Trains in Paris

Paris has six main-line stations (Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est, Gare de Lyon, Montparnasse, Saint-Lazare, Austerlitz). High-speed TGV and Ouigo trains leave from them, and RER and Transilien trains cover the suburbs.

RER and Transilien run from early morning until about 01:00, every few minutes in the centre at peak times. TGV times vary by route.

Tickets and prices

• Metro-train-RER ticket: about 2.55 EUR, valid across the whole region except airports
• Airport RER B to CDG: about 14 EUR one way (Paris Region - Airports ticket)
• TGV / Intercites: book early on SNCF Connect for lower fares
• Ouigo: low-cost high-speed, fares from about 10 EUR

Where to buy tickets

• RER and Transilien: ticket machines and counters in stations, or load tickets on a Navigo Easy card (about 2 EUR) or on your phone with the Ile-de-France Mobilites or Bonjour RATP app
• Bank card tap-in is not yet possible on RER and Transilien trains (planned by 2030)
• TGV INOUI, Ouigo, Intercites and TER: SNCF Connect app or website, station machines and ticket counters. Eurostar and Lyria tickets are sold online in advance
• RER and Transilien: no tickets sold on board. A fine of about 50 to 70 EUR applies if you have no ticket
• TGV INOUI: if you board without a ticket, go to the train manager before the check. You pay an on-board fare of about 38 EUR (short trips) up to about 174 EUR (over 800 km) in 2nd class
• TGV INOUI without a ticket at a check: about 78 to 214 EUR in 2nd class, depending on distance

Good to know: Validate paper tickets before boarding RER and Transilien. Gates check them on exit at some stations.

SNCF Connect (official site)

Direct trains from Paris

• Chantilly: about 25 min from Gare du Nord, TER
• Versailles: about 40 min from RER C stations in central Paris (e.g. Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Invalides), RER C
• Disneyland Paris: about 40 min from Chatelet - Les Halles, RER A
• Fontainebleau: about 40 min from Gare de Lyon, Transilien R
• Reims: about 45 min from Gare de l'Est, TGV INOUI
• Giverny (Vernon): about 45 min from Saint-Lazare, TER
• Chartres: about 1 h from Montparnasse, TER
• Lille: about 1 h from Gare du Nord, TGV INOUI
• Amiens: about 1 h 05 from Gare du Nord, TER
• Tours: about 1 h 10 from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI
• Rouen: about 1 h 10 from Saint-Lazare, TER (Nomad)
• Blois: about 1 h 25 from Austerlitz, TER, Ouigo
• Metz: about 1 h 25 from Gare de l'Est, TGV INOUI
• Rennes: about 1 h 25 from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Nancy: about 1 h 30 from Gare de l'Est, TGV INOUI
• Dijon: about 1 h 35 from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI
• Strasbourg: about 1 h 50 from Gare de l'Est, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Caen: about 1 h 50 from Saint-Lazare, TER (Nomad)
• Lyon: about 2 h from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI, Ouigo, Frecciarossa
• Nantes: about 2 h from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Le Havre: about 2 h from Saint-Lazare, TER (Nomad)
• Bordeaux: about 2 h 05 from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Bayeux: about 2 h 10 from Saint-Lazare, TER (Nomad)
• Saint-Malo: about 2 h 30 from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI
• La Rochelle: about 2 h 35 from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI
• Avignon: about 2 h 40 from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Marseille: about 3 h from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI, Ouigo, Frecciarossa
• Grenoble: about 3 h from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI
• Clermont-Ferrand: about 3 h 15 from Bercy, Intercites
• Montpellier: about 3 h 20 from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Brest: about 3 h 30 from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI
• Annecy: about 3 h 45 from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI
• Biarritz: about 4 h 05 from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Toulouse: about 4 h 30 from Montparnasse, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Nice: about 5 h 40 from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI, Ouigo
• Lourdes: overnight from Austerlitz, Intercites de Nuit
• Latour-de-Carol (for Andorra): overnight from Austerlitz, Intercites de Nuit
• Briancon: overnight from Austerlitz, Intercites de Nuit
• Collioure: overnight from Austerlitz, Intercites de Nuit
• Brussels (Belgium): about 1 h 22 min from Gare du Nord, Eurostar
• Antwerp (Belgium): about 2 h from Gare du Nord, Eurostar
• Luxembourg (Luxembourg): about 2 h 10 from Gare de l'Est, TGV INOUI
• London (United Kingdom): about 2 h 16 min from Gare du Nord, Eurostar
• Rotterdam (Netherlands): about 2 h 40 from Gare du Nord, Eurostar
• Lausanne (Switzerland): about 3 h 05 from Gare de Lyon, TGV Lyria
• Geneva (Switzerland): about 3 h 10 from Gare de Lyon, TGV Lyria
• Stuttgart (Germany): about 3 h 10 from Gare de l'Est, TGV INOUI, ICE
• Amsterdam (Netherlands): about 3 h 20 from Gare du Nord, Eurostar
• Cologne (Germany): about 3 h 20 from Gare du Nord, Eurostar
• Basel (Switzerland): about 3 h 40 from Gare de Lyon, TGV Lyria
• Frankfurt (Germany): about 3 h 50 from Gare de l'Est, ICE, TGV INOUI
• Zurich (Switzerland): about 4 h 05 from Gare de Lyon, TGV Lyria
• Dortmund (Germany): about 4 h 50 from Gare du Nord, Eurostar
• Turin (Italy): about 5 h 40 from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI, Frecciarossa
• Munich (Germany): about 5 h 45 from Gare de l'Est, TGV INOUI
• Barcelona (Spain): about 6 h 45 from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI
• Milan (Italy): about 7 h from Gare de Lyon, TGV INOUI, Frecciarossa
• Berlin (Germany): about 8 h from Gare de l'Est, ICE, TGV INOUI
• Berlin (night train) (Germany): about 16 h from Gare du Nord, European Sleeper

