Paris Museum Pass and day trips

Reims is worth the visit but you don't need the museum pass to visit the cathedral there (which is magnificent). You don't need the pass to see the cathedral at Chartres.

Of the places that are farther out that are covered by the pass, Versailles is worth it. Also Fontainebleu is worth seeing.

You might enjoy Chateau de Rambouillet. Chateau du Champs Sur Marne is currently closed for renovation, but may be open when you go.

We enjoyed St Denis which is only a long metro ride (line 13, I think). It is the burial place of French kings. The pass will get you into the crypt. The church is easy to get to from the Metro stop.

For sites within central Paris, the pass is a time saver and i think worth it. Shorter lines or no time waiting in line lets you see and do more on your trip.

Unfortunately the Château de Champs-sur-Marne will be closed for renovations until the spring of 2013 but the gardens can be visited everyday but Tuesday (free) and you could also go nearby to Noisiel to do a visit of the workers village from The Menier Chocolate Factory (La Cité Ouvrière Menier à Noisiel). A stroll along the adjacent Marne river is pleasant as well.

http://www.ville-noisiel.fr/tourisme/visites.html

I have never purchased a museum pass in over 30 trips to Paris, have not found a need. You can enter the Louver thru the shoppping arcade in the Carosel de Louvre and never have to wait. FGor other museums I buy tickets at FNAc, they are lovcated all over paris. You really need to visit at least 2 museums a day to make the pass worthwhile and my eyes give out after a couple hours viewing, Stendahl Syndrome!!

I looked up Stendahl Syndrome- that is too funny.

I realize a big benefit of the pass is to skip lines, but I also thought monetarily it would be worth it. Also allows multiple trips to places like the Louvre. And if we're going to Versailles, doesn't that make it a no-brainer?

How about the Chateau de Vincennes- is that a good trip? It's on the pass.

Chocolate Factory- sounds good- that's my favorite food group!

Is Giverny and Monet's House and Garden on the pass or the various places associated with Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise - those are two of my favorite day trips and both easily done.

I think the Chateau de Vincennes is one of those interesting sights that would be on the list after you've seen your must-sees. It's fine if you like very old castles but as with a lot of those things, there really isn't tons to see in them (as they are mostly empty). You can see a couple rooms, as I recall, and walk around the ramparts. There may be a side exhibit in the chapel there. So, yes, it is historical and worht seeing, but since it is far out to the east, it does kind of take up maybe half a day all told.

It is pretty close to the metro stop, however, so not difficult to see in that regard. But as with most old places, you have to go up some stairways to see things inside it and some of those old staircases can be pretty narrow and steep.

YOu don't have that much time, you are seriously going to do "multiple" trips to the Louvre?

For me, I usually do visit two museums a day and I love the convenience of not having to stop (and wait, in some cases) and buy a ticket every place I go. It's great if you don't want the pass but I think it's a good option.

nvl325, I wrote down all the sights we want to visit and how much they cost to enter and the math was quite convincing! A four day museum pass will save us many Euros and hopefully time, too. I arranged our itinerary to maximize the pass days (for example, we're going to Giverny before we activate the pass). We will be testing it out in a few weeks!

Don't forget to check out the free exhibits at Hotel de Ville.

Currently an exhibit on Sempe and another of photographs by Doisneau, Les Halles, are ongoing, and both are excellent.

thanks, everyone. Good to know about the photo exhibits- that's a favorite of ours. Re: multiple trips to the Louvre- DH is much better at several hour-long visits, vs one really long one!

Follow-up question regarding out-of-town sights on the museum pass that are easy to visit after arriving wherever at the train station. Any thoughts in addition to those already mentioned above? Thanks! Here's the list:

1 - Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace
2 - Musée d’Archéologie nationale et Domaine national de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
3 - Sèvres, Cité de la Céramique
4 - Abbaye royale de Chaalis
5 - Musées et domaine nationaux du Palais impérial de Compiègne
6 - Musée Condé - Château de Chantilly
7 - Musée Maurice Denis
8 - Château de Fontainebleau
9 - Château de Maisons-Laffitte
10 - Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Préau
11 - Château de Pierrefonds
12 - Musée national de Port-Royal des Champs
13 - Château de Rambouillet, Laiterie de la Reine et Chaumière aux Coquillages
14 - Musée national de la Renaissance - Château d’Ecouen
15 - Maison d’Auguste Rodin à Meudon
16 - Basilique cathédrale de Saint-Denis
17 - Villa Savoye
18 - Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon
19 - Château de Vincennes

I've been to some of those places but that's a lot to comment on. Instead of focusing on what's covered by the museum pass let me give you my list of popular day trips from Paris that you might consider.

Here is a brief list that summarizes many of the most popular day trips from Paris. There are certainly many others you could also do but this list covers most of the biggies:

Provins (an authentic walled medieval town): http://www.provins.net/

Château of Chantilly (wonderful fairytale château, famous art collection): http://www.chateaudechantilly.com/fr/
http://www.chantilly-tourisme.com/

Senlis (small medieval town can be combined with a visit to Chantilly):
http://www.senlis-tourisme.fr/accueil-senlis.php

Reims (champagne tours, great historic cathedral, museums):
http://www.reims-tourisme.com/

Epernay (champagne tours, can be combined with Reims): http://www.ot-epernay.fr/

Fontainebleau (former royal town with famous château):
http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/
http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/


Versailles (obvious): http://www.chateauversailles.fr/homepage
http://www.versailles-tourisme.com/

Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte (the château after which Louis XIV based his garden renovations for Versailles and IMO one of the most elegant château in France):
http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/

Rouen (small city, lots to do, wonderful cathedral, medieval old center): http://www.rouentourisme.com/

