Getting around France: transport and apps

Paris fares were simplified in 2025 and are now flat across the region - but they are sold digitally, not on paper.

• Paris: a metro, RER or train single is EUR 2.55; a bus or tram single is EUR 2.05. One flat price wherever you travel in the region, transfers included within the mode. Load tickets onto a Navigo Easy card, the Ile-de-France Mobilites app, or your phone wallet.
• Airport journeys are priced separately at EUR 14 on the Paris Region Airports ticket. A normal single will not get you to CDG or Orly.
• Nice: Lignes d'Azur runs the buses and trams; a single is EUR 1.70 on a EUR 2.00 rechargeable card.
• Lyon: TCL runs metro, tram, bus and the two funiculars on one ticket.
• Ride-hailing: Uber and Bolt are everywhere; Heetch is the French competitor and is often cheaper in cities at night.
• Between cities, book the train early. SNCF runs TGV InOui (full service), Ouigo (budget high speed) and TER (regional). A TGV booked weeks out can be a quarter of the walk-up fare. FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus undercut rail on time-insensitive routes, and BlaBlaCar carpooling is genuinely mainstream here.
• Strikes happen and they are announced. A greve on the RATP or SNCF is published days ahead in the apps. Check the morning of a travel day rather than assuming.
• Watch the cycle lanes and scooters. Central Paris is capped at 30 km/h for cars, but bikes and e-scooters move fast in their own lanes beside the pavement.

• Ile-de-France Mobilites - https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en - Buys and stores every Paris-region ticket, including the EUR 14 airport ticket. Install it before you land.
• Bonjour RATP - https://www.bonjour-ratp.fr/en/ - Official RATP routing for metro, RER, bus and tram, with live disruption notices.
• SNCF Connect - https://www.sncf-connect.com/ - National rail: TGV InOui, Ouigo and TER bookings and live platform information.
• Citymapper - https://citymapper.com/ - The best routing in Paris and Lyon, and it reroutes around strikes properly.
• Lignes d'Azur - https://www.lignesdazur.com/ - Buses and trams in Nice and the Riviera.
• Uber - https://www.uber.com/fr/ - Rides in Paris, Nice, Lyon and Marseille.
• Bolt - https://bolt.eu/ - Ride-hailing and e-scooters.
• Heetch - https://www.heetch.com/ - French ride-hailing, competitive at night.
• BlaBlaCar - https://www.blablacar.fr/ - Long-distance carpooling, mainstream and cheap.
• DeepL - https://www.deepl.com/ - Translation that handles French menus better than most.