Free bus route maps are available at métro stations, bus terminals and the tourist office; the best is the Grand Plan de Paris . Every bus stop displays the numbers of the buses that stop there, a map showing all the stops on the route, and the times of the first and last buses. Only the #20 bus is designed to be easily accessible for wheelchairs and prams. Generally speaking, buses run from around 6.30am to 8.30pm, with some services continuing to 12.30am. Many lines do not operate on Sundays and holidays, or run a reduced service.

From mid-April to mid-September, a special Balabus service passes all the major tourist sights between La Défense Grande Arche and Gare de Lyon, on Sundays and holidays between noon and 9pm; the entire route takes about fifty minutes. Bus stops are marked "Balabus"; standard bus fares apply.

Night buses (Noctambus) ply eighteen routes every hour from 1am to 5.30am, linking place du Châtelet, near the Hôtel de Ville, with the suburbs. Again, there is a reduced service on Sunday.