Big changes are coming to the Paris public transport ticketing system in January 2025, particularly for occasional users and visitors. Learn how the new simplified ticketing system and fare adjustments will affect you, and suggestions on how to plan your trip accordingly.
January 2025 Update: Find the full guide to using Paris Public Transportation here
In this article:
Two New Flat-Rate Tickets
Starting January 2nd, there will be two flat rate “T+” tickets for the entire Ile-de-France: €2.50 for metro/RER and €2 for bus/tram (or €2.50 if purchased onboard the bus). This replaces the current price-by-zone rates that charged more for RER trips outside the city (for example, to Versailles or Disneyland). That means tickets will cost more for those traveling within Paris, but less for those traveling to or from the surrounding suburbs, and more for the metro and RER, but less for the bus and tram.
While the different prices between these transport systems are are new, nothing has changed for connections between them: if you switch from the metro to a bus, or RER to the tram, you will still need two tickets as you do today. The only difference is that now you have to make sure you have two different kinds of tickets, which I find more troublesome than the small price difference.
Two Ways to Purchase T+ Tickets
To get these tickets, you can purchase them directly on your smartphone using the Ile-de-France Mobilités app (Android and iPhone); when you download the app it will tell you if your phone is compatible or not. The nice thing abut this is that you don’t have to stand in line to purchase tickets at the station (which are especially long at the airport and train stations). You’ll then need to use your phone to pass through the turnstiles, so be aware you’ll always need a phone that has enough battery charge to get you where you need to go (although you don’t need to be connected to the internet to use it).
The other way is to purchase a Navigo easy card (for €2) from a ticket window in any large metro station. These cards are not nominative (you don’t put your name or photo on it) and don’t expire, so you could give it to someone else to use when you’re not using it (you just can’t use it twice on the same trip, each traveler needs their own card). Once you have this card, you then load with as many T+ tickets (for bus or metro) that you need, either at the metro station ticket window or on the self-serve machines (it’s also possible to use the app above to recharge your card, but I find it a bit fussy to use). You can also purchase an unlimited day pass or an airport bus ticket and load onto this pass. This is what many tourists and Parisians who only use public transport occasionally have been using for the past few years, loading up the discounted “carnet” of ten T+ tickets. But that option will no longer be possible starting January 2nd (see below).
Only a few stations that do not have the Navigo easy passes available will still be selling the paper T+tickets, but these are being phased out completely by the end of 2025.
Au Revoir to Le Carnet
Another huge change: the end of the “carnet” of 10 tickets, which has always cost 20% less than buying tickets one at a time. These were great for occasional users and visitors who could stock up on discounted tickets purchased in a pack of ten, without any limit on when they could be used. The paper carnets were already discontinued a few years ago, and starting January 2nd, will no longer be available on the Navigo Easy passes either.
What about the tickets I currently have?
You can use any leftover paper tickets until December 31st, 2025, then you will need to use a refillable pass (such as the Navigo Easy) or an app on your smartphone to purchase individual tickets at the full price.
If you still have previously purchased tickets on your Navigo Easy card, you must use them all BEFORE you add any new ones from January 2nd! I’m guessing the same goes for any tickets you have purchased on the smartphone app before 2025, too.
Navigo Liberté+: The Only Option for Discounted Tickets
Starting in January, the ONLY way to get discounted tickets — without subscribing to a weekly, annual, or monthly pass — is through the Navigo Liberté+ Pass, which will be available for travel within the entire network (currently it is only available within Paris). Those with a Navigo Liberté+ card will only pay €1.99 for metro/RER fares, and €1.60 for bus/tram fares. In addition to the discounted fares, they get free connections between all transport types (metro to bus, RER to tram, etc).
What is a Navigo Liberté+?
This is a free pay-as-you-go pass that automatically charges your bank at the end of the month depending on how many trips you’ve made, with a maximum price of €12/day (equivalent to a day pass). You pay nothing in advance, so if you don’t use it, you’re not charged at all. I’ve been using this for two years now, and it’s amazingly convenient. I would recommend all Paris residents or frequent visitors to get one. The only catch? Meant for residents, not visitors, the pass requires you to sign up with a bank account that accepts SEPA payments, which are usually only available through European banks (I’ve read that Wise accounts are SEPA-compliant). That means you probably won’t be able to subscribe if your only bank accounts are in the US, Canada, or Australia (if anyone has successfully done this, let me know!)
Extra Benefits for Navigo Pass Holders
Beside the price discount on public transport tickets, the Navigo Liberté+ — just like the monthly and annual Navigo passes — also gives you free entrance to the public toilets in the Paris train stations (you just need to show your pass to an attendant), and discounts on cultural venues including certain museums, cinemas, theatre, and concerts throughout France. Find all of the benefits here.
Currently, the Navigo Liberté+ is only available on a card with your picture on it, but starting in Spring 2025 it will be available on your smartphone (My first thought: what if my phone battery dies? Can I still use the card as backup or do I have to choose one?)
