Best app for Paris Metro

CityMapper. I use it there as well as before for planning.

Vote #2 for CityMapper although to be transparent I first found it through Elizabeth and Kim, hahaha. They are my North Star gals for Paris and France!

ratp.fr works fine too and gives which car to use. An advantage is, it is very efficient at letting you check for system problems.

We have been in Paris for two weeks now and have had more problems with metros than in the last 10 years of visits/. One one trip our line was down, so we went to get on the RER B to get us back to catch another metro to our neighborhood. The B was also down for half an hour and so we then got to the 14 and walked the last kilometer to our lodging.

On another trip back from Montmartre late after dinner with friends. our line stopped suddenly several stops from our destination and we were repeatedly told that it would be up in 5, 10, 15 minutes. We finally abandoned it and found a cab.

My French gets me dinner, and directions and let's me find things in stores -- but does not let me understand announcements on the metro loud speakers so it is handy to be able to quickly look on ratp.fr. or 'rat puff' as we think of it, to see the status of our line.

Any of these will work wonderfully:

Ile de France Mobilités
Bonjour RATP
Citymapper

A nice feature of Citymapper is that it will suggest which metro car to board- front, back or middle of train/metro.

And tells you which exit to use to get out of the station !

And advises of delays or problems ....

And gives you comparative times for various metro solutions or bus or combo or how long it would take if you take a taxi, bike, or walk !

I use CityMapper every single day, and I have been living here for 19 years.

Clarifying question: does CityMapper just help you with your routes, or does it actually allow you to top up your transit card? I've seen talk of the IDF mobilities app, Citymapper, and RATP. I'm a bit confused about what the differences are, could someone give a primer?

CityMapper just helps you plan where you are going

You can buy and store tickets in the IDF Mobilités app and the Bonjour RATP app.

SNCF is the national rail company - their app is SNCF Connect.

The Ile de France Mobilités app and the Bonjour RATP also suggest which cars to board contingent upon your final destination and suggest métro exit routes to reach your stated destination. You can also purchase tickets/passes with these apps.

The main advantage of Citymapper is that is works in major cities around the world, not just Paris. Citymapper allows you to download and keep fewer apps on your phone.

SNCF operates main line trains and some parts of the RER.

RATP operates the Métro and buses and some parts of the RER.

Each has its own app mentioned above.

Citymapper is private money making group who do maps all over the world but do not sell tickets and are not related to the actual transportation.

Ile de France is the region containing Paris at its centre. Ile de France Mobilités is operated by RATP with input from SNCF.