RATP is the name of the main transit company in Paris operating buses, regional trains, trams and metro services. A single ticket cost €1.90 and is valid within Paris center (1 zone). With this ticket you can make one travel by metro, bus or tram in the center (1 zone). Taking metro’s from different lines is 1 journey as long your travel is in the city center. The main attractions like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre Museum, Montmartre and Quartier Latin are all in zone 1. To the palace of Versailles and Orly Airport is 4 zones and to CDG Airport and Disneyland is 5 zones.
10 tickets – Carnet
If you buy a set of 10 tickets (called a ‘carnet’) you will receive a reduction. Full fare price is then €16.90 and for children under 10 the price is €8.45. There are ticket vending machines on some stations but they are in French language and require creditcards or coins. If you use your bankcard, you have the chance that you won’t get tickets but that your bank account will be charged afterwards! This happend to me several years ago… Advantage of the ticket window is that you also get a free metro map. Disadvantage of using the ticket window in the Paris metro are sometimes the long queues.
Travel passes Paris metro
The 1 to 5 day passes can be a good deal if you are staying several days in Paris and you have a flight from the airport. The passes with 5 zones include the airports, Versailles and Disneyland. An one way train ticket to Disneyland cost €8.40 and a train ride from CDG Airport is €10. To Versailles cost €4 one way. The Paris Visit pass (1-3 zones) cost €12 for 1 day, €27 for 3 days and €38 for 5 days. Children (4-11 years) get reduction. One to three zones is good for the city centre + the nearest suburbs. If you want to go to Versailles or Orly you need a pass with 4 zones. To Disneyland and Charles de Gaulle Airport is 5 zones. A pass for 3 days with 5 zones cost €54. Most expensive is the pass for 5 days and 5 zones: this pass is €66.