Paris Metro
Sixteen lines, 302 stations, and there is almost nowhere in Paris that the Metro cannot get you.
The Paris Metro opened on 19 July 1900 and today serves one of the densest urban networks in the world - 16 lines, 302 stations and 226 km of track woven beneath and above the city. Run by RATP, it carries around 1.5 billion journeys a year. The original Art Nouveau entrance canopies designed by Hector Guimard remain one of the most recognisable sights in Paris.
History of the Paris Metro
The Paris Metro opened on 19 July 1900, built to handle crowds coming to the Universal Exposition. The first line ran between Porte de Vincennes and Porte Maillot in just over an hour of travelling time. Engineer Fulgence Bienvenüe oversaw the construction - Montparnasse-Bienvenüe station is named in his honour. Architect Hector Guimard was commissioned to design the entrances, and his distinctive green cast-iron canopies with amber glass panels became an Art Nouveau landmark overnight. Around 80 original Guimard entrances survive across the city today. The network grew quickly and by 1920 had 10 lines. Line 14, which opened in 1998, was Europe's first fully automated driverless metro and has since been extended significantly. The city is currently building the Grand Paris Express - four new automated lines (15, 16, 17 and 18) that will ring the suburbs and connect all the main RER hubs by 2030. Today RATP operates 16 lines over 226 km and the network runs so densely that virtually every address in Paris is within 500 metres of a station.
Metro Lines
How to Use the Paris Metro
- 1
Buy a single t+ ticket at any station ticket machine or window. One ticket covers any Metro journey within Paris, including free transfers to other Metro lines during the same trip, but it does not cover the RER outside the city boundary.
- 2
From 2025 the old paper magnetic tickets are being phased out in favour of contactless payment and the Navigo Easy card. If you are visiting for a few days, load trips onto a Navigo Easy card at a station machine - it works exactly like a contactless Oyster card.
- 3
For a week's stay, buy a Navigo Semaine pass (Monday to Sunday). It covers unlimited travel on the Metro, RER within Paris, bus, tram and suburban trains for a flat weekly price.
- 4
Lines are numbered 1 to 14 (with 3bis and 7bis as short branches). Platforms show the train's final destination - always check you are heading the right way before boarding.
- 5
The RER (commuter rail) lines A, B, C, D and E share some central stations with the Metro and look similar, but they are separate services. A Metro ticket is valid on RER trains only within Zone 1 (central Paris). If you are going to an airport or a suburb, you need a separate, more expensive ticket.
- 6
Download the RATP app or Citymapper before you travel. Both give real-time departure times, service alerts and step-by-step directions across Metro, RER, bus and night bus.
Fare Guide
Travel Tips for Paris
- Lines 4, 13 and 9 are the most crowded during weekday rush hours (08:00-09:30 and 17:30-19:30). Line 14 is automated, runs every 85 seconds at peak times and is almost always less packed - use it whenever it fits your route.
- Chatelet-Les Halles is the biggest interchange station in the world, connecting five Metro lines with three RER lines under a large shopping complex. Allow at least 10 minutes to make a connection here; the walking distances are long and signage can be confusing.
- Many of the best-known sights - the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Notre-Dame - have Metro stations named after them or right outside. The Louvre exit inside Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre station leads directly into the museum's underground shopping arcade.
- Paris museums and monuments are free to enter on the first Sunday of each month. Plan around this if you want to combine Metro travel with free museum visits.
- Keep your ticket until you exit the fare zone - inspectors do check, and the on-the-spot fine for not having a valid ticket is EUR 50.
- The night bus network (Noctilien) runs when the Metro closes. Routes are numbered N01 to N145 and can be found on the RATP app. Taxis and ride-hailing apps also work well after midnight.
Accessibility
35/ 302 stations
Step-free access (12% coverage)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Metro ticket cost in Paris?
A single t+ ticket costs EUR 2.15 in 2024. A book of 10 tickets (carnet) costs EUR 17.35, saving a little over buying individually. For regular travel, the Navigo Semaine weekly pass (EUR 34.70, Monday to Sunday) or Navigo Mois monthly pass (EUR 88.80) give unlimited travel across the Metro, RER within Paris, bus and tram.
How many lines does the Paris Metro have?
The Paris Metro has 16 lines: numbered 1 to 14 plus two short branch lines called 3bis and 7bis. Line 1 and Line 14 are fully automated and driverless. The network covers 226 km and 302 stations.
What time does the Paris Metro open and close?