Trams and metro in Paris

Paris has 14 tram lines (T1 to T13, with T3a and T3b), mostly in the suburbs and around the edge of the city. The metro is the main way into the centre, with 16 lines.

Metro about 05:30 to 01:15 (to 02:15 Friday and Saturday). Trams roughly 05:00 to 01:00 (later on Friday and Saturday).

Tickets and prices

• Metro-train-RER ticket (metro, RER, train): about 2.55 EUR
• Bus-tram ticket (bus and tram only): about 2.05 EUR
• Navigo Easy card: a reloadable card, about 2 EUR to buy
• Navigo weekly pass: about 32 EUR, Monday to Sunday, all zones
• Paris Visite tourist pass: 1, 2, 3 or 5 days, from about 31 EUR, airports included

Where to buy tickets

• Ticket machines at every tram stop and at metro and RER stations
• Ile-de-France Mobilites or Bonjour RATP app: buy and validate with your phone (Android and iPhone)
• Navigo Easy card: about 2 EUR at station machines and ticket counters, then load tickets on it. Paper tickets ended in 2025
• Not possible on board trams or metro. Buy before you travel
• Bank card tap-in is not yet available on the metro (from 2027 on some lines)
• Fine without a valid ticket: about 70 EUR if paid on the spot

Good to know: A weekly Navigo pass is cheaper than single tickets if you arrive on a Monday.

Ile-de-France Mobilites (official site)

Paris network

16 metro lines plus the RER network. Lines are numbered 1 to 14, with 3bis and 7bis.

• Line 1: La Défense to Château de Vincennes. Stops: Charles de Gaulle–Étoile (Arc de Triomphe), Concorde (Tuileries), Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre (Louvre), Châtelet (Centre), Bastille (Opera Bastille), Gare de Lyon (Trains).
• Line 2: Porte Dauphine to Nation. Stops: Anvers (Sacré-Cœur funicular), Pigalle (Montmartre), Père Lachaise (Cemetery).
• Line 4: Porte de Clignancourt to Bagneux–Lucie Aubrac. Stops: Gare du Nord (Eurostar), Châtelet (Centre), Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Left Bank), Montparnasse (Trains, tower).
• Line 6: Charles de Gaulle–Étoile to Nation. Stops: Trocadéro (Eiffel Tower views), Bir-Hakeim (Eiffel Tower), Montparnasse (Trains), Place d'Italie (South).
• Line 8: Balard to Pointe du Lac. Stops: Invalides (Napoleon's tomb), Concorde (Tuileries), Madeleine (Church), Opéra (Opera Garnier), Bastille (Marais).
• Line 14: Saint-Denis Pleyel to Aéroport d'Orly. Stops: Madeleine (Centre), Châtelet (Centre), Gare de Lyon (Trains), Aéroport d'Orly (Airport).
• RER A: Cergy / Poissy / St-Germain to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy. Stops: Charles de Gaulle–Étoile (Arc de Triomphe), Châtelet–Les Halles (Centre), Gare de Lyon (Trains), Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy (Disneyland Paris).
• RER B: Charles de Gaulle Airport to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse. Stops: Gare du Nord (Eurostar), Châtelet–Les Halles (Centre), Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame (Latin Quarter), Charles de Gaulle Airport (Airport).

