Tips

How to Read a Metro Map and Use Ticket Machines

A metro network map on a station wall, next to a station sign. — Porta Genova metro station, Milan · Photo: JasonParis / CC BY 2.0

Read a metro map by line colour and number, find your direction from the terminus, and buy a single ticket at a station machine, with city guide examples.

Published Oct 13, 2026

A new metro is easy once you know the steps

On an unfamiliar metro, people usually get stuck at three points: finding their line on the map, choosing which direction to take on the platform, and buying a ticket at the machine. This post walks through those three steps in order.

Buying and topping up transit cards, cities where you can just tap a bank card, Japan's IC cards and Tokyo's subway passes are already covered in the posts below. Here the focus is on reading the map and buying a one-ride ticket, whether that's a paper single, a token or a QR code.

The cities below are examples, not a complete list. Fares and rules can change, so check official information before you go.

Reading the map: colours, numbers and letters

Metro maps give each line its own colour, plus a number, letter or name. Station signs and platform signs use the same colours and symbols, so remember the colour and name of your line first and finding your way inside the station gets much easier.

A station where several lines meet is an interchange where you can change. Check on the map which lines your hotel and the places you want to visit are on, and how many changes you'll need.

Osaka: The Midosuji Line is the red north-south line linking Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Namba and Tennoji.
Kyoto: There are two lines, the north-south Karasuma Line and the east-west Tozai Line.
Sendai: The north-south Namboku Line and the east-west Tozai Line meet at Sendai Station.
Kaohsiung: The MRT has two lines, Red and Orange, which cross at Formosa Boulevard.
Delhi: Lines are named by colour. Rajiv Chowk is the Yellow/Blue interchange, and Central Secretariat is on the Yellow and Violet lines.
Prague: Three metro lines, A, B and C, cross the centre.
Harbin: Lines 1, 2 and 3 form a cross plus a loop.
Busan: Lines 1-4 link Seomyeon, Haeundae, Nampo-dong and more, but Haeundae and Nampo-dong are far apart, so allow time.

Finding your direction: look for the terminus

Platform signs usually show direction by the last station on the line, the terminus, rather than by compass points. On the map, follow the line past your stop to where it ends, then head for the platform signed with that name.

The same goes for changing lines. Remember the colour and name of your next line together with the terminus in your direction, and you won't get lost in the transfer passages.

Chengdu: On Metro Line 10 from the airport, the city-bound terminus is Wuhou Shrine station, right by Wuhou Shrine and Jinli, and you can change to other lines for the rest of the city.
Ho Chi Minh City: Metro Line 1 runs from Ben Thanh east toward Thu Duc (Suoi Tien).
Jakarta: Phase 1 of the MRT north-south line runs from Lebak Bulus in the south to Bundaran HI in the center.
Astana: The driverless LRT runs between Äuejai (Airport) and Nurly Zhol stations.
Lisbon: The Red Line starts at Aeroporto station at the airport and reaches Saldanha without a change; for Baixa and Chiado, change at Alameda (Green Line) or São Sebastião (Blue Line).
Hangzhou: At the airport station, Line 19 runs towards Hangzhou West Railway Station and Yongsheng Road, Line 7 towards Wushan Square and Jiangdong 2nd Road, and Line 1 towards Xianghu and Linping.
Dalian: Line 2 from the airport station runs into the city via Zhongshan Square and People's Square; change to Line 1 for Xinghai Square.

Buying a single ticket at a station machine

Ticket machines look different from city to city, but the steps are similar: switch the screen language, choose your destination station or ticket type, pick how many tickets, then pay. Where fares depend on distance, you usually choose the destination first to see the price.

Some machines don't take cash, so carry small notes, coins and a card. Where you load a single ticket onto a reusable card, the card itself may cost extra.

A row of ticket vending machines in a metro station. — Atocha Renfe metro station, Madrid · Photo: Snooze123 / CC0

Nanjing: At a station ticket machine, tap your destination station and choose how many tickets, and the fare is shown.
Bangkok: Buy BTS Skytrain single tickets at the station machines.
Madrid: Buy a Tarjeta Multi card at station machines and load single or 10-trip tickets; the 10-trip ticket works on both the metro and city buses.
Lisbon: Buy a reusable Navegante card at station machines and load a single ticket or top it up with credit. The card costs about EUR 0.5 plus about EUR 1.9 per trip (check official).
Warsaw: Buy at machines in metro stations and at stops, or on most buses and new trams. Ticket machines on SKM trains, buses and trams take cards only.
Berlin: Buy at machines in stations and at the airport; paper tickets from machines must be validated before you ride.
Vienna: Buy at station machines, and validate paper tickets in the blue machines before riding.

