Paris is a very well connected city, with frequent buses and an extensive metro network. To find your way, using public transportation, in Paris download either Citymapper or Bonjour RATP on your smartphone.
Within Paris there are 3 main methods of public transportation: Buses, RER (Region trains that also traverse through Paris), and Metro lines.
When on public transportation, be aware of your surroundings. Like most major cities, pickpockets operate on the public transportation in Paris. Keep your bags close to you on public transportation and put any valuables in zippable bags.
Tickets
The Paris ticketing system was completely overhauled recently. There are now two types of tickets. Metro-Train-RER which has a flat rate at 2.50 euros and the Bus-Tram ticket with a flat rate of 2.00 euros.
If you have an Iphone, you can buy these tickets in your Apple Wallet, but tickets can always be bought with machines inside of the metro stations (where you can select the language to be English). This should go without saying, do not buy tickets from anyone outside of the station claiming to be a real ticket vendor - always buy from the machines in the station.
For the bus, tram, and metro, the tickets need only be used once. For the RER lines, you need to keep the ticket in order to exit the station.
Getting to Paris from the airport
Charles De Gaulle
From CDG there are two main ways to get to Paris: Train and Taxi.
For the train, it's the RER B with tickets costing 13 euros. Tickets for the RER B can be bought from the ticketing machine inside the airport (follow the signs to the RER B in the airport shown as a white B with a blue background). This ticket is a point A to point B ticket. Meaning, when you get to Paris, you can use it to get to your final destination. So if your hotel is near the Jardin Des Plantes, you can take the RER B to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame then use the same ticket to exit the RER B and use it again to enter the line 10 to get off at the station Jussieu- without having to buy another ticket.
For taxis, you can find the taxi rank just outside of arrivals. To get from CDG to paris by taxi, there is a fixed cost. If the destination is on the right bank, or Rive Driote, it is 56 euros (Prices valid 01/02/2024). If the destination is on the left bank, Rive Gauche, it is 65 euros (Prices valid 01/02/2024).
Orly
The previously convenient OrlyBus no longer exists, and now the only way to get from Orly to Paris via public transportation is the Metro line 14 or the Orlyval shuttle service to Antony (which is on the RER B). Tickets for both can be bought inside the airport by following the signs to the respective mode of transport.
For taxis, you can find the taxi rank just outside of arrivals. To get from Orly to paris by taxi, there is a fixed cost. If the destination is on the right bank, or Rive Driote, it is 45 euros (Prices valid 01/02/2025). If the destination is on the left bank, Rive Gauche, it is 36 euros (Prices valid 01/02/2025).
