Transport - Paris - page 721

Tickets are sold at all metro stations. Ticket windows accept most credit cards; however,
automated machines do not accept North American credit cards.
One ticket lets you travel between any two metro stations (no return journeys) for a period
of 1½ hours, no matter how many transfers are required. You can also use it on the RER for
travel within zone 1, which encompasses all of central Paris.
A single ticket can be used to transfer between buses, but not to transfer from the metro to
bus or vice-versa. Transfers are not allowed on Noctilien buses.
Always keep your ticket until you exit from your station; if you are stopped by a ticket in-
spector, you will have to pay a fine if you don't have a valid ticket.
NAVIGO PASS
If you're staying in Paris longer than a few days, the cheapest and easiest way to use
public transport is to get a combined travel pass that allows unlimited travel on the
metro, RER and buses for a week, a month or even a year. You can get passes for
travel in two to five zones but, unless you'll be using the suburban commuter lines ex-
tensively, the basic ticket valid for zones 1 and 2 should be sufficient.
Navigo ( www.navigo.fr ) , like London's Oyster or Hong Kong's Octopus cards, is a
system that provides you with a refillable weekly, monthly or yearly unlimited pass
that you can recharge at machines in most metro stations. To pass through the sta-
tion barrier swipe the card across the electronic panel as you go through the turn-
stiles. Standard Navigo passes, available to anyone with an address in Île de France,
are free but take up to three weeks to be issued; ask at the ticket counter for a form or
order online via the Navigo website. Otherwise pay €5 for a Navigo Découverte (Nav-
igo Discovery) card, which is issued on the spot but (unlike the standard Navigo pass)
not replaceable if lost or stolen. Both passes require a passport photo and can be re-
charged for periods of one week or more.
A weekly pass costs €20.40 for zones 1 and 2 and is valid Monday to Sunday. It can
be purchased from the previous Friday until Thursday; from the next day weekly tick-
ets are available for the following week only. Even if you're in Paris for three or four
days, it may work out cheaper than buying carnetsand will certainly cost less than
buying a daily Mobilis or Paris Visite pass. The monthly pass (€67.10 for zones 1 and
2) begins on the first day of each calendar month; you can buy one from the 20th of
the preceding month. Both are sold in metro and RER stations from 6.30am to 10pm
and at some bus terminals.
Navigo cards can be recharged online.