Paris RER

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ABOVE: A passenger on the upper deck on an RER Line C train. INSET BELOW: Métro tickets are valid for RER travel within the city.

RER tickets within Paris

Métro and RER tickets are interchangeable within the city of Paris (more specifically, in zones 1 and 2 of the Métro/RER network). You can buy an individual ticket for  €1,60 or a carnet of 10 tickets for €11,40 at the ticket window of any Métro or RER station or from a ticket-vending machine if you have coins handy. (See "Warning" below.)

You can also use tickets from your carnet on public buses or trams, and transfers from one transportation mode to another (i.e., from rail to bus or tram) are now permitted. Your ticket is valid for 1½ hours from the time it's stamped.

Note: Tickets purchased from bus drivers don't allow transfers, so buy a carnet or a few tickets ahead of time in the Métro if you plan to ride the bus and transfer to the underground.

For details on the new generation of tickets and carnets, see the RATP's  "T+ tickets" page.

RER travel to (or from) the suburbs

For travel beyond the city limits, you'll need a point-to-point ticket. The fare depends on how far you're traveling. Check the zone map in the RER station or indicate your destination to the counter clerk when buying your ticket.

Better yet, use the RER's automated vending machines. The newer machines are easy to use; just pick your language and follow the instructions.

• Warning: RER ticket machines are designed to work with French credit cards, which have embedded microchips. If you have a foreign credit card, it probably won't be accepted by the ticket machine. To add insult to injury, RER ticket machines don't accept banknotes, either, so you'll need a supply of euro coins to use them.

Mobilis and Paris-Visite travel passes are valid on the RER, though you'll need to pay a supplement if you're traveling beyond the zones indicated on your pass. For more information on travel passes, see my Paris Métro Tickets page.

Riding RER trains

After you've bought your ticket, go to the entrance gates or turnstiles. Insert your ticket into the slot with the magnetic side down. After you've gone through the turnstile, retrieve your ticket (which will be ejected by a slot on top of the divider).

Keep the ticket with you, since you'll need it to exit through the turnstiles at your destination.

Using a Mobilis or Paris-Visite pass is just like using a cardboard ticket: Insert the small plastic "coupon" or ticket that comes with your pass into the turnstile, retrieve it, and keep it with you. (Warning: If you use the pass on a bus, don't punch it in the validation machine; show it to the driver instead.)

Once you're inside the turnstiles, you can proceed to the platforms, where video monitors or electronic signboards have train information.

Important: If you're going to the end of the line, be sure that you're on the right train, since many of the RER lines are divided into forks or secondary lines outside of the city center. For example, the northbound RER Line B splits at the Aulnay-Sous-Bas station, with B3 going to Charles de Gaulle Airport at Roissy and B5 heading to Mitry-Claye. To avoid confusion, check the RER map in the station before departure.

Next page: RER links and articles

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