The Metro - La Carte Orange

Buying tickets everytime you get the metro is a bit of a pain and its expensive too. Individual tickets cost 1.60 euro a pop or you can get a 'carnet' of tickets (10 tickets together) for 11.40 euro. If you get the metro regularly this can really add up. So its best to go get yourself a Navigo card.

Before I go any further I must explain about the Carte Orange. This was a card you could pick up at service window in the Metro stations (once you had a passport sized photo with you) and use it to buy a weekly or monthly pass. Anyway this has changed as of January 2009 so ignore your guide book if it tells you otherwise. The Carte Orange is now replaced with the 'Navigo Decouverte' Card.



There is already a card called 'Navigo' - basically you register online at www.navigo.fr and they post it to your address for free. You use this card to top up and then scan it everytime you pass the turnstyles in the metro. The new 'Navigo Decouverte' works exactly like the Carte Orange, you show up at a service window with a passport photo, you buy the card for 5 euro and the you use that card to purchase a weekly or monthly pass at the same window!

Hope this explains recent changes without confusing anyone too much.