Getting around · Paris · France
Getting around Paris
Public transport, passes, airport connections and when a car makes sense.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG, Public domain
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Quick answer
Central Paris is compact and best explored on foot, with the Métro filling the gaps: 16 lines with stations rarely more than 500 metres apart. The RER suburban trains cross the centre and serve the airports, Versailles and Disneyland. No.
Key facts
- Main way around
- Metro
- Airports
- CDG, ORY, BVA
- Need a car?
- No
- Travel pass
- Navigo Easy
Ways to get around
Metro
The Métro runs from about 5:30am to after midnight (later on Friday and Saturday nights) and is usually the fastest way across the city. A single ticket covers any Métro journey including changes.
Load tickets onto a Navigo Easy card or a phone with the official app rather than buying paper tickets.
Walking
Many classic sights are 15–25 minutes apart along the Seine, and walking is the best way to discover the neighbourhoods between them.
Bus
Buses are slower but scenic; lines that cross the centre past major monuments make a cheap alternative to a sightseeing bus.
Buses use the same tickets as the Métro but you cannot change between bus and Métro on one ticket.
Cycling
Vélib' is the city's bike-share scheme, with electric and pedal bikes and a large network of protected cycle lanes on main boulevards and along the Seine.
Taxi
Official taxis can be hailed at ranks marked 'Taxi'; fares from the airports to central Paris are fixed flat rates set by the authorities.
Avoid unofficial drivers who approach you in airport and station arrival halls.
Tickets and passes
Navigo Easy
A rechargeable contactless card onto which you load single tickets or day passes; it replaces paper tickets.
Navigo Semaine
A weekly pass valid Monday to Sunday across the whole region, including airports and Versailles; good value if you arrive early in the week.
Paris Museum Pass
Covers entry to more than 50 museums and monuments for two, four or six consecutive days; it still requires timed reservations at some sites.
From the airport
From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B train reaches Gare du Nord and Châtelet in about 30–35 minutes; Orly is linked to the centre by Métro line 14 and the Orlyval shuttle. Taxis charge fixed flat fares to the Right and Left Banks. Beauvais is about 85 km away and served mainly by coach.
Do you need a car?
No. Driving and parking in Paris are slow and expensive; public transport and walking cover everything, and car hire only makes sense for exploring rural France beyond the day trips.
Reaching the day trips
| Destination | Travel time | How |
|---|---|---|
| Palace of Versailles | About 40 minutes by RER C | RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche |
| Giverny | About 1 hour 15 minutes by train and shuttle | Train from Saint-Lazare to Vernon, then shuttle bus or bike |
| Disneyland Paris | About 40 minutes by RER A | RER A to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy |
| Reims and Champagne | About 45 minutes by TGV | TGV from Gare de l'Est to Reims |
| Fontainebleau | About 1 hour by train and bus | Train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon, then bus |
| Mont-Saint-Michel | About 4 hours each way by train and bus | TGV to Rennes, then direct coach; or an organised tour |
| Chartres | About 1 hour 10 minutes by train | Train from Gare Montparnasse |
Questions travellers ask
+Do you need a car in Paris?
No. Driving and parking in Paris are slow and expensive; public transport and walking cover everything, and car hire only makes sense for exploring rural France beyond the day trips.
+How do you get from the airport to Paris?
From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B train reaches Gare du Nord and Châtelet in about 30–35 minutes; Orly is linked to the centre by Métro line 14 and the Orlyval shuttle. Taxis charge fixed flat fares to the Right and Left Banks. Beauvais is about 85 km away and served mainly by coach.
+What is the best way to get around Paris?
Metro: The Métro runs from about 5:30am to after midnight (later on Friday and Saturday nights) and is usually the fastest way across the city. A single ticket covers any Métro journey including changes.