Public transport in Europe is the cheapest — and often the fastest — way to get around, but for tourists it's also the most fine-prone territory: an unvalidated ticket, the wrong zone or an expired pass ends with a $60-110 penalty when an inspector appears. This guide gathers in one place everything you need to ride Europe's metros, buses and trams with confidence.
🎟️ Ticket types — from singles to weekly passes
Almost every European city follows the same logic: a single ticket, a timed ticket (60-90 minutes with transfers), a day pass and a weekly pass. If you'll make more than two or three trips in a day, the day pass almost always wins.
- Singles: Vienna ~$2.60 (€2.40), Berlin AB ~$4.10 (€3.80), Paris metro ~$2.70 (€2.50), Prague 30-min ~$1.30
- Day passes: ~$9-13 (€8-12) in most capitals — they pay off from the 3rd-4th ride
- 72-hour tourist cards often bundle museum discounts too
- Children under 6 ride free almost everywhere
✅ Validation — the #1 tourist mistake
In most European cities buying a ticket isn't enough — you must validate it: stamp a paper ticket in the machine on board or at the platform entrance, or tap an electronic one on the reader. To an inspector, an unvalidated ticket equals no ticket, and 'I'm a tourist, I didn't know' won't help.
Inspectors work in plain clothes and collect fines on the spot or by bank transfer.
Fines: Vienna ~$110 (€105), Berlin ~$65 (€60), Paris ~$55-80, Milan up to $110. Validate the moment you board — a postponed validation tends to last right up until you meet an inspector.
💳 Contactless and apps — paper is disappearing
More and more cities let you enter directly with a bank card: in London, Milan, Amsterdam and Brussels you simply tap a contactless card or your phone at the gate. In London and Amsterdam you must also tap out on exit — otherwise you're charged the maximum fare.
These systems use a daily cap — however much you ride, you never pay more than the day-pass price per day. You can also buy tickets in the official city apps, and for routing, Citymapper or Google Maps is all you need.
🗺️ Zones — where you pay more
Big cities are split into zones: London 1-9, Paris 1-5, Berlin A-B-C. A standard ticket usually covers the central zones, while the airport is almost always in an outer zone — so the airport ride needs a separate or extended ticket.
Exact prices and routes from airport to center, city by city, are in Travel365's transfer series — for example from Paris CDG or from Istanbul IST.
🌙 Night transport
- After the metro closes (usually 00:00-01:00), night buses take over — Noctilien in Paris, the N-lines in Berlin
- London runs the Night Tube on Fridays and Saturdays; Copenhagen's metro runs 24/7
- Night tickets usually cost the standard fare — no separate purchase needed
- Night schedules are sparse — after a late landing, check the timetable first, then choose between the bus and a Bolt
For intercity travel, see the Europe rail pass guide, and plan your flights with Travel365's price calendar. To budget the whole trip, our currency exchange guide comes in handy too.
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