The Paris Métro opened in 1900 and is still the fastest way across the city: sixteen lines, more than 300 stations, and almost nowhere in central Paris more than 500 metres from an entrance. Trains run from about 5:30 a.m. to 1:15 a.m., an hour later on Friday and Saturday nights, and every two to five minutes at busy times.
Tickets in 2025
The paper “t+” ticket and the ten-ticket carnet are gone. Since January 2025 the whole Île-de-France region has a single fare zone: a Métro or RER journey costs 2.50 euros anywhere in the region, a bus or tram journey 2.00 euros, and the airport trains have a separate fare. Tickets are loaded onto a Navigo Easy card (2 euros from any station) or bought in the Île-de-France Mobilités app and validated with the phone; tourists staying several days can load a Navigo Découverte weekly pass, which runs Monday to Sunday, or the Paris Visite day passes. Children under four travel free and under-tens pay half.
Lines worth knowing
Line 1 runs the grand axis from La Défense past the Louvre and the Champs-Élysées to the Bastille and is fully automated. Line 4 crosses north to south through the Latin Quarter. Line 14, extended in 2024 to Orly airport and Saint-Denis, is the fast automated line through the centre. The RER B suburban train connects Charles de Gaulle airport with the city. Lines 6 and 2 run partly above ground and offer the best views, including the passage over the Seine at Bir-Hakeim with the Eiffel Tower alongside.
Practicalities
Keep your ticket or card until you leave the station; inspections are common and fines start at 35 euros. Many stations have no lifts, so travellers with luggage or pushchairs should check accessibility; line 14 and the tram lines are fully accessible. Pickpockets work the tourist lines and the airport trains, especially around the doors. The last train from a terminus leaves earlier than the closing time, so check the panel on the platform late at night.
Beyond the Métro
The RER and Transilien trains reach Versailles, Disneyland and Fontainebleau; the tram lines circle the city; and the Vélib’ bike-share scheme, with electric bikes, is often quicker than the Métro for trips under three kilometres. The Grand Paris Express, four new automated lines around the suburbs, is opening in stages through the late 2020s.
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