The Ile-de-France region is divided into five transport zones. The zones grow like a circle to outer Paris and are named as zone 1, zone 2, zone 3, zone 4 and the outer circle is zone 5. Central Paris (Paris districts 1 to 20) is in zone 1. RATP and SNCF are the main rail and bus operators in the Ile-de-France region. Even though they have different management, they work together in Paris. Like many other cities, you don’t need a different ticket for different operators. That makes transfers easy for passengers. The RER trains and Transilien trains connect outer Paris to the main city center. These 2 types of trains pass through each zone. In Paris, the tariff for RER and Transilien trains are calculated accordance with the zones. If you travel to more zones, you have to pay more. You can see more details in the following sections.
Even though the other modes of transport, including metros, trams, and buses are run in between different zones, the price is the same. It doesn’t matter how long you travel or how many zones you have crossed. You can find more information in the below section.
The main attractions and landmarks of Paris are in zone 1. Airport CDG is in Zone 5 and Orly Airport is in Zone 4 of the Paris transport network. Also, the other main attraction Versailles Palaceis in Zone 4.
Navigo zones
Navigo is the name of the travel card used in Paris public transport. It can be recharged up to 5 zones. If you are a frequent traveler or you are here for some days Navigo is the best pass for traveling in Paris. According to the zone of your travel, you can customize your pass Navigo recharge. Different recharge plans are available according to the zones and period of validity. If you recharge your Navigo for zone1 to 5, you can use any mode of transport (RER, Transilien, Metro, Tram, Bus, Night bus, Orly bus, Roissy bus) in the Ile de France region. This pass allows you to travel with an unlimited number of transfers for a specified time. Navigo can be recharged for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month or a year. You can choose the zones according to your journey. The RER stations in different zones are explained in the below section. You can consult the list if you are searching for a station in the Paris region. To know the pros and cons of the pass Navigo, visit our dedicated section Navigo pass.
Paris zone - metro
The Paris metro operates in the first three zones of the Paris public transport network. Even though it runs in three zones, the tariff is not considered with respect to zones on your metro journey. You can purchase a t+ ticket to validate your journey, which costs €2.10. This rate is fixed and doesn’t change even if you travel in the three zones. Keep in mind that a t+ ticket wouldn’t work in RER if you cross the zones. You can find the details about t+ tickets in RER in the section below. With this ticket, you can make any number of transfers in a one-side journey. For your return journey, you have to use another ticket. Now you canadd t+ tickets to your mobileusing an application. Which is very easy and convenient to use. t+ tickets can also be loaded into an “EASY” pass.
If you already have a pass Navigo, Mobilis ticket or Paris visit pass, you can directly go to the entry gates and validate your pass, since these tickets come with unlimited travel. To know more about these tickets please read our transport ticket section.
The metro lines are named ‘M’ followed by the number of the line. The below names represent the 16 metro lines currently operating in Paris. You can consult the map by clicking on the names.
Paris zone - RER
The RER trains are the main mode of transport between 5 zones of Paris. There are five lines of RER (A, B, C, D and E) trains operating in the Ile de France region. The rail networks are created in such a way that it starts in zone 5 and passes through central Paris and ends their journey in zone 5 on the opposite side. The RER A line connects the east and west of Paris and the RER B line connects the north and south of Paris. The tariff also changes according to the zones. If you want to know the exact price before your journey, you cancheck it on the application. There are different types of tickets used to travel on RER. To know more about the tickets, you can visit directly our pageParis public transport passes or you can read the section below to know the different types of tickets used in different zones.
You can consult the tickets and passes that can be used in different zones by clicking on the links- Zone1, Zone2, Zone3, Zone4, Zone5
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 4
Zone 5
Important: Some destinations of the line RER D and Transilien trains are out of zone 5, So if you travel to these stations a separate ticket is required.
List of train stations outside the Paris public transport zones
Line RER D – Chantilly-Gouvieux, Creil, Malesherbes
Line H – Boran sur Oise, Précy sur Oise, Saint-Leu d’Esserent, Creil
Line J – Vernon–Giverny station, Lavilletertre station, Liancourt-Saint-Pierre station, Chaumont-en-Vexin station, Trie-Château station, Gisors station
Line K – Le Plessis Belleville, Nanteuil le Haudouin, Ormoy Villers, Crépy-en-Valois
Line N – Marchezais–Broué, Dreux
Line P – Mareuil-sur-Ourcq Station, La Ferté-Milon Station, Nogent-l’Artaud – Charly Station, Chézy-sur-Marne Station, Château-Thierry Station
Line R – Dordives, Ferrières-Fontenay, Montargis
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