Navigo Découverte: Paris Train Week Pass and How to Get One

Navigo Découverte (or Navigo Week Pass) is a card that gives you unlimited access to the metro, trams, RER trains, and buses for all five zones of Paris for one week. The pass costs EUR 22.15 plus another EUR 5 for the actual card. In total, EUR 27.15.

Is it a good buy? Depends on your itinerary. You see, Paris is a very walkable city. I highly recommend exploring it on foot and not rely heavily on the metro. However, there are instances when it makes total sense to get a Navigo pass.

If you’re coming from Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), know that the fare the city center (one-way) is EUR 10. Round trip is EU 20. But a NAVIGO Découverte costs only EUR 27.15 and will enable unlimited access. That’s a great bargain, if you ask me.

Another case that proves Navigo Découverte as a wise choice is when you’re traveling to Versailles. The trip to Versailles alone costs EUR 7.10. But Versailles is in Zone 4, and is covered by Navigo. You won’t have to purchase another ticket to get there. Same applies to Disneyland Paris, which is in Zone 5.

But there’s a catch.

Timing is everything when it comes to Navigo. Each card is valid only from Monday 00:00 (12 mn) to Sunday 23:59 (11:59 pm). It doesn’t take into consideration what day you first use it. So for example, you purchase it on a Wednesday, that gives you only 4 days to use the card. You will have to reload it on Monday if you still want to continue using it.

That’s the reason why they stop selling Navigo Découverte passes for the week on Thursday 23:59. If you buy on a Friday, that pass will be valid for the coming Monday, not that same week.

How to Purchase a Navigo Week Pass

1. Approach a ticket window at any Metro or RER train station.
2. Tell the staff that you’re buying a NAVIGO Découverte card for ALL 5 ZONES. They will ask you for a photo (300mm x 250mm). Sometimes they accept passport-size photo. If you don’t have a photo, there are Photomaton booths at almost every station in Paris.
3. The staff will then assemble the card for you and explain how it works.
4. Pay for it. EUR 5 for the card, and EUR 22.15 for the load.

That’s it. You can use it right away. Just hover the card above the scanner when entering any station.

A NAVIGO Monthly Pass is also available for EUR 73.

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