This article will try to explain why the Navigo Pass will not be sold during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The short answer is: Paris wants Olympic visitors, not residents, to pay for the increased transit services during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, July 20 – Sept 8, 2024.
(See link to original French article at bottom.)
What’s Happening to Navigo During Olympics?
The Navigo Week and Navigo Day passes will not be sold to anyone from July 20 till Sept 8, 2024, during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
Visitors to Paris during the 2024 Olympics wanting to buy a multiuse transit pass will have two options: Paris 2024 Pass or the Paris Visite pass.
The Paris 2024 Pass price will be 16€ per day, up to 70€ per week and cover all 5 Paris transit zones (including CDG, Orly airports) and all Olympic venues in the Paris metropolitan area. Read more about the Paris 2024 Pass.
Single-use Paris Metro/Bus tickets will increase from 2.15€ to 4€ during the Paris Olympics.
Single-use Paris RER train tickets will increase from 5€ to 6€ (maximum cost, may be lower depending on your destination).
Why Can’t I Buy Navigo During Olympics?
You can’t buy a Navigo Week Pass from July 20, 2024 to Sept 8, 2024, because Paris is passing the cost of increased transit services (during the Olympic games) onto visitors. Paris is doing this by not selling the Navigo Week pass during the Paris Olympics. And by increasing single-use ticket prices.
Visitors to Paris between July 20 – Sept 8, 2024 will have two options for a multiday, multiuse public transit pass: Paris Visite or Paris 2024 Pass. (See What Pass Should I Get During the Paris Olympics? below for a possible alternative.)
For a multiuse day pass during the Olympic Games, the Paris 2024 Pass will actually be cheaper (16€) than a similar Navigo Day Pass (20.60€) of the same coverage (1-5 zone).
How Is This Justified?
The Paris regional transit authority is increasing services during the Olympics (July 20 – Sept. 8, 2024). More trains, drivers, security, janitors, support staff, managers, ticket agents, etc. etc.
The estimated increase of services (around 15% more of everything for the roughly 500,000 visitors per day) during the Paris Olympics is estimated to cost €200 million over the 50 days of Olympic/Paralympic games.
To avoid placing the burden of those increased service costs to the residents of the Paris area, the regional transit authority is passing the increased cost to Olympic visitors through increased transit ticket & transit pass prices.
Interestingly, even Paris-region residents who use the Navigo week pass / day pass will not be able to buy/renew their week pass/day pass during the Paris Olympics. Only monthly subscribers will be able to buy/renew their Navigo passes normally during the July 20 – Sept 8, 2024 period.
What Pass Should I Get During the Paris Olympics?
If you’re visiting Paris for 7 days or less during the Paris 2024 Olympics (and you need 5-zones of travel coverage), buy the Paris 2024 Pass for as many days as you need it. This will be the cheapest/simplest option with full coverage of the entire Paris region, both CDG/ORY airports & all the Olympic venues in the surrounding area.
If you’re coming to Paris in 2024 for the Olympic Games and you are staying for 8 days or more and you arrive on or before July 19, 2024: buy a Navigo Monthly Pass for 86.40€ and put it on a Navigo Découverte card or your Android mobile phone using the official Paris transit app. It will be the same as 8 days of Paris 2024 pass and covers everything except the Orlyval train for Orly Airport (you can still use Orlybus or Tram 7/Metro 7).
The Paris 2024 pass being offered to Olympic visitors will cost 16€ / day up to 70€ per week. 8 days of Paris 2024 pass will cost 70€ for a week coverage + 16€ for the extra day to make 8 days (total cost 86€). The Navigo Month pass will cost 86.40€ (plus one-time card cost of 5€ unless you use the phone app). So you might as well just get a Navigo Month pass if you can. But, it’s only sold at certain times of the month.
If you arrive between July 20, 2024 and July 31: you cannot use the Navigo Monthly pass for this period. From the 20th day of each month onward, only the next month’s Navigo Month pass is sold. Meaning, a Navigo Month pass bought on July 20, 2024, doesn’t become active/usable until August 1, 2024.
Same applies if you arrive August 20 – August 30, 2024: you cannot buy/use a Navigo Month pass during this period. Navigo Month pass bought during this period is only valid for Sept 1 – Sept 30.
The process for buying a Navigo Month pass is the same as for a Navigo Week pass: they both go onto the Navigo Découverte card or onto your Paris transit mobile phone application (Ile-de-France Mobilités). If you are arriving on July 20 or afterward, you will not be able to buy the Navigo Découverte plastic smart card. It simply won’t be on sale. Your only option for getting a Navigo Month pass after July 20, 2024 is to use an Android Phone. See the Navigo phone app article for more information.
References
Article in French explaining the price increase / removal of Navigo Day/Week Passes.
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