irenen

We will be in Paris for 3 days in late May. I'm confused as to which travel card is most useful for 3 days. Also we want to visit only a small no of museums to leave time to just wander, sit in cafes eating croissants and soak in the beauty of outdoor Paris, so would be grateful for advice as to what passes/cards we should purchase. Also if you only had 3 days, which 5 museums/monuments/gardens would you visit? TIA

ssander

In my opinion the museum pass is only worth it if you want to visit more than two high-cost museums each day...though there is some non-economic value in the convenience and ticket line skipping.

To break even if visiting two places: 129€ cost / 3 days = 43€ per day = 21.50€ per museum average ticket price

Louvre = 17€
Orsay - 14€
Versailles = 18€
Of course, I don't know your preferences, but you can see it's hard to reach the 21.50 average -- three things each day brings the break-even price to 14.33€...more doable.

Your post indicates you probably won't do that.

ssander

aliced

It sounds like your three days will be somewhat influenced by the weather, the more splendid, the less you'll wish to be inside. We only got to the Louvre on our 4th or 5th trip! Probably a metro card only to cover your three days. As to gardens, I'd put Jardins du Luxembourg at top of list, and it's free. Also the Tuileries, along Rue Rivoli is undergoing alot of construction, but also it is free. As to museums, one we just got to on our last trip now that it's been reopened is Musee Carnavalet, which is a museum dedicated to the history of the City. So, some art, but also furniture, ironworks, relics, inventions, that is well laid out and takes only about 1 1/2 of your time. It is in the 9th arr, and is FREE and set in a beautiful old mansion. I'd opt to go up to Montmartre and see Sacre Coeur on a clear day, Champs du Mars for best photo op of E Tower, d'Orsay Musee, Sainte Chapelle. Also the #63 bus line cruises all the way from Cluny/Pantheon down Blvd (or Rue?) St Germain and crosses over leaving you at the Trocadero (near Champs de Mars). GREST sightseeing and cheap.

ssander

The Carnavalet is our absolute favorite museum in Paris. It's in the 4th...not the 9th. About a five minute walk from the Saint-Paul Metro.

ssander

aliced

Actually in the 3d, but thank you, ssander. Confused as we entered the passages in the 2d and ended up in the 9th that morning - LOL (Passages also good for rainy days). And, just around the corner from Carnavalet is the delicious Le Cafe des Musees on Rue Turenne where beef burgundy is the specialty. Busier than we'd thought, reserve if planning to go before/after. Nice neighborhood to wander.

irenen

Thank you all, for such terrific advice. I think we might NOT buy the museum pass and just book and pay for each museum separately, as we may do 2 per day, not 3. And I appreciate the tips about Musee Carnavalet and cafes etc. Have not heard of the Musee Carnavalet before. Any other advice will be gratefully accepted. Cheers

Seamus

Now that museum pass is sorted...

Your best bet for transportation pass is probably the Navigo Easy. It's stored fare card similar to the London Oyster card. You can buy the plastic card for € 2 and then load it with a carnet of 10 tickets for a reduced price. You can also just download the Bonjour RATP app to your smartphone instead of getting the plastic pass card. Have not used the app so can't offer comment, but have used the Navigo Easy without any problem.

tracilee

Another museum you might not be familiar with is Nissim de Camondo. It is a beautiful “historic house museum” with an attached tea room. We went through the museum itself several years ago and enjoyed it. We’ve since returned several times to have lunch in the tea room.

https://madparis.fr/Musee-Nissim-de-Camondo-742

SusanP

Before you definitely decide against the Museum Card, don't discount the benefit of skipping the lines. Personally, I feel that it is worth it just for this time saver.

AlessandraZoe

I second the Navigo Easy.

I also think a Museum Pass might be worth your while even if it's only for the
a) "Get out of Dodge City" factor or
b) I need a restroom and I need it now.

"Get out of Dodge" reason:
You know what I mean. You walk into a museum. The exhibit you want to see is closed or is jam-packed. Or you've walked ten miles because you went the wrong way or traversed a zillion miles on the underground Metro correspondences. YOU JUST DO NOT WANT TO BE THERE. Then leave! Go to lunch. Come back later or move onto somewhere else you'd rather be.

Restroom reason: In our experiences, most Paris museum restrooms are clean. If we'd been walking miles, it was always nice to know we could stop at some arcane tiny museum just to use the facilities. Most often, we'd find something interesting in the museum too!

KTtravel

I may be the outlier here but we didn't particularly care for the Musee Carnavalet.

My 5 museums/monuments/gardens would include: Sainte Chapelle, Luxembourg Gardens, Musee de L'Orangerie, Rodin Museum and the Eiffel Tower (at night when the lights are twinkling on the hour.) Tied for 6th place would be the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay. Notre Dame would have been on the list if it were open.

However, this is my personal list and may not reflect your interests. The museums in my top five list are all small and don't take must time to visit. The Rodin Museum has a nice outdoor cafe and sculpture garden.

irenen

Thank you lovely fodorites for the great advice. We will get a Navigo Easy pass for our 3 day visit as that seems the most economical option. Will make a list of various museums over the weekend.