Paris Metro
Here's how to master the Paris Metro!
The Paris metro has defeated me more than once. Here’s your guide to master the metro for a visit or for a lifetime!
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1. The Paris metro defeats the best of us.
While I have never lived in a city with a subway or metro system, I have conquered them worldwide. Even our kids can master a metro in short time.
When Ryan took our son to Japan (at the age of 11) The Boy was put in charge of metro navigation. He loves looking at maps, figuring out where we are and where we are going.
I also think The Boy (Our nickname for him as we have 2 kids, one boy and one girl) never wants to be confused for a tourist. 11 year old Caucasian from America, let me show you how I fit in, in Tokyo!
New York subway 
Japan bullet train 
D.C. subway
I have been to Paris a few times and for some reason the Paris metro had me stumped. As I plan to spend a chunk of my retirement years in the City of Light, I decided I needed to finally master the Paris metro.
My first trip in 2010 was with my mom and sister. I recall we tried to visit a flea market outside the touristy center and let’s just say we ended up in a not so comfortable part of town.
The second trip a friend and I brought our two 11 year old girls. As all savvy travelers I thought we would be fine…..we ended up emerging from underground to take an Uber after getting utterly lost. #fail
2. You’re not your best the day you land in Paris.
The third trip, this is the time. I’m traveling with my husband (Ryan) and we are world travelers. We can TOTALLY do this! We arrive as most Americans do in Europe; with a bulk of the day to fill before you can go to bed and adjust to the the time zone.
I like to say that to indicate that we were tired….even though we know how to sleep on a plane. Check out my tips here.
We had just left the Louvre but had emerged to a rain storm. I love Paris at all times and even have the best memories of Paris in the rain, but this was more comical. The tourists trapped in any covering they could find, fighting winds and umbrellas alike.
So now you know our mindset. Probably not the best time to try and defeat my nemesis.
3. The magic show when we saw 75€ disappear! Learn from us.
After running down to the Palais-Royal station we were trying to figure out how to get the machine to work in English and then determine what zone ticket we needed…until….
It seamed our knight in shining armor arrived to help save the day! He spoke excellent English and had an ID badge around his neck. He asked if we would like help and we said sure!
Then with a flip of his wrist, kidding, but honestly VERY swiftly he navigated the ticket system and produced two tickets. Somehow (in the flash of his hand movements) he had paid for them on his card and asked us to give him cash.
YES, I KNOW! We aren’t that STUPID! None of us are….until we are…and we do. #facepalm. What were we thinking?
Remember the excuses I made. Well, that doesn’t even justify it. We are world travelers! Really even if this is your first time in the Paris metro you should know better.
We did stop by an actual ticket counter and confirmed we had been scammed. We thought we were buying 2 multi day pass unlimited travel tickets.
In reality we got 2 one way child tickets that wouldn’t even get us all the way back to our hotel!
The legit ticket agent took mercy on us and gave us the actual one way tickets we needed. We headed to the hotel heads hung low and with a good laugh (ok maybe we weren’t laughing yet) but a resolve that the next day would be different!
4. How to buy tickets for the Paris Metro
So now that we know what NOT to do. Let’s do this the right way. We started in the Hotel de Ville station after rush hour. I wanted a quieter station where we could stand in front of a machine for a few minutes without the pressure of someone looking over your shoulder annoyed because they needed to get to work.
I hope these pics help, as much as getting pics of a glass screen in a bright metro station can! We go back to Paris in a couple of months. I’ll try to update this post with better pics.
They are most likely in the process of replacing ticket machines as the old ones aren’t the easiest to navigate, but as the old machines are still prevalent I want to provide you with that information.
Your tools are the silver “wheel” that you use to scroll and then 2 buttons. One for validate and one for annulez.
Remember validate – valid – YES!
Annulez – annul – NO
A. Scroll with the silver wheel to “English” and click validate.
B. Scroll to ‘You don’t have a pass” and click validate.
5. What kind of ticket to buy
There are two main types of tickets you may want to consider as a tourist. Either a “Ticket t+” but that is only a one way or round trip ticket depending on your selection. If you have other means of transportation for your trip and are only looking to get back to your hotel or for a specific excursion, this would be the ticket you want.
However, if you are planning to use the metro as your main transportation during your trip, consider a “Paris Visite” ticket. You can choose a 1, 2, 3 or 5 day ticket giving you unlimited metro usage for the duration you choose.
C. Scroll to “Paris Visite” or “Ticket t+” and click validate.
D. On the next screen for “Paris Visite” you choose the length of ticket you want.
6. Paris Metro Zones. What?!?!
So this is one place I’ve gotten hung up on before. The Zones portion of check out is what got Ryan and I into our jam and when the magician offered to help and show us how to loose $75€!
After researching I discovered that the MAJORITY of what you will want to visit as a tourist is in Zones 1 – 3.
The furtherest we traveled was to the La Defense Grand Arche and that is in Zone 3.
E. Make sure “Zone 1 – 3” is highlighted and click validate.
7. Paying full fare, unless you are actually a child for a Paris Metro pass!
The next screens will take you through the rest of the purchase process. They are pretty self explanatory now that you’ve come this far, but here they are step by step.
F. Make sure “Full fare” is highlighted and click validate.
G. Scroll to the number of tickets you want to buy. There were 2 of us, so we were buying 2 full fare, 3 day Paris Visite passes.
H. Click Validate to confirm your purchase and then Insert Credit Card to pay. Do NOT pay an attendant cash!
I. Take your tickets from the dispense area. There may also be a receipt printed on ticket looking paper so be sure to look and make sure you got what you paid for.
