An Overview

The Basics

  • MANY metro stops are not very accessible. If you have luggage, make sure you can carry it up the stairs because you will have to. There are often no escalators, elevators, and just lots of up and down staircases (Denfert-Rochereau being particularly painful)
  • A cappuccino for  5 euros is unfortunately the norm for Paris. If it’s more, try next door. If it’s less, congrats! I use it as a metric for pricing on if I should eat there.
  • Tax is included everywhere! If you are asked for a tip, you are being taken advantage of. 
  • Abbesses metro stop on line 12 – to avoid (unless you want to spend 10 minutes walking up or down stairs. If you go anyways, take the elevator. Just do it. It is worth it and I know from experience. I am not kidding about those 10 minutes.)
  • Vivre Paris is an Instagram account that has current events and things in Paris if you speak French.
  • Chatelet metro stop: it is a HUGE underground network of tunnels with 2 moving sidewalks. Transfers from the RER lines are next to each other, lines 4 and 14 are not too far from them, but lines 11 and 7 are two moving sidewalks away from everything else – so like a good 5-10 minutes. Transfer here if you need, but just be aware (also, lack of escalators/elevators).
  • Wine here is cheap. 6 euro-12 euro bottles are on a similar level of taste. I am big on red wine, and my favourite is a Médoc. Côtes-de-Bourgs is also pretty close, and a Côtes-du-Rhônes is a bold wine for some red meat, or maybe any time if you like that! 
  • Head to a grocery store, buy a bottle opener and bottle of wine, and go enjoy some wine on the Seine!

Transportation

Paris changed their ticket system in 2025 and it’s much clearer now! Definitely check out the RATP website

to see what passes are good for you because those are great, and can be put on a card you can tap. The card costs 2 euros, and can be refilled. If you have a newer phone with NFC, you can buy tickets and reload your card directly from the app!

WARNING – metro/train tickets are different to bus/tram tickets and if you do a transfer between those types of transport you will end up using 2 tickets. Also, before 2025 week passes went Monday-Sunday and month ones started on the 1st and go the 30th/31st. Just double check when things are valid because I am unsure what has changed…. I have made this mistake several times…

The Airport

If you are flying into CDG or ORLY airport, you have several options to leave via public transit depending on your destination, but the short version is it’s going to cost you 13 euros. Get the RATP app for traffic updates and maps and maybe work in extra time for RER lines – you might need it.

 

CDG – Located in the north of Paris, you can purchase a one-way ticket in or out of the airport for 13 euros either on your phone or at a ticket booth. The line taking you into Paris is a suburban line called the RER B and as it is not a metro line it has stops in the Ile de France region. This does mean that stops on this line are further apart. CDG is also a full train station so depending on where you’re heading after your flight you can take a train direct.

 

ORLY – Orly airport is located south of Paris and like CDG, you can purchase a one-way ticket in or out of the airport for 13 euros either on your phone or at a ticket booth. The line that services Orly is an automated metro line, line 14, and will quickly get you into the city-centre. If for whatever reason that is unavailable, there is a tram station outside of the airport (T7) which goes north and terminates at metro line 7 which you can then use to get into the heart of Paris.

 

Paris-Beauvais – BVA is a misnomer because it is not in Paris, and is not easily accessible by any public transit to my knowledge. It is a budget airport but definitely avoid it because the price you will pay commuting to and from (unless you know someone with a car picking you up or dropping you off) makes it completely not worth it.