Paris Metro Tickets 2026: Prices, Passes and How to Buy

Quick Answer

Key facts

What changed in 2025–2026

1. Flat rail fares replaced the old zone-based single-ticket system. A Metro-Train-RER ticket now costs the same for a short metro ride and a longer regional rail journey within Île-de-France, excluding airport stations. The 2026 price is €2.55.

2. Metro and surface tickets are separate. Metro, RER and train use the €2.55 Metro-Train-RER ticket; buses and trams use the €2.05 Bus-Tram ticket.

3. Cardboard-ticket sales ended, but the transition is still running. Paper t+ and Origin-Destination tickets are no longer sold and are not accepted on buses or trams. IDFM says old t+ tickets remain temporarily valid on the metro, and Origin-Destination tickets on their original metro/train/RER journey, until autumn 2026. Eligible unused tickets can be exchanged at counters until 14 January 2027, subject to the official conditions. See what happened to the Paris carnet.

4. Direct bank-card payment at metro gates is not yet a general option. In 2026, use Navigo Easy or a phone/watch ticket. IDFM plans to begin the wider metro bank-card rollout on Line 1 in July 2027.

Which ticket should you buy?

Most visitors need only two things: a way to carry tickets, and the right ticket type.

Ways to carry your tickets

• Navigo Easy card — a €2 plastic card you buy once and reload. Simple, no app, no battery worry. Best if you dislike phone setup or travel as a group (buy one card per person).
• Your phone — buy and validate tickets in the Île-de-France Mobilités app or the Bonjour RATP app, or add a card in Apple Wallet / Google Wallet. You tap the phone at the gate. Fast, but the phone must have NFC, and a dead battery means you cannot validate. See how to buy tickets on your phone.

Ticket types

• Single Metro-Train-RER ticket (€2.55): one journey by metro, RER or train, with transfers between these allowed for 2 hours.
• Single Bus-Tram ticket (€2.05): a separate ticket for buses and trams, with bus/tram transfers allowed for 1h30.
• Navigo Day pass (€12.30): unlimited travel for a day (airports not included). Worth it once you make roughly 5+ rides in a day.
• Airport ticket (€14): required to or from CDG or Orly (see below).

How to buy and validate a ticket (step by step)

Buying at a station machine

1. Find a ticket machine (they have an English option and take Visa/Mastercard, including contactless).
2. If you have no card yet, buy a Navigo Easy card first (€2).
3. Select the ticket type — Metro-Train-RER, Bus-Tram, day pass or airport — and the number of tickets.
4. Tap your Navigo Easy card on the machine's reader to load the tickets, and pay.

Buying on your phone

1. Install the Île-de-France Mobilités or Bonjour RATP app, or open Apple/Google Wallet.
2. Create an account if asked, then buy your ticket in the app.
3. At the gate, tap the phone (not a screenshot — the ticket lives in the app or wallet).

Validating

• At the metro/RER gate, place your card or phone flat on the round purple reader. The gate opens. Always tap, even if a gate is open — an unvalidated journey counts as no ticket.
• On a bus or tram, tap the on-board validator when you board.
• Keep your card or phone ready: an inspector can ask you to show a valid ticket at any time. Missing validation can mean a fine — see Paris metro fines and validation.

Airport tickets are different

A normal €2.55 Metro-Train-RER ticket does not cover entry to or exit from the rail stations at Charles de Gaulle Airport or Orly Airport. Use the €14 Paris Région ↔ Aéroports ticket instead. It is valid for up to two hours on metro, RER, suburban train and Orlyval, with rail connections allowed as long as you do not leave the network.

The airport ticket cannot be loaded onto a card or phone that already contains an old t+ ticket or a current Metro-Train-RER ticket. It can coexist with Bus-Tram tickets. A practical solution is to keep city rail tickets on Navigo Easy and the airport ticket on a phone, or the other way around. See CDG Airport to Paris and Orly Airport to Paris.

Can you transfer on one ticket?

• Metro ↔ RER ↔ train: yes, transfers are allowed within 2 hours of your first validation, using signposted routes.
• Bus ↔ tram: yes, within 1 hour 30.
• Metro ↔ bus: no. With single tickets you must validate a Metro-Train-RER ticket, then a separate Bus-Tram ticket. Only the Navigo Liberté+ service allows free transfers between metro/train/RER and bus/tram. Full detail in Paris metro–bus transfers.

Who should choose what

For stays of several days, compare passes in Navigo Easy vs Navigo Découverte and Is the Paris Visite pass worth it?

Common mistakes

• Using a €2.55 city ticket for an airport station. CDG and Orly rail access requires the €14 airport ticket.
• Assuming metro and bus share one single ticket. They use different products.
• Saying all paper tickets are already invalid. They are invalid on buses and trams, but some old tickets remain temporarily accepted on rail until autumn 2026.
• Leaving the rail network during a transfer. The two-hour rail validity applies without exiting the network.
• Sharing one Navigo Easy card during the same journey. Each traveller needs a separately validated ticket.
• Trying to tap a normal bank card at every metro gate. General metro open payment is scheduled to start in 2027, not 2026.
• Loading an airport ticket onto a medium containing a Metro-Train-RER ticket. Use a second card/device or finish the existing rail tickets first.

Conclusion

For most first-time visitors, the simplest setup is a Navigo Easy card or compatible phone with €2.55 Metro-Train-RER tickets and separate €2.05 Bus-Tram tickets. Use the €14 airport ticket for CDG or Orly rail journeys, and consider the €12.30 Navigo Day pass when you expect roughly five or more full-price metro journeys in one day. Treat old cardboard tickets as a temporary exception during the 2026 transition, not as the current system.