Tokens, QR codes and cash singles: one ride, many forms

A one-ride ticket isn't always paper. A coin-like token or a QR code on your phone screen can also get you through the gate. What's accepted differs by city, so start with the getting-around section of the city guide.

Many Chinese cities let you ride with a QR code from a mobile payment app or the metro's own app, but check before you travel whether it works for foreign visitors and how to set it up. In case the app doesn't work, find out whether you can buy a single ticket with cash at the station.

Almaty: A ride costs about KZT 120, paid with a smart token, an Onay transport card, or a bank card at station terminals.
Shanghai: Transit QR codes in mobile payment apps work on the metro, and you can also buy single tickets with cash at stations.
Beijing: A transit QR code works for the subway and buses, and single tickets can also be bought with cash.
Dalian: Single-journey tickets are sold at stations. The operator also lists app QR codes, phone NFC and linked bank cards, but check before you travel whether these work for foreign visitors.
Guangzhou: You can ride with a QR code in the metro's official app, which also works on Foshan's metro and in other cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen.
Hangzhou: The rule is one person, one ticket, entering and exiting with the same ticket. You can get a QR ride code in the metro's official app, among others.
Xi'an: You can pay for the metro with the Chang'an Tong transit card or a mobile payment app.

Single-ticket fares and rules differ by city

Even what counts as one ride varies. Some tickets allow changes within a set time, some allow no transfers, and some are priced by distance or zone. The amounts below are in local currency.

If you forget to validate a paper ticket, it may not count as a valid ticket even though you bought it. After buying, find the validator first, and keep the ticket until you've left the station.

Berlin: A single ticket costs €4.00 (AB) or €5.00 (ABC) and is valid for 120 minutes one way with changes, but not for round or return trips. A short-trip ticket (3 stops by S-Bahn/U-Bahn or 6 by tram/bus) costs €2.80.
Frankfurt: A city single ticket costs EUR 3.80 and a short-trip ticket EUR 2.35. Single tickets are for immediate travel only: they cannot be bought in advance and are not valid for return trips or breaks in the journey.
Vienna: One ticket covers the U-Bahn, trams and buses, and a single is about €3-3.20 (digital is slightly cheaper).
Budapest: A single ticket is good for one trip without transfer, and paper tickets must be validated before the trip on the metro.
Prague: Tickets are time-based: 30 min, 90 min, 24 h and 72 h. Paper tickets must be stamped exactly once, on first use; on the metro, at the entrance to the paid area.
Warsaw: Validate paper tickets at the gates to the metro platforms; riding without a valid ticket risks a PLN 266 fine.
Hangzhou: You must exit within 240 minutes of entering; otherwise you pay the maximum single fare.
Shenzhen: Fares start at CNY 2 for the first 4 km and rise with distance. Business Class carriages on some trains have their own fares (CNY 6-36 one way), so don't mix them up with Ordinary Class tickets.
Astana: The LRT costs KZT 200 per ride, and travel cards and single tickets are sold at the stations.

Before you go through the gate

Once you have a ticket, check the station rules. Bag checks and food bans differ from city to city. Each city guide's getting-around section has the details.

Check the terminus name for your direction once more before going down to the platform
Keep your ticket until you exit: in places like Hangzhou you enter and exit with the same ticket
Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu: Every station has bag checks, so allow extra time. In Shanghai, do not carry lighters or knives.
Taipei and Kaohsiung: No eating or drinking, even water, in stations or on trains. In Taipei, gum is banned too.
Astana: The LRT is driverless. Pressing emergency buttons or forcing or blocking the doors stops the train and can lead to criminal charges.
Fares and rules can change, so check the operator's official information before you go

FAQ

How do I know which direction to take on the platform?

Platform signs usually show direction by the terminus. Follow the line on the map past your stop to where it ends, and board on the side signed with that station's name.

Can I change lines on a single ticket?

It depends on the city. A Berlin single ticket allows changes for 120 minutes in one direction, while a standard Budapest single ticket is good for one trip without transfer.

What if the ticket machine doesn't take cash?

Some machines, such as those on Warsaw's SKM trains, buses and trams, take cards only. Carry both a card and some cash, and if the station has a ticket office, you can buy from staff there.

Should I get a transit card instead of single tickets?

If you're staying several days and riding often, a transit card or tap-to-pay may be easier. Transit cards by city are covered in our transit cards and tap-to-pay post.