Day Pass: Navigo Jour
The new flat rate for the Navigo Jour unlimited day pass will be €12 (this does NOT include the airports). This is a bit more than the current rate of €8.30 to use within Paris, but much less than the current €20.60 for all five zones (for example, a day trip out to Château Fontainebleau and back).
Flat Fee for Both Airports
The current price of €10.30 for Orly and €16.60 for Roissy-CDG will change to €13 for everyone, whether you take the RER, metro 14, or the bus (Roissy Bus and Orly Bus). Only the Paris Visit passes include travel to the airports. Everyone else will need to purchase the individual ticket at the metro station ticket machine (or window, if there is one), or through the app directly on your phone.
Tourists Will Pay the Most
On the other hand, tourists are going to feel the burn. Not only are the carnet discounts disappearing, the price for the Paris Visit Pass will be much higher: €29.90 for one day (this includes airport access). The current price is €13.95 within Paris and €29.25 for all five zones, so it’s simply moving to the five-zone pricing for everyone, with slightly digressive rates (€44.45 for 2 days, €62.30 for 3 days, and €76.25 for 5 days). There are other “benefits” that come with the Paris Visit Pass, tiny discounts on entrance to the wax museum, Invalides, the Pantheon, Montparnasse Tower, and Toot Bus tours, etc.
I think you’d still have to do the math to see if this is really a good deal, because why would you buy the Paris Visit for one day at €29.90 just for the airport access when you can get the Navigo Jour day pass (€12) plus the airport ticket (€13) for just €25? I wouldn’t buy the five-day Paris Visit pass for €76.25 when five Navigo Jour passes would just cost €60, unless I was including my airport travel within those five days. The other downside is that the Paris Visit Pass is for consecutive days, which wouldn’t be worth it if you knew you’d be walking a lot one day or only need one round trip (which would be €5 with two regular tickets). In general, if you have the budget, it’s much more convenient to get the Paris Visit Pass so that you don’t have to worry about it. But you can definitely save money if you’re a good planner and like walking.
What About the Navigo Découverte Weekly Pass?
To make matters a bit more confusing (sorry!), there exists another pass you can purchase directly (ie without a bank account): the Navigo Découverte. This costs €5 and doesn’t expire, but unlike the Navigo Easy card, this one must have your name and photo on it, so it can’t be shared with someone else. This pass allows you to purchase the unlimited day, week or month passes, which could be a better deal for visitors who don’t want to pay the Paris Visit pass nor get a subscription tied to their bank account. The major constraint is that the week passes (which cost €31.60) start at the beginning of the week (Monday morning to Sunday night) and the month passes are from the 1st, which may not be convenient if you arrive in the middle of the week or month.
If the dates do work for you, be aware that the Navigo Découverte card doesn’t allow you to purchase individual T+ tickets as needed, so you’d need to carry a Navigo easy card to purchase those (this might change January 2nd, but I haven’t seen it mentioned in any of the official information, and the agents I’ve asked at the ticket windows seemed unsure).
The best way to get around this bizarre problem is to use the Ile-de-France Mobilités app (Android and iPhone) on your phone as mentioned above, which allows you to purchase ALL of the available tickets and passes, including T+ tickets, airport RER tickets, and the weekly or monthly pass, directly on your phone without needing to purchase the physical card. You don’t need to be connected to the internet to use them once you’ve uploaded tickets to your phone (but you do need to have a charged battery, obviously).
I know some of you may not be comfortable using apps instead of a physical card, and personally, I don’t think it’s really safe whipping out your phone to swipe at turnstiles in the metro (it’s a popular moment for thieves to grab it), but it’s certainly the most efficient way of getting all of the tickets you may need into one place.
Why the Changes?
Removing the price-by-zone system has been in the cards for over a decade as part of wider reforms that promote environmental sustainability, fairness, and simplicity:
- To remove the “zone” system that separated Paris from the surrounding suburbs, with one price for everyone. This is important in preparations for the Grand Paris Express currently being built.
- To encourage suburbanites to leave their cars at home and use public transport (they currently pay up to €10 for occasional trips into Paris, which gets pricey for families coming to town for the day), thus cutting down on pollution and congested streets.
- To simplify what has been a very complex and confusing ticketing system (over 50,000 different rates depending on which towns you were traveling between).
The silver lining? Perhaps it will encourage more tourists – and Parisians! – to visit the many wonderful sights outside of Paris that seemed inaccessible before.
Lots of Questions!
While waiting for January to roll around, there are still a lot of questions I have (some which have been answered):
- Q: It seems that now you will need to load induvial tickets onto a Navigo Easy Pass. I have no idea how this will work for the two different rates for metro/RER and bus/tram. Will you need to load both as different tickets? How will you know how many you have left of each?
A: Yes, you will need to purchase both bus/tram tickets and separate metro/RER tickets. You can scan your pass at any ticket machine in the metro station to see the “balance” for each ticket type. - Q: Which ticket does one use on the Funicular?
A: The Funicular is accessible only with the €2 bus/tram T+ ticket. - Q: What will the price be on the weekly Navigo pass?
A: It will be €31.60.
Find the full guide to using Paris Public Transportation in 2025 here