Most lines run from around 05:30 until 01:15 the following morning. On Friday and Saturday nights they stay open until 02:15. There is no night Metro service, but the Noctilien night bus network fills the gap.
Which Metro line is closest to the Eiffel Tower?
Take Line 6 to Bir-Hakeim or Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel on RER C for the closest stop to the base. Trocadero (Line 6 or Line 9) is slightly further but gives the famous elevated view looking across to the tower - ideal for photographs.
How do I get from Charles de Gaulle Airport to central Paris?
The cheapest option is RER B, which runs directly from CDG Terminal 2 to central Paris stations including Gare du Nord, Chatelet-Les Halles and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame. The journey takes around 25-35 minutes. You need a specific airport ticket, not a standard Metro t+ ticket - buy it at the RER platforms inside the terminal.
Is the Paris Metro wheelchair accessible?
Accessibility is the Metro's biggest weakness. Only around 35 stations have step-free access, and most of those are on Line 14 and parts of Lines 1 and 9. The RER A and B lines are better for wheelchair users at most central stations. For fully accessible travel across Paris, the city operates Ile-de-France Mobilites PAM service and the accessible bus network covers most of the city.
Châtelet
Châtelet is the world's largest underground station complex, connecting five Métro lines and forming the core of the RER cross-city rail network at the adjoining Les Halles station.
Gare du Nord
Gare du Nord is the busiest railway station in Europe by passenger numbers, handling over 700,000 passengers daily including Eurostar services to London (St Pancras) and Thalys services to Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.
Saint-Lazare
Saint-Lazare is one of Paris's most important railway and Métro interchanges, serving five Métro lines and the major rail terminus for Normandy - the inspiration for many of Monet's paintings.
Charles de Gaulle - Étoile
Charles de Gaulle - Étoile is the Arc de Triomphe station, one of Paris's most iconic landmarks.
Opéra
Opéra station is at the foot of the Palais Garnier - Charles Garnier's masterpiece of Second Empire architecture and the inspiration for Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera.
Bastille
Bastille station marks the site of the notorious 18th-century prison stormed on 14 July 1789 - the birth of the French Revolution.
Trocadéro
Trocadéro offers the most photographed view of the Eiffel Tower in all of Paris - the esplanade directly in front of the Palais de Chaillot frames the tower perfectly across the Seine.
Concorde
Concorde station is directly beneath Place de la Concorde - where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were guillotined during the Revolution, now dominated by the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk gifted by Egypt.
Louvre - Rivoli
Louvre - Rivoli is the dedicated Métro station for the world's most visited art museum, the Louvre, which attracts over 9 million visitors annually.
Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre
Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre serves the Palais Royal gardens - one of the most beautiful and peaceful spots in central Paris, featuring arcaded 18th-century galleries, Daniel Buren's striped columns and the Comédie-Française theatre.
Montparnasse - Bienvenüe
Montparnasse - Bienvenüe is the main terminus station for the TGV high-speed rail network serving western and south-western France, and one of Paris's most important transport hubs with four Métro lines.
Gare de Lyon
Gare de Lyon is the departure point for TGV high-speed trains to the French Riviera (Nice, Cannes, Monaco), Lyon, Marseille and international services to Geneva, Turin and Milan.
Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame
Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame is the most central station for Notre-Dame Cathedral, which is currently undergoing restoration after the devastating 2019 fire.
Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau
Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau sits at the midpoint of the most famous avenue in the world, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais - two Beaux-Arts exhibition palaces built for the 1900 World Exhibition.
Odéon
Odéon is the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés - historically the intellectual quarter of Paris where Sartre, de Beauvoir and Camus wrote in the cafés of the Deux Magots and Café de Flore.
République
République is one of Paris's major political and cultural crossroads, serving five Métro lines on a vast square dominated by the 1880s bronze Marianne statue - symbol of the French Republic.
Madeleine
Madeleine station sits at the base of the Église de la Madeleine - a neo-classical temple modelled on the Parthenon, surrounded by Paris's most exclusive food shops including Fauchon and Hédiard.
Pigalle
Pigalle has historically been Paris's red-light district and entertainment quarter, though the area has evolved significantly into a creative neighbourhood - particularly around the 'SoPi' (South Pigalle) area - with independent music shops on Rue Victor Massé, cocktail bars, record stores and boutique hotels.
Père Lachaise
Père Lachaise station is the gateway to the world's most visited cemetery, where Édith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Frédéric Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust and Honoré de Balzac are buried.
Anvers
Anvers is the foot-of-the-hill station for Sacré-Cœur and the artistic village of Montmartre - the most visited neighbourhood in Paris.