Giverny (Monet's house and gardens):
http://www.fondation-monet.fr/fr/
http://giverny.org/giverny/giverny.htm
http://www.vernon-visite.org/rgb4/who_we_are.htm

Chartres (the famous cathedral and wonderful old medieval town):
http://www.chartres-tourisme.com/

Compiègne (château with museums, wonderful old town. Can be combined with a visit to the château of Pierrefonds): http://www.compiegne-tourisme.fr/

Château of Pierrefonds (Magnificent fairytale looking château. Reconstructed in the 19th century but magnificent nonetheless. Can be combined with a visit to Compiègne):
http://www.pierrefonds.monuments-nationaux.fr/
http://pierrefonds-tourisme.net/ot/Bienvenue.html
http://www.compiegne-tourisme.fr/Le-chateau-de-Pierrefonds.html

Troyes (lovely small medieval city):
http://www.tourisme-troyes.com/

Laon (medieval hilltop town with a spectacular cathedral): http://www.tourisme-paysdelaon.com/

Crécy-la-Chapelle (small charming renowned artists village):
http://www.cc-payscrecois.fr/Crecy-la-Chapelle,203.html

Moret-sur-Loing (charming walled medieval village/artists village):
http://www.ville-moret-sur-loing.fr/rubrique.php?id=189


Auvers-sur-Oise (Van Gogh and other impressionist art history):
http://www.auvers-sur-oise.com/heading/heading899.html

Malmaison (château of the Empress Josephine and a nice old downtown. On the RER A line and could be combined with a visit to Saint-Germain-en-Laye):
http://www.chateau-malmaison.fr/
http://www.rueil-tourisme.com/

Saint-Germain-en-Laye (former royal town with a wonderful château now home to the national museum of archaeology. On the RER A line and could be combined with a visit to Malmaison):
http://www.ot-saintgermainenlaye.fr/en/
http://www.saintgermainenlaye.fr/en/loisirs/culture/musees/

Barbizon (famous artists village, can be combined with Fontainebleau):
http://www.barbizon-tourisme.fr/

These are the most popular day trips and all are worthwhile but there are many other less popular and equally worthy day trips. I could easily list a couple dozen more but only if what's on this list doesn't interest you. A good guide book for the Île-de-France region should give you more ideas.

You'll need to take a train from Paris to do these day trips. For info on trains in Paris and the nearby suburbs (métro and RER trains) use the website www.ratp.fr. Parts of this website are in French so you can use an English language companion site www.parisbytrain.com. For trains that go a bit further out in the Île-de-France region use the website www.transilien.com. For trains that go further beyond the Île-de-France use the website www.voyages-sncf.com (in French only) or www.tgv-europe.com. A great website to learn about trains in France (and Europe) is www.seat61.com if you have any train questions/problems.

Paris and many of the places nearby in Île-de-France are divided into zones, numbered 1 through 5. Paris is in zone 1 and areas outside Paris are in zones 2 through 5. Some of the destinations I mentioned are in zone 5. For these journeys it will be more cost effective to buy a one day Mobilis pass for just over 14 euros for zones 1 through 5. This will be cheaper than the point to point tickets round trip. Plus, this pass is good for unlimited travel on all public trains and buses for one day in zones 1-5. Buy it first thing in the morning before your first métro ride and it gets you to your train station, your round trip tickets, any buses you need to use at your destination and any traveling you'll do in Paris when you return. Before you use the ticket make sure to write your name and the date on the ticket. Don't forget to stick your ticket in the composting machine (ticket validation machine) before getting on your train. You can buy these passes from the ticket machines in métro/RER stations. Sometimes these machines have an English language option. If so, look for the one day Mobilis pass option. When you get to the screen that lists your zones to choose from press zone 1 and then press zone 5. You can also buy them at any ticket counter or stores that sell RATP tickets. They are good for 60 days so you can buy it in advance if you want to be prepared. It's not valid until you write your name and date on it and validate the ticket on your first métro/RER trip or at the train station.

Some of the day trips I mentioned will require a bus transfer once you arrive at the train station. If you choose one of these I can help you with bus info.

The only places the museum pass is essential for skipping ticket lines include Musée d'Orsay, Chateau Versailles, and, sometimes, Musée d'Orsay.

Whether it's economically worthwhile depends on places you plan to actually visit, as opposed to rush to/through to get your money's worth from the pass.

I am not a fan of the pass, either.

Do you really want to cram as many places included on the pass in six days as you can?

I much prefer to mix day trips with museums and places not included on the pass.

Weather is a factor, too. You probably don't want to be indoors when the weather is nice or take day trips on a rainy day.

Many day trips and large venues (Chateau Versailles, Musée du Louvre...and more) do require quite a bit of walking.

I am a fan of the pass. It can be a good deal, but more importantly, it is convenient while at the same time saving money. As an example, during this trip and using the pass, we've been to the Louvre 4 times, L'Orangerie twice, d'Orsay twice. Walk in, flash the pass, see what we want, leave. It has allowed us the luxury of only spending an hour or so in a place, not feel at all rushed, knowing we would come back another day. Plus, if it is bad weather, it gives you a way to get out of the cold/heat/rain for a few minutes without any hassles

dave

ditto to daveesi - and I with a pass do saunter into museums I would not have if I had to folk out several euros just to see what is inside - some I have been delighted with and others just lingered a few minutes but without the pass I would not have gone in them - Arts-et-Metiers is one museum that thoroughly delighted me but it may not have been on my scope if I had had to pay a lot to enter.

thanks everyone for your helpful comments. And FMT, that's quite a list! I will make my way through it to see what is of interest. I am sure our time will fly by! Thanks again.