Where lines meet: Châtelet–Les Halles (1 + 4 + 14 + RER A, B); Gare du Nord (4 + RER B); Gare de Lyon (1 + 14 + RER A); Concorde (1 + 8); Montparnasse (4 + 6).

Buses in Paris

RATP buses cover the whole city. They take the bus-tram ticket or a Navigo pass. Night buses (Noctilien) replace the metro after it closes.

Day buses run from early morning to about 00:30. Noctilien runs about 00:30 to 05:30 on main routes.

Tickets and prices

• Bus-tram ticket bought in advance: about 2.05 EUR
• Ticket bought on board: about 2.55 EUR
• Navigo passes are valid on buses, trams, metro and RER
• Roissybus (Opera to CDG) stopped in March 2026. Use RER B instead
• Long distance: FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus

Where to buy tickets

• On board: tap a contactless bank card or phone on the terminal by the driver, about 2.55 EUR for one trip with no transfers
• Drivers no longer sell tickets (since November 2025)
• SMS ticket: text the line number to 93100 before boarding, about 2.55 EUR (French mobile numbers only)
• Cheaper: load bus-tram tickets (about 2.05 EUR) on a Navigo Easy card at station machines, or on your phone with the Ile-de-France Mobilites app
• FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus: buy online or in their apps

Good to know: Buses are slower than the metro but good for seeing the city above ground.

RATP (official site)

Airport links in Paris

Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is the main airport, Orly (ORY) the second one. Beauvais (BVA) is used by low-cost airlines and is far out.

CDG to Paris by RER B takes about 30 minutes. Orly connects via metro line 14, Orlyval and tram T7.

Tickets and prices

• RER B from CDG: about 14 EUR
• Metro 14 from Orly: about 14 EUR airport fare
• Taxi from CDG: fixed 56 EUR (Right Bank) or 65 EUR (Left Bank)
• Taxi from Orly: fixed 36 EUR (Left Bank) or 45 EUR (Right Bank)
• Beauvais shuttle bus: about 18 EUR one way

Where to buy tickets

• RER B (CDG) and metro 14 (Orly): buy the Paris Region - Airports ticket (about 14 EUR) at station machines or in the Ile-de-France Mobilites app. No sales on board
• Orly metro 14: if you have no ticket you can pay at the station exit with a contactless bank card or phone, about 14.80 EUR
• Orlyval: own ticket (about 14 EUR) at Orlyval desks at Orly and Antony station
• Buses 350 and 351 (CDG) and tram T7 (Orly): bus-tram ticket (about 2.05 EUR). On the bus you can pay about 2.55 EUR by bank card or SMS
• Beauvais shuttle (Aerobus): buy online on FlixBus or at FlixBus sales points, about 17.90 EUR

Good to know: The fixed taxi fares from CDG are set by law.

Paris Aeroport (official site)

Airport to city centre: full guide

Tips for Paris

• Paris metro stations are close together. For short hops, walking can be as quick.
• Keep your ticket until you leave the network, because inspectors check inside.
• Single metro-train-RER tickets cover the whole region, but airports need the separate airport ticket.

Apps to download

• Bonjour RATP: Metro, bus and tram routes and live times
• SNCF Connect: Train tickets and schedules
• Citymapper: Door-to-door route planning
• Ile-de-France Mobilites: Passes and tickets

Route guides

• London to Paris by Train: The Ultimate Eurostar Travel Guide (2026)
• Paris to Amsterdam by Train: The Ultimate Eurostar (ex-Thalys) Travel Guide (2026)