11 Local Transportation Guides for New Travelers

6. Paris (Metro + Navigo)

Paris’s Métro and RER make getting around fast and cost-effectively, with a dense network near most attractions. The Navigo pass covers weekly or monthly travel and is good value if you stay several days; single tickets also work for short visits. The RATP app and Citymapper provide routing and service alerts. Learn a few basic French transit phrases for ticket kiosks and station announcements—staff are generally helpful, but signs and announcements may be primarily in French. Watch your belongings on packed trains; tourist routes like those between the city center and major museums get busy midday. Many central stations have stairs and narrow corridors, so allow a little extra time to move between lines. Accessibility varies; some stations have elevators while older stops do not, so check RATP accessibility pages if step-free access is essential. For budget travelers, choose packs of tickets or a multi-day pass as needed, and consider walking between nearby sights to avoid short hops that eat time with transfers.