tofuloaf

Hi Folks,

I understand that the time of day and week affect the wait time, but for general planning purposes, can you give me an estimate?

it will be mid morning/ or early afternoon during a weekday in mid september.

We will have our 17 month old son with us in a stroller, so i am trying to determine how much time this experience will likely take in total. We will prolly only spend an hour or 2 in the museum itself.

also - the same for the D' Orsay? any insight will be helpful.

thanks!

tofuloaf

oh i forgot to mention... we will have the Paris Museum Pass.

will we be able to just walk right in? or will there still be some sort of line wait in?

thanks!

Nikki

I walked right in to the Orangerie in March without the museum pass. With the museum pass, even if there is a line, passholders go in separately and should not have a wait.

Kwoo

Hi,
We just returned from France, and visited both museums you mention. We purchased the 4-day Paris Museum Pass. We went to the D'Orsay around 10AM on a weekday, and the line for regular tickets was very very long. They do have a special entrance for pass holders, and we were able to walk right in, no wait at all!

For the L'Orangerie, we went late in the day, probably around 4:30PM; We didn't have to wait because we used our pass, but the general line was not too long if you don't have the pass, but you do, so no worries!

tofuloaf

thanks for the input.

any insight on St. Chapelle? from what i've read, it sounds like there is not a special pass holder entrance. but i cant get confirmation on that.

Nikki

Everybody going to Sainte Chapelle has to go through the security line into the whole complex, which includes the courthouse.

Aleta

St Chapelle is indeed very difficult to enter, and a long wait for security. I'd skip this one unless your child takes a siesta during the long wait.
If there is a special exhibit, even with a Museum Pass you might have to wait or require a special exhibit ticket purchase, but it definitely will be a great advantage to you.
Be sure to purchase the pass somewhere other than these 2 museums, or you could find yourself in a long line to make the purchase. Go to a lesser known site for the initial purchase.

china_cat

does that mean the line at Ste Chapelle might be shorter/faster on a weekend when the courthouse is closed? or does it not matter if most of the people are tourists going in to see Ste Chapelle?

jent103

I wouldn't say Sainte-Chappelle is "very difficult," though I admit I haven't been at the height of tourist season and definitely haven't been with a toddler! It wasn't on my "must list", but ended up being one of the highlights of my trip, so for me it was absolutely worth the half-hour wait and security check. If you can go on a sunny afternoon you'll see the stained glass at its best. If your toddler is not having an easy day, though, it might not be worth it to you - totally depends on your interests!

kayd

Are strollers allowed in Ste Chapelle? is there a place to leave it on the ground floor if they are not permitted in the main chapel upstairs?

annhig

Everybody going to Sainte Chapelle has to go through the security line into the whole complex, which includes the courthouse.>>

Nikki - when we went, there were separate security lines - one for St. Chappelle and another for the courts. we then all mixed together afterwards, which was a bit bizarre.

adrienne

I've never waited in line to buy Ste-Chapelle tickets. There is a security line and the length of the line varies. Walk by and see how long the line is and then make a decision.

You won't be able to get your child in the stroller up the stairs - if the stroller is allowed then you'll have to fold it up and carry both the stroller and the child.

Ann - do you mean that you were mixed together to get your belongings scanned? I've not seen two separate security lines.

china_cat - the times I've been to Ste-Chapelle most people were NOT going to the chapel - they were going into the justice buildings.

Kwoo

tofuloaf, we bought our Museum Pass at the Musee de Cluny, a smaller museum (and lesser known)at the corner of Blvd. St. Germain & Blvd. St. Michel. It's an awesome museum, a hidden gem. We were there about 9;15AM & walked right in.

Gretchen

Isn't the entrance to Sainte Chappelle around the corner from the entrance to the courthouse?

annhig

Ann - do you mean that you were mixed together to get your belongings scanned? I've not seen two separate security lines.>>

when we were there about 18 months ago, there were separate entrances out on the street for the court house and for the church. when we got through the other side, we were all mixed up together in the same area, and because of the building works, we found it hard to find the entrance to the chapel, but got there eventually.

I went round the courts about 30 years ago when DH was working in Paris, and we had a Bank holiday in the UK. whilst the language and procedure were different, the excuses given for the various offences bore a striking similarity to the ones my english clients put forward - it was very amusing. No security then of course, and I was just able to wander round at will. I don't know if you can still do that.

Nikki

Some years ago I went to a concert at Sainte Chapelle, and the entrance was through the court house. It was evening, so nothing going on in the court. I wandered the halls and used the ladies' room there, and it was strikingly reminiscent of the old courthouse in Massachusetts where I used to spend much of my time. Excuses, hallways, restrooms, these courts are apparently similar in many places.

annhig

Excuses, hallways, restrooms, these courts are apparently similar in many places.>>

yes indeed, Nikki. the case I remember best was where an illegal immigrant was accused of theft, and his advocate was trying to get the court to allow him to leave France to go to Holland where he had family, housing, even a job to go to.

"and does he speak Dutch?" said the president of the court...

he got 2 years.

denisea

When we were there last November, there were two lines outside...one for those with judicial business and one for Ste Chapelle. The wait time was not bad at all, but we were there first thing in the AM. The security lines were separate inside, as well. After you passed through the metal detector, you walked to the right, outside, to buy a ticket for entry (no line).

You could try inquiring about the stroller by email on the site
http://sainte-chapelle.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Christina

I don't know about a place to leave them, but I know you cannot go into Ste Chapelle with a stroller.

HappyTrvlr

We walked right into L'Orangerie in late May without a museum pass.