Paris to near-double metro ticket price during Olympics

PARIS (AFP) - Metro tickets will almost double in price during the Paris Olympics next year to help cover the cost of running urban transport with millions more visitors in the capital during the Games, the regional transport authority said this week.

Single tickets will be sold for four euros ($4.37), compared to 2.10 euros now, and 10-ticket blocks for 32 euros, compared to 16.90 currently. The head of the Paris region's transport authority, Valerie Pecresse, said in a video posted late on Monday on X, formerly Twitter, that annual and monthly travel passes for residents would not be affected by the steep price rises.

"It is out of the question that people living in the Paris region should pay for the extra cost" brought on by the Olympic Games and estimated at 200 million euros, Pecresse said. Some 10 million visitors are expected during the Olympic and Paralympic Games starting next July, requiring more frequent transport services.

Tourists will, however, be able to buy a special flat-rate pass for 16 euros per day or 70 euros per week during the Games for travel around Paris and its region, including to the Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports. Pecresse advised Paris residents to stock up on metro tickets before July to avoid the surcharge.

She said the surcharge would be effective from July 20 to September 8.