texasbookworm

I think that while in Paris in June, we should purchase the 2-Day Museum Pass as we will try to go to at least 4 and perhaps as many as 6 of the sites on the Pass; even if we “only” go to 4 and don’t save a lot of money, we think having the Pass will be worth some time-in-line savings.

My question is where will be the easiest place for my husband and me to buy the Museum Pass?

1.We are arriving in Paris separately; I will arrive with a group of students at Gare du Nord and set off immediately with our tour guide, so don’t know if I’d have time to get Passes there. If I do have time, this would be an obvious sorta easy place, unless this Pass-selling spot is hard to find--Gare du Nord Reception at18 rue de Dunkerque, Paris 10--Gare du Nord "Welcome Booth" under the atrium, at the new Gare Ile-de-France.

2. DH arrives the next day at CDG, gets car rental, drives to hotel and parks, and gets Metro in to meet me (still with kids) somewhere. We don’t know exactly what this day will look like yet, as it sorta depends on when and where we end up meeting, but I don’t see a convenient place to purchase the Passes on our itinerary.

3.DH and I will leave the next day for a 6 night loop and end up back in Paris, sans auto, for 3 nights and 2 whole days. It is these days that we would use the Pass, so we’d want to have it before we set off the morning of our first whole day in Paris.

4.Our hotel in Paris is near the Eiffel Tower and near the Quai Branly Museum. While this is not a museum we figure we will go to on this our first visit to Paris, it is open til 9 on the day we arrive. So we could get the Pass there, right? Just get the Pass at that ticket office without going into that Museum?

Any other comments about the Pass are welcome, too.

HappyTrvlr

We always buy at a lesser museum or site such as Napoleon's Tomb or La Chapelle.

vanne

I agree with HappyTrvlr. It's not necessary to buy days in advance; just purchase at a museum that doesn't have long lines. As an example, we bought ours at the Conciergerie, and then proceeded to Ste. Chapelle. The Branly Museum is part of the program, so I'm sure you could pick up the passes there. Just be sure not to activate it until the first day you intend to use it.

jpie

Also don't know if you are aware that you can buy at the airport, so you DH could buy just before he gets the car. pLus they have offices in each terminal which is handy:

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-th...le-3.htm?cat=3

Mathieu

I bought mine at CDG upon arrival. I saw a tourist info desk in the arrivals area (after exiting customs) that advertised that they were selling it and that was the most convenient for me.

I bought the 4 day pass and had 7 days to use it, and while I visited 4 sites that covered it's cost, I didn't feel that I got maximum use of it despite my best intentions. There was so much other impromptu stuff to do in Paris. I also found that once I'd validated it with my first visit, I had to schedule my other commitments for the next three days around the pass, which was a bit of a pain sometimes. Perhaps you are more disciplined than I am.
Also, be sure that the sites you want to visit are open on the days you plan to use it. Many are closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which put a crimp my scheduling even further.

mamcalice

The Branley sounds like a good place to buy the pass even if you don't plan to visit the museum. Either that or any small museum you plan to visit. We always get ours at the Cluny but perhaps you don't plan to visit the Cluny since the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are apparently on tour.

texasbookworm

Thanks for prompt and pertinent replies.

Mathieu--I did consider tasking DH with looking at CDG when he arrives; maybe we will keep that as option #3. And yes, I did check the open times--we will be there Thursday thru Saturday--but that is good advice some people seem to not be aware of.

mamcalice--The Cluny is on our second day itinerary as a "maybe" depending on time--we will be in general area--but as it is definitely not first, we will need to have Passes already. But thanks for confirmation of Branley idea (and didn't know about the tapestries, but they are not our main/only reason for a visit, so we will see how that day pans out).

Christina

I suggest you get your pass the Paris Tourist Office booth at the Gare du Nord, as well as a few other things. They should have some maps, for example. THis is info on where they are and what they can give/sell you:
http://en.parisinfo.com/where-to-fin...elcome-centre/

I think you plan to be there, I don't understand why you think it would be harder to buy there than at a museum, it should be easier, but you never know.

PalenQ

4.Our hotel in Paris is near the Eiffel Tower and near the Quai Branly Museum. While this is not a museum we figure we will go to on this our first visit to Paris, it is open til 9 on the day we arrive. So we could get the Pass there, right? Just get the Pass at that ticket office without going into that Museum?>

Yes exactly - buy it there and you may even want to pop into the museums to see if it interests you - the beauty of the Museum Pass - museums you are not sure you want to see you can just pop in and out or in some cases be surprised and stay and enjoy it - this has happened to me several times in Paris.

texasbookworm

Christina-The only problem with my getting it at the Gare du Nord is that I will not be on my own, but will be following a tour guide leading our student-tour group of near 40 (and shepherding my 14 folks), so I can't guarantee being able to "find" or take time to do so, although I think this is my first choice. As I am working with a tour guide who I worked with two years ago and we are both very glad to be back together, she can probably help me. I just wanted to know my second best option, in case I don't have time to purchase the Passes there. Thanks.

jan47ete

We just came back from Paris and I like to think I knew every detail about location, times open, closed, open late, etc. So I knew I could cram in quite a few museums but wasn't positive. Went to each individual website and found exact cost etc. So should I buy the pass? I did not.

I bring this up because although certain museums are in the museum pass program, they are free. The permanent exhibits are free and the pass gets you into their temporary exhibits. So if you have time, I would check the individual websites of the ones you are sure you want to go before you buy the pass.

You can buy the pass online. Parislogue.com for one.

layanluvstotravel

We got ours at the Rodin museum. Less crowded and a beautiful museum. I think it was our favorite! Enjoy Paris it is absolutely beautiful!

go_laura

We just got back - we'd thought we were going to buy ours on Sunday or Monday at a smaller museum, but then unexpectedly found ourselves very close to the Centre Pompidou toward the end of our first full day in Paris, which was a Saturday. We figured it being a Sat. it would be a longer line than we'd want to bother with, but decided to check it out, and there was no line at all. This was later in the day, maybe around 4PM, so perhaps that's why.

justineparis

This seems simple to me ,depending on where exactly your hotel is in the 7th, you could likely easily walk to the Invalids Army Museum/Napoleans Tomb and buy it there, and go in, its a great museum and totally worth visting. No lines of any consequence there either.

justineparis

This seems simple to me ,depending on where exactly your hotel is in the 7th, you could likely easily walk to the Invalids Army Museum/Napoleans Tomb and buy it there, and go in, its a great museum and totally worth visting. No lines of any consequence there either.

erh316

Does anyone know whether the Paris MUSEUM Pass (not the Paris Pass) is the same price once you arrive in Paris (for instance purchasing at CDG) as it is ordering on line and picking it up at the official center in town? Thanks for any help

Kathie

In general, the price is the same. If you order from the US you will typically be charged for shipping and perhaps a service charge. When I was last in Paris, the FNAC where we purchased our passes had a special that was 2 E less than the face value, Absolutely no reason to purchase in advance.

erh316

Thank you Kathie. That was a great help!

fuzzbucket

Just remember that it might not be worth your time to go looking for an official pickup spot for the Paris Museum Pass - remember that these places (especially FNAC) are often crowded, and you often have to wait in long lines to be served. A savings of a couple of euros might not be worth the aggravation.

If you don't mind getting up early to be the first in line at the most popular attraction you plan to visit - or go to one that is not as popular when it's more convenient for you - it would make the most sense to purchase the pass there, on the first day you plan to use it.

StCirq

There is absolutely no reason to buy the Museum Pass online before you leave. It costs more and is something else to remember to pack.