How To Use Tickets or Passes On the Métro & Buses

A "t+" (paper) ticket should be inserted into the first slot of a métro or RER station turnstile; it will be returned to you from a second slot (buses have a similar mechanism on board). Be sure to keep your ticket with you until you have exited the station at your destination; conductors will sometimes perform spot checks.

NaviGo validator seen on
Paris trams and buses

Mobilis and Paris Visite passes come with a plastic sleeve in which to keep both the card and the ticket (fr. coupon) — which is the same size as a regular "t+" ticket, but a little more durable.

When entering a métro or RER station, simply remove the ticket from its sleeve and insert it into the slot on a turnstile. The ticket will be returned to you from a second slot; replace it into its sleeve and pass through the turnstile. (Note: the ticket is also required in order to exit from RER stations.) When boarding on a bus, however, simply show your pass to the driver; do not insert the ticket into the machine on a bus, as this will invalidate it!

The NaviGo smart cards — issued for Carte Améthyste (senior citizen, handicapped, military veteran pass), Carte Intégrale (annual adult commuter pass), Passe Navigo (weekly or monthly pass for residents & visitors), and Imagine "R" (student pass) — should be waved within a few centimeters across the purple sensor installed on all platform turnstiles.

Hours of Service

Métro trains run from 5:30 a.m. to approximately 12:45 or 1:00 a.m. on weekdays (this varies, so don't push your luck), at which point they are brought to various depots for daily cleaning and maintenance.

Saturday night service (actually early Sunday morning, as it is after midnight) has been extended by an extra hour. On New Year's Eve and during the Fête de la Musique (Music Festival) in June, some lines will run for 24 hours.

You'll know whether you caught the last train for the night, if you see that the two lights placed above the windshield on the front of the train are flashing slowly (as opposed to just being on) when it pulls into the station.

Interruptions in Service

While the Paris rail system is among the most reliable in the world, it is not immune to occasional service interruptions during regular working hours — due to accidents, mechanical breakdowns, railway construction, or station renovations. Fortunately, the RATP helps you to plan ahead for most contingencies by posting closures and traffic delays online (in French only).

The traffic report advises of line closures or delays due to unforeseen circumstances; in certain cases, RATP will provide métro riders with bus service to circumvent a problem area. The construction report offers information on temporary station closures caused by rail repair or renovation projects.

Overnight Transport Options

Buses

If you happen to be out after the Métro system shuts down, and you're across town from your lodgings, the Noctilien nighttime bus service can get you closer to your destination.

Effective September 20, 2005, Noctilien replaced the old Noctambus system — more than doubling its number of routes and the total kilometers covered by the network. While the former 18 Noctambus routes emanated from one central hub at place du Châtelet, the 47 current Noctilien routes run from five different hubs: Gare de l'Est, Gare de Lyon, Gare Montparnasse, Gare Saint-Lazare, and Châtelet. Running from 12:30 to 5:30 a.m. – 7 days a week, 365 days a year – the service covers Paris and more than 200 communities throughout Ile-de-France with over 2,000 stops, including routes to Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports. Noctilien serves 8.4 million passengers annually.

The frequency of Noctilien buses varies according to the route and the day of the week (extra service is offered on Saturday and Sunday mornings). Various passes are honored for travel, including the Navigo, Imagine R, Intégrale, Mobilis, and Paris Visite. If you don't have one of these passes, individual tickets may be purchased on board (€ 1.70 each) — though the drivers do not sell carnets of 10 tickets, which are only available from ticket agents in stations or at approved retail locations.

The number of tickets required for your particular passage is equal to the number of zones (1-5) you traverse on the route, after the first two zones; find examples of typical fares on the Noctilien web site. Connecting with a different bus also requires a new fare. For more information, or to ascertain departure times for your route, you can call 08.92.68.77.14 (0.34 euro/minute).

