distances, poor for the Montmartre hill.

• Typical cost

  Around €3 for a day pass plus per-trip charges

Taxi and ride-hailing

Useful late at night after the métro closes. Traffic on the boulevards makes them slower than the métro at rush hour.

• Typical cost

  Typically €10–25 for a central crossing

Walking

The centre is roughly 10 km across and flat except Montmartre and Belleville. Most visitor clusters are 15–25 minutes apart on foot.

• Typical cost

  Free

Passes and tickets: what's actually worth buying

For a short stay, contactless pay-as-you-go is simplest — you tap and are charged the single fare. From roughly four journeys a day, a Navigo Easy card loaded with a day pass or a 10-ride carnet is cheaper. If your visit spans a Monday-to-Sunday week, the Navigo Découverte weekly pass covers all zones including both airports and Versailles and is by far the best value, but it must be bought with a passport photo and is valid only for the calendar week.

Local transport tips for Paris

• Check the terminus name, not the direction — Paris platforms are signed by the last station on the line.

• Keep your ticket or card until you exit; some RER stations require it to open the gates and inspections are frequent.

• Line 14 is fully automatic and the fastest north–south route; use it in preference to line 4 at rush hour.

• Many older stations have no lift and long stair corridors — with luggage, buses and taxis are the realistic choice.

• Pickpocketing concentrates on lines 1, 4 and the RER B airport run; wear bags in front in crowded carriages.

Arriving from the airport

• Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

  RER B to Gare du Nord in ~35 min; official taxi flat fare to Right/Left Bank.

• Orly (ORY)

  Orlyval + RER B, or Orlybus to Denfert-Rochereau in ~30 min.

• Beauvais (BVA)

  Low-cost airport; shuttle bus to Porte Maillot in ~1h15.

Do you need a rental car?

Inside Paris a car is usually a liability — parking and traffic cost more than transit. A rental earns its keep for day trips and regional drives, so compare rates only for the days you actually leave the city.