Paris’ public transport system has an excellent network that connects all areas of the city and its suburbs. However, depending on when and how you’re going to be using it, some tickets and passes are more convenient than others.

First of all, it’s important to know that the main public means of transport in Paris are the Métro, the buses, and the RER trains. There also is the funicular (connecting Montmartre to the city centre) and the tramway (used mostly by commuters from the suburbs).

For the sake of understanding the different kinds of tickets, it’s also essential to understand how the city is divided into different transport zones. Zone 1 covers the entire city centre, where you’ll spend most of your time. The entire Métro network develops within Zone 1.

However, there are some popular attractions located in other areas that you can reach by bus or RER train. These are Disneyland Paris (Zone 5), the Versailles Palace (Zone 4), the CDG Airport (Zone 5), and the Orly Airport (Zone 4).

Now that you have the basics down, we can start comparing your ticket options. Here is a summary table of the different passes and how they can be used.

Following, we’re going to walk you through the advantages and disadvantages of each option, and who they are recommended for.

T+ tickets

T+ tickets are basic one-way tickets. They can be bought as singles or in packets of ten (carnets).

T+ tickets are valid for transfers between different means of transport and the duration of a single journey varies depending on where you first validate them. If you’d like to know more about the validity and the transfers you can make, you can check out our article about the T+ tickets.

PROS

T+ tickets are extremely easy to use and they don’t expire until you validate them. This means that you can buy and use them whenever without worries.

CONS

They are only valid in Zone 1, so you cannot use them to go to the airports, Disneyland, or Versailles. For that, you’ll need RER tickets or some other kind of pass.

Passe Navigo

The Navigo is a card that you can load with weekly or monthly passes. It comes in two kind of zone selections: all zones, or two-zone options. This second type doesn’t really make sense for tourists, since it excludes the centre (Zone 1). An all-zones pass is what you’re looking at for your stay.

If you’d like to know more about the Passe Navigo, you can check out our article about it.

PROS

The Navigo is definitely the cheapest option overall, and it has unlimited use across different means of transport and zones.

CONS

The Passe Navigo can only be used and purchased in a specific window of time. In the case of the weekly pass, this is strictly from Monday to Sunday. That means that if you buy your pass on Thursday, you won’t be using it from Thursday to the following Wednesday, but only until Sunday of the same week.

Additionally, starting Friday, the Navigo passes for the current week are no longer sold, and you can only buy them for the following week.

Paris Visite

The Paris Visite is a multi-day pass, that offers several duration options and zone validities. The pass also offers discounts on some attractions and tours.

Keep in mind that, aside from the airports, Disneyland, and Versailles, you won’t travel to areas outside of Zone 1 much.

PROS

You can buy and use the Paris Visite on any day of the week. Plus, the discounts on the attractions are great if you don’t already have a Paris Museum Pass.

CONS

The Paris Visite is the most expensive option out of the three, especially if you’re not using public transport all the time. If you already have a Paris Museum Pass (which gives you free access to all the important attractions in the city), you won’t have much use for the Paris Visite discounts.

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