Two "circular" Noctilien routes, N01 and N02, are currently accessible to passengers with reduced mobility; there are plans to provide similar accessibility on other routes in the near future. For further information, please visit www.infomobi.com (in French only), send an e-mail inquiry to contacts@infomobi.com, or call 08.10.64.64.64 from a local land line (not a mobile phone) – Mon. to Fri., 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. or Sat., 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Taxis

For nighttime travel, you can also try hailing a cab, either on the street or from the 745 taxi ranks around Paris and the suburbs. Look for the large white "Taxi Parisien" rooftop light — if it's on, the cab's available; a glowing light below it (A, B, or C – indicating the type of fare) means it's engaged. NOTE: Starting 15 July 2010 and by no later than 1 July 2012, all taxi lights will be simplified: a green light signifies "available", a red light means "occupied".

Licensed Parisian taxis can be all shapes and sizes, makes or models (but must have working meters and appropriate rooftop lights). The city has recently recommended that all taxi roofs be painted black for uniformity, but this has not yet been universally adopted.

Overnight rates (for 1 to 3 passengers) are €1.17 per kilometer within the city (Mon. - Sat., 5 p.m. - 10 a.m.), €1.42/km to the suburbs (Mon. - Sat., 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.); Sunday rates between midnight - 7 a.m. are €1.42/km to all destinations. There is a supplemental charge of €3.00 for each additional person over 3, and €1.00 for each piece of luggage after the first (weighing in excess of 5kg and placed in the luggage compartment). The minimum total fare for a taxi (including extras) is €6.20.

Keep in mind that if you phone ahead for a taxi, the amount showing on the meter upon its arrival will reflect the distance it traveled to get to your pick-up point from its previous location. Do not be surprised if that amount is already €7 (or more) when you board.

• Be prepared to pay the driver cash (in Euros); drivers must issue a receipt if you request one.
• Some taxis also accept credit cards, which will be indicated in a notice on the back side window (amounts over €15 only).
• Since many drivers do not speak English, it's a good idea to have your destination address written down or printed out.
• Parisian taxis are required to accept passengers of limited mobility with wheelchairs, and there is no charge to carry a wheelchair.
• Smoking in taxis is normally prohibited, unless the driver happens to want a cigarette, in which case it may be negotiable.
• Taxis do not provide infant- or child-seats. Parents with infants or toddlers should seek out shuttle operators who provide such seats.
• It is customary to tip the driver about 10% of the fare, if service is good and the cab is clean.

The Paris Convention & Visitors Bureau publishes a useful 5-page guide (PDF, in English), which explains taxi rules & regulations, provides cautionary notes about avoiding unlicensed taxis, and offers phone numbers for all the leading taxi companies.

Additional Sight-seeing Notes

Some of the Paris Métro lines run over-ground for short periods. Line 6 near La Motte-Picquet allows a good view of the Seine, the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro. Line 7 near Pont-Marie looks across the Ile de la Cité, most striking at night when Notre Dame is lit up.

By all means, do not use the métro to the exclusion of buses. While the bus routes in Paris can be a little confusing to out-of-towners (a map is indispensable!), you will see much more of the city when above-ground. (Avoid city buses during commuting hours, though, as they get very crowded and stop frequently.)

Ghost Stations and Paris Homeless

A small number of métro stations have been closed or abandoned over the years, mainly because they were too closely spaced near other stations. The Saint-Martin stop is an example, as it was situated very near to Strasbourg–St-Denis, and therefore deemed unnecessary; it has been closed since September 1939. There are a number of unofficial — non-RATP — web sites devoted to documenting such "ghost" stations (see related links).

The RATP Boutique carries a wide
variety of metro-themed souvenirs

In a humanitarian move, the RATP and the City of Paris have collaborated to help the homeless (SDF, sans domicile fixe) population by creating shelters in some of these abandoned stations during the coldest winter months — although it was also a matter of political expediency, aimed at reducing incidences of homeless who had been camping in the public stations.

The RATP Boutique

Those of you who are dying to take home a souvenir of your travels on the Paris Métro will be delighted to find a Boutique dedicated to all manner of Paris train and bus memorabilia (t-shirts, keychains, postcards, coasters, maps, cups, pens, watches, etc.). Situated near the exit for Place Carrée and the Line 4 interchange at the Châtelet - Les Halles RER complex, the store is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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