The transport options for visiting Paris
Paris is a dense city where the metro and bus take you everywhere. In 2026, the old paper ticket has disappeared in favour of digital tickets loaded onto a Navigo Easy card, a Navigo Liberté+ card or straight onto your smartphone. Here are the four solutions that genuinely make sense for a visitor.
- The book of ticket t+. A single ticket costs around €2.50, but a book of 10 comes to roughly €21 (about €2.10 per journey). Each ticket allows one metro/RER journey within Paris proper, or one bus/tram journey, with metro connections included. Ideal if you walk a lot and only take a few rides a day.
- The Navigo Day pass. A pass valid for one calendar day (until midnight), unlimited, from around €8.65 for zones 1-3 and a little more for zones 1-5. Worth it from 4-5 journeys in a day.
- The Navigo Week pass. The all-zones pass at around €30 in 2026, valid from Monday 00:00 to Sunday midnight. It's the cheapest ticket per journey for anyone who travels a lot — but its main constraint is that it follows the calendar week, not your arrival date.
- Paris Visite. An "official" tourist pass of 1, 2, 3 or 5 consecutive days, in zones 1-3 or 1-5. It gives unlimited travel and a few partner discounts, but it's noticeably pricier than the Navigo for the same duration — we rarely recommend it, except in specific cases (see below).
Compared: price, validity and zones
Indicative fares recorded in January 2026, to compare at a glance:
| Ticket | Indicative price | Validity | Zones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket t+ (single) | ~€2.50 | 1 journey + connections | 1-2 (Paris) |
| Book of 10 t+ | ~€21 | 10 journeys | 1-2 (Paris) |
| Navigo Day | ~€8.65 (z.1-3) | 1 day, unlimited | 1-3 or 1-5 |
| Navigo Week | ~€30 | Mon → Sun, unlimited | All zones |
| Paris Visite 3 d | ~€44 (z.1-3) | 3 consecutive days | 1-3 or 1-5 |
The reading is clear: for the same duration, the Navigo Week beats Paris Visite for a trip that falls within a calendar week. Paris Visite is only worth it if your stay straddles two weeks (for example Friday to Sunday) or if you care about the small partner discounts. For a very short, on-foot trip, the book of ticket t+ remains unbeatable.
Airports: CDG and Orly
Both Paris airports are in zone 5: any ticket limited to the central zones does not cover them. Your options to and from the centre:
- Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG). The RER B links the airport to Châtelet in 35-40 min for around €13 one way. It's the fastest and cheapest option. Buses (Roissybus) run at a similar fare.
- Orly. Since late 2024, metro line 14 serves Orly directly, on top of the Orlyval + RER B. Expect a fare in the same ballpark as a zone 1-5 airport journey. Check the exact ticket required for your chosen route before you set off.
Do I need a transport ticket if I already have a city pass?
This is the question that costs visitors the most money — in both directions. The answer depends entirely on the tourist pass you've bought.
✅ Turbopass: transport already included
- Metro, bus, RER and tram, unlimited in zones 1-5
- CDG and Orly airport links included
- Buying a Navigo on top = a pointless duplicate
- A single QR code for the attractions and the transport
❌ Museum Pass: no transport
- The Paris Museum Pass covers museums, not transport
- Budget for a separate ticket: book of t+ or Navigo, depending on the length
- Same for Go City Explorer, to check option by option
- Forgetting this cost means underestimating the real trip budget
In other words: with the Turbopass, you have nothing to add, transport and airports included — that's one of its real strengths against purely "attractions" passes. With the Museum Pass, budget ~€21 for a book of t+ or ~€30 for a Navigo Week on top. We break down these combinations in our Paris pass comparison and in the pass + Versailles guide, where the RER zone question comes up again (Versailles is in zone 4, served by the RER C).
Looking for a separate ticket? First bear in mind that an all-in pass like the Turbopass already covers metro, RER and airports — enough to avoid buying a duplicate.
See the Turbopass (transport included) →Our pick for your trip
There's no universal ticket: the right choice depends on length and pace. Here are our concrete calls.
- 2-day trip (weekend). A book of 10 ticket t+ (~€21) comfortably covers two days of on-foot sightseeing punctuated by a few rides. If you plan a lot of metro, two Navigo Day passes may do. See our optimised itinerary to plan your journeys.
- 3-4 day weekday trip. The Navigo Week (~€30, all zones) is the best price/freedom ratio — provided your stay falls Monday to Sunday. It includes the airports, a real plus on arrival and departure. If your trip straddles two calendar weeks, switch back to a book of ticket t+ topped up with an airport ticket.
- Full-week trip. The Navigo Week is the obvious winner: unlimited, all zones, airports included, for ~€30. No other tourist ticket does better over 7 days.
- You're buying an all-in city pass. With the Turbopass, don't buy any ticket: zone 1-5 transport is already included. Just check that the pass duration covers all your travel days.
In summary
For most tourists, the winning duo is simple: a book of ticket t+ for a short on-foot trip, the Navigo Week as soon as you travel a lot on weekdays. Paris Visite is almost always pricier for the same duration. And if you go for an all-in pass, the transport question is already settled — zones 1-5 and airports included, no duplicate to pay for. The one case where you absolutely must plan a separate ticket: the Museum Pass, which covers no transport at all.
See the Turbopass (transport included) →