Paris Navigo Easy Card

The Paris public-transit system is remarkable: The Métro system alone has more than 300 stations on 16 lines with a total length of 214 kilometers or 133 miles. Add in RER trains, buses, trams, the Montmartre funicular, and Transilien commuter rail, and you've got a network that will take you practically anywhere in the Paris region without any need for a car or taxi.

Now that the Paris transportation has moved to electronic ticketing, you need a way to store your virtual tickets. Your most convenient options are the official Bonjour RATP transit app and our own preferred choice: Navigo Easy, a stored-value plastic card from RATP (the Paris transit agency) with an embedded chip that holds your fares.

Unlike other Paris transportation passes, Navigo Easy is a simple "pay as you go" card. You use it just like the old T+ cardboard tickets, except that you swipe the card against an electronic reader instead of inserting a ticket into a turnstile slot.

What it costs:

The card itself costs €2,--, whether you're an adult or a child. Once you have the card, you can purchase Métro/RER/Transilien train tickets or Bus-Tram Tickets from station vending machines or tram platforms. These will be loaded automatically onto your card, and the fares will be deducted when you travel by public transit.

Where to buy Navigo Easy:

You can purchase a Navigo Easy card (with fares preloaded) at any Paris Métro or RER ticket booth. Pay in cash or with a credit or debit card.

How to use the card:

Simply hold your Navigo Easy card against the purple area on the turnstile or the tram/bus card reader.

Please note:

• At some station exits, or when connecting between the Métro and RER, you may be required to swipe your card again to confirm that you've paid a fare.

• Navigo Easy is an "anonymous" card, with no photo or signature required. You can share it with other travelers, but not at the same time. (In other words, Joe can lend his card to Jo, but Joe and Jo can't travel together with a single card.)

Adding rides to your Navigo Easy card:

1. Look for the ticket machines in any Metro or RER station, and pick a machine with a purple card reader on the front.

3. Place and hold your Navigo Easy card against the purple reader.

4. Select the number of single-ride tickets or 10-ride carnets that you want to buy.

5. Click "Validate" to confirm your request.

6. Follow the payment instructions on the screen. (In this example, I used a foreign credit card.)

7. Place and hold your Navigo Easy card against the card reader again.

8. Wait while the machine loads your fares or carnets onto the card. When the process is complete, the screen will say "Your pass is now loaded."

9. Wait for your receipt to be printed.

10. Swipe to ride, using the purple card readers on station turnstiles, buses, and trams.

A confirmation window behind or below the scanner shows how many rides you have left. You can also check your fare balance at Navigo ticket machines or at ticket counters in stations.

For more information, see the RATP's Navigo Easy page.

About the author:

Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation.

After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (including Paris for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post.

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