Paris is one of the most beautiful cities, bustling with people and attractions you wouldn’t want to miss. With so many points of interest, it is important to choose an optimal mode of transport. One that is convenient, well connected and does not burn a hole in your pocket. The Paris Metro meets all of these criteria.

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By far, the cheapest, fastest, and the most convenient means of getting around in Paris is the Metro. It has a massive network of lines and practically connects every place you can think of. So wherever you decide to stay, if it’s close to a Metro station, you’re all set.

However, the vast network of lines can be extremely confusing for first time users. Hence I’ve created this guide that’ll help you understand how to use the Paris Metro effectively.

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Tickets To The Paris Metro

A single ticket costs €1.90 and a book of 10 tickets, also known as a Carnet, cost €14.90. A ticket can be used for transfers to a different Metro line or RER trains, within 1 hour 30 minutes of first use, without exiting a station. From our experience, we’ve seen that a book of 10 Paris Metro tickets turns out to be cheaper and more useful than the unlimited passes.

Getting Around via the Paris Metro

An app that we found extremely useful for getting around in Paris via metro is the Paris Metro app. All you need to enter on the app are the source and destination points and it will present the fastest route to you.

Most often, the route will comprise multiple lines. You need to make a note of the line and the direction in which to travel. Let me explain this with an example.

Consider Line 14. The two stations at either end of this line are Saint Lazare and Olympiades. Now suppose you are boarding the train from Chatelet and wish to go to Madeleine, you will need to take the Line 14 that is going towards Saint Lazare.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let us take a real example and see how the app can help you find a route. Suppose you wish to travel from the Paris Opera to the Eiffel Tower. Just enter those two points on the app and you will see this.

This means that, from the Opera station, you need to take the purple line (Line 8) going towards Balard station. Then get down at Invalides station. From there, you need to take the yellow line (Line C) going towards Saint-Quentin en-Yvelines/ Versailles Rive Gauche/ Pontoise. And then get off at Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel.

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It might take you a few attempts. But after using the metro a couple times, you are sure to get a hang of it. The best part of using the Metro for tourists is that every attraction is right next to a station. So the Paris Metro can help you go everywhere that you wish to and within minutes!

We had a great time in Paris thanks to the efficient Metro system. I would strongly recommend it to all my fellow travelers. If you have any other useful tips to share about getting around in Paris, do let us know in the comments below.