Now, I don’t want to dump on the actual Paris Metro employees. They are wonderful and they are here to help! Days later we noticed actual employees helping people at the ticket machines.
They were dressed in clearly labeled Metro uniforms and had bright vests. Much different than the scammers lurking in the halls.
There are ticket/help windows you can access, but they aren’t at every station. That is why it is important to learn how to be self sufficeint.
Also don’t be afraid that they won’t speak English. I’ve learned that if I attempt to be polite in French first with a few Bonjours, Mercis and Excuse-mois, even if the person doesn’t speak English they are more willing to help you out.
8. Summary of buying for the Paris Metro tickets.
A. Scroll with the silver wheel to “English” and click validate.
B. Scroll to ‘You don’t have a pass” and click validate.
C. Scroll to “Paris Visite” or “Ticket t+” and click validate.
D. On the next screen for “Paris Visite” you choose the length of ticket you want.
E. Make sure “Zone 1 – 3” is highlighted and click validate.
F. Make sure “Full fare” is highlighted and click validate.
G. Scroll to the number of tickets you want to buy. There were 2 of us, so we were buying 2 full fare, 3 day Paris Visite passes.
H. Click Validate to confirm your purchase and then Insert Credit Card to pay. Do NOT pay an attendant cash!
I. Take your tickets from the dispense area. There may also be a receipt printed on ticket looking paper so be sure to look and make sure you got what you paid for.
9. You have tickets, now what?
You have to take your ticket.
I know every metro is different and things change quickly. We went to New York City this summer and never even had to buy metro tickets. Apple Pay on our phone or Apple Watch was all we needed. I will say that was super convenient.
Who knows maybe even Paris will move to that system making this info obsolete. Although I do think it will still be a few years before all travelers are ready for that system so I think many will still like this info for years to come.
When walking up to the machine you put your ticket in near the bottom and then as you walk through you grab your ticket from the top.
Only once you take the ticket back will the gate open up granting you access.
Yes, I have been with travelers who just stood there before trying to determine why the gate hadn’t opened.
**Note, don’t loose your ticket! It can get windy with trains running underground so be sure to put it in a secure pocket so you don’t lose it for your next trip!
10. Station, Sortie, Numbers, Letters, Colors and RER!
This is another place where I have been tripped up by the Paris Metro previously. I do think the signage has improved since I first visited the city, but as it is not my first language it is easy to get confused.
As you enter the stations, just forget about Sortie for now. Sortie actually means exit and it is a system unto itself, so just ignore any Sortie signs for now.
Look for your line number and color. The metro lines are numbered 1 – 14 each with their own color.
They can easily. be confused with the RER trains that are accessed by many of the same stations. The RER trains are larger trains to take you further out of town. For instance the RER B train (Blue) is a great way to get to Charles De Gaulle airport if you prefer metro transit to and from airports.
If you get on an RER train while in the Zone 1 (main tourist area) don’t worry. Your ticket still works fine. However if you plan to take the B (Blue) train to the airport you will need a higher priced ticket.
The main lines we use to hit the tourist highlights of Paris is the 1 (Yellow) line. Head in the direction of La Defense for destinations such a Champs Elysees and the Tulleries. In the direction of Chateau de Vincennes to get close to Notre Dame and the Marais neighborhood. (We like to stay in the Marais.)
11. Technology to the rescue!
If you’ve traveled for any length of time you remember the old days. I’ve traveled long enough to have mastered maps, Garmin GPS (Back when you had to insert the card for the country you were visiting) and the early days of the iPhone (when the dot and direction arrow never seemed to work when surrounded by buildings.)
Hasn’t navigation gotten SO much better!
You could just need this post purely for the ticket purchasing and honestly your Apple Watch may be able to take you the rest of the way there.
I like using my watch for directions because the notifications are discreetly sent to your wrist and you don’t have to have the phone right in front of your face.
Not only do you get to see more of the beautiful sights of the city your are visiting, you are less likely to be targeted for nefarious activity.
The Apple Watch (or phone) will tell you what train to get on and what direction to go.
12. WOW, that’s big.
Now that you are underground and feeling pretty good, are you brave enough to enter Les Halles or Chatelet station? It is so big it is dived up into three sectors! (Forum, Rivoli and Seine)
You can learn more about it here if you are interested, but I found you don’t really need to know the difference, just be on the look out for your train number and color. If you can’t find it while in this station, you may be in the wrong sector!
Don’t panic. I think the signage in these stations is fairly comprehendible so take a deep breath, I know you can do it!
13. Let’s Sortie! Finally, I need to get out of here!
So this may be the MOST confusing part of your journey. Ryan and I even as tourists have been known to help others get the heck out of here! In case you get confused, don’t worry, you won’t be alone.
In a small station, no worries. There is usually only one or two ways out.
If it is a large station, you will need to check your directions to determine WHICH exit to use. Yes, there can be as many as 8 or more exists for one station.
Since you checked your device for directions I know you will find the right exit. This can save you from ending up hundreds of feet away from your intended destination.
14. Walking shoes a must
As you have learned mastering the Paris metro will have you on your feet for quite awhile. You will also be going up and down stairs multiple times.
While I would love to say I think the metro is disability friendly I don’t think I can. I haven’t tried to utilize it myself with that in mind, so I am sure there are some stops that can be accessed.
Instead I try to think of how my mom would fare. She’s in her 70s and is in great shape (especially since a hip replacement) but before that replacement walking was a challenge.
No I don’t think she should try to take the RER train from the airport and manage her own bags. It would be too much.
Yes I do think she can conquer the Les Halles Chatelet madness, with a little patience, good direction and a great pair of walking shoes.
You can do it too! Don’t let fear stop you!
