Transportation Tickets, Maps, Definitions, Passes for Paris

A party of five is visiting from Madrid, Spain. Should they rent a car, take the RER, take a bus? These are questions one normally asks when arriving in a new city. The answer? Share a taxi (van) from G7 sharing: one price (currently 45 euros), one destination, reserve on line.

Should they rent a car or take the RER C to Versailles palace: Buy a Mobilis ticket and take the RER C. Name the scenario and the RATP has a solution.

Visiting Paris is RATP’s Parisian kit with numerous hints to explore, including a helpful app “without eating up all your data!”.

From this station to that station.
Metro, RER and Tram information on “RATP News” at the RATP. Follow their tweets at @GroupeRATP

The RATP is the Régie autonome des transports parisiens and was created in 1949 to insure and oversee all public transportation. Up until 1944, the companies were private enterprises.

The RATP pages below are mostly available in French, English and Spanish. Some include other languages. Use Google Translate for French pages and each subsequent page is automatically translated.

Use Navigo for Weekend and Holiday Advantages

RATP information

Tickets and passes catered for you
RATP tickets explained
Planning your itinerary
RATP under 26
RATP apps for smartphones

Airports

• Le Bus Direct – Paris Aeroports (Formerly Cars Air France)
• Between Paris and The Airports
• Back and forth to the airports with buses, trams, RER, shuttle (Charles de Gaulle-Roissy CDG, ORLY, Beauvais)

RATP Transportation Maps

RER (airports, Versailles, Disney, day trips outside Paris centre, etc.)

• • When using the RER to reach Paris or starting in Paris for another destination (airport, for example) your RER ticket is valid for a metro transfer (but not for a bus transfer). Even if you leave the RER station, your ticket is valid.
  • Transilien/SNCF Website for general route planning outside Paris (available in French, English and Spanish)
    • Really cool page is the “Tourism in Paris and Surrounding Region” – history of châteaux (castles) and directions
    • Accessible stations in 2017
    • Transilien/SNCF map of Ile-de-France network map (includes all RERs)
  • When using the RER to reach Paris or starting in Paris for another destination (airport, for example) your RER ticket is valid for a metro transfer (but not for a bus transfer). Even if you leave the RER station, your ticket is valid.
  • RATP – Metro Interactive Map
  • RATP Traffic information (in French only)
  • RATP Grand Plan Bus avec rues (with streets)
  • RATP Grand Plan Metro avec rues (with streets)
  • Buying Train Tickets to Italy
  • How do I get from A to B?

• Find a Taxi
• Catch the Montmartre Electric Bus (Montmartrobus)

Sightseeing

• RATP Open Tour bus – now goes 100% electric (I prefer Open Tour because it is part of RATP and stops at selected, regular bus stops)
• RATP History
• History of Paris metro names (Metro.Paris – A Ticket for Paris – History of Names from RATP)
• Sightseeing in the metro – .pdf document from the old Web site
• Archi-bus “promotes contemporary Parisian heritage”. Download the bus maps. The Paris Tourist Office Pyramides  may still have hard copy maps.
• Paris Tourist Office sightseeing/free tourist guide books are free at their offices or available for download on line.

I found that the QR Code Reader on iTunes (free) is very handy for traveling by bus in Paris. Bus stops have a GPS connection and the next two buses register your wait time.

Paying for your ticket

Use Euros in cash or change at the ticket dispenser in the metro For US credit cards, even with a chip, go to the window.

Credit cards without the smart chip (puce) are permitted at the metro information window. The attendants are getting better with their English to answer your questions.

Ticket t+ tips

The carnet is a pack of ten tickets. The “Ticket t+” are good for Paris transportation: buses, metros, electric bus through Montmartre (Montmartrobus), the tramway, and the RERs within Paris. You have 90 minutes to make transfers using the same ticket from a carnet. Tickets purchased on the bus are not valid for transfers.

If you have not been to Paris before and especially with children, it might be fun to see the city from the top of a double decker bus. I recommend L’Open Tour because of its numerous stops along regular bus routes and its scenic routes. There is an advantage of l’Open Tour along regular stops. With your “Ticket t+“, you can decide to visit a part of town not on the Open Tour route.  Keep in mind you have 90 minutes to make transfers using the same ticket from a carnet. Tickets purchased on the bus are not valid for transfers.

If you plan four days in Paris, I would suggest buying a ticket on the Open Tour bus for two days and use it as your sightseeing vehicle or the weekly pass Navigo Semaine. It has more stops than Les Cars Rouges. Read more and look at the routes on their Web sites. Otherwise, the Mobilis (day card) is a great value.

Sightseeing Outside Paris with Transilien (trains) using the Navigo Monthly or Annual Passes.

Chateau de Versailles   (RER C – Direction Versailles-Rive Gauche)

Château de Fontainebleau