MJ

Going to Paris 12/5-12/12 (1st time). Is the 5 day pass worth it? Does it cover Versailles - not sure if some places have several &quot;parts&quot; and the pass will only cover some.<BR><BR>Also - are the Moulin Rouge or Crazy Horse dinner shows worth it as well?<BR><BR>While I'm at it - how about the dinner cruise down the Seine?

Rick

I've used the 3 day pass on several trips and found it a good value and a time saver (go to the head of the line). I think the 5 day pass is overkill as many of the attractions are below the radar screen of many tourists. To each his own, but my short answer on the dinner cruise and shows - they are expensive and over-rated. I'm sure others might disagree.

Paula

I thought it was well worth it for us, but we're big museum fans. One of the big advantages is that you don't have to stand in line--just walk up to the front and show them your pass. Also, you can go back. I'm not sure if it covers Versailles, but I know some other non-museum places are covered such as the Arc de Triomphe (not the Eiffel Tower, however.)<BR><BR>As for the Moulin Rouge and Crazy Horse--I don't know, but we went to the ballet and it was fabulous (got tickets in advance on the Internet) and a wonderful jazz club called Le Bilboquet at 13 rue St Benoit (need to knock on the door to get in).

kk

I used the 5-day museum pass and it was very convenient. You can go in and out of the Louve on the pass as many times as you want. This is great if you go in the morning and decide to go again in the afternoon. 3 or 5 days is really up to you, but the pass is great because you can visit as much as you want, whereas if you purchase a ticket, it is for that visit only! The only place mine didn't work was in the Notre Dame museum. I don't think it covers Versailles.

Howard

I'll agree with Rick about a 3-day pass. We bought the 5-day and found it impractical, as it meant that to get our &quot;money's worth,&quot; we really would have had to concentrate our visits to the sites covered in a short period of time over our 2-week stay. We found we should have bought the 3-day and then 1-day passes as needed.<BR>The important thing, as previously mentioned, is to get the pass (or passes) in advance to avoid waiting in lines.<BR>Yes, Versailles is covered, at least the palace is. I'm not sure about whether a visit to the gardens requires additional payment.

Rick

RE: Versailles<BR><BR>We actually liked the gardens, surrounding park and outlaying structures better than the palace interior. Season and time of day are factors, but in the summer, we found the long lines and crush of people inside just too much. We walked, rode bikes and had a picnic in the woods the second time around, not even bothering to go inside.

John

Three day pass is probably the most economical as opposed to five day pass. It covers Versailles and the gardens,<BR>Bon voyage

Fred

It's a good deal if you're going to a heck of a lot of museums. You know, the best museum in Paris is Paris itself - a living museum with the tiny winding streets, small shops, cafes. Leave yourself plenty of time for strolling through it. <BR> For the Moulin Rouge, there are roughly 3 groups of people who have been there (not me) about equal in size-<BR>One says they thought it was great fun and an all around good evening.<BR>One says the show was fun but the food mediocre and not worth it<BR>One says none of it worth it. <BR>I say - If you really want to see it, go. It will be an experience and French people tell me the Moulin Rouge is the most typical.<BR>One caveat – very difficult to get a taxi after the show.<BR> Dinner cruises have received mixed reviews. The majority say take a cruise, then go out for dinner. But some people have enjoyed them. So it's really a tossup, and you'll have to decide.<BR>For more Paris information go to www.anamericaninparis.com

Susan

MJ, Whether you get the 3-day or 5-day pass depends on how many museums you want to see. One thing to think about, however, is that with your dates, 12/5-12, assuming you won't want the pass the first day, means that either 12/6-10 or 12/8-12 will give you 2 of the 5 days on Mon &amp; Tues, and most museums are closed one of those days. So if you get the 5-day pass, pay close attention to which ones you can go to on Mon and which ones on Tues. Also, the pass does cover Versailles and the Trianons, but not the King's Chambers. This is an additional 4 euros, which includes an audio guide, and is well worth it. You see as much in the King's Chambers as in the rest of the place. Hope this helps.<BR>

x

I like the 5 day pass because I like to spread my museum visits out over a few days. I get into Versailles one day, the Louvre another, Musee D'orsay another, etc. And it does allow you to bop into the Pompidou or the Cluny while you're in the neighborhood without having to weigh the cost or wait. I do end up using it at least once and usually more a day.

gardens

fyi: we just got back from paris--the pass DOES NOT include the gardens at Versailles--you must pay extra. Believe me, we tried at 3 different gates. As far as we could tell, the pass includes the State Apartments, the Petite and Grand Trianons and that is it. All other parts are &quot;extra&quot;. <BR><BR>Frankly, I thought Versailles was a waste of time--so many people even in late October and we payed extra to go into the gardens only to find that they must have pulled the flowers out of the beds that morning or the day before--huge piles of dead/dying plants laying on the paths. So, we could walk all around and you could see the patterns of the greenery. <BR><BR>I would go back for the gardens but I wouldn't bother with the inside.

Sue

Here is the web site for the pass, which has a list of exactly what is included. And,yes it does cover Versailles.<BR>http://www.intermusees.com/wwwns/index.html

Jane

I agree with x above that one of the benefits to the passes (whether three- or five-day) is that they encourage you to pop into museums you might otherwise have ignored. For instance: We hadn't planned to visit the Musee Picasso, but we happened to be walking through the neighborhood, so we figured we might as well stop in. And we loved it. And we never felt like we &quot;had&quot; to see everything in a museum, because we &quot;didn't pay&quot; to get in. Yes, I know we really DID pay, but you get the point. We found it freeing.

Ron

Are they now making you pay to enter the gardens? I was there in Aug and just walked in with no questions asked. Never saw any gates or people asking to see tickets.

Sue

Yes, Ron, most days they are charging for the gardens - with the highest rate on fountain spray days. (&amp;euro; 5.5) We were there in April and there was a charge. Maybe they weren't charging in August for some reason?

John

We were at Versailles in September and there was NOT an extra charge for the gardens. Fountains are on at 3pm on Saturdays.

b

I was at Versailles in Oct and they had an extra charge for the gardens. I think it was 3 Euro. If you buy the museum pass, don't sign it immediately. We were able to squeeze an extra day out of the pass because Versailles didn't stamp or date it.<BR><BR>I agree with the other appenders, you need to decide on how many museums/monuments you would want to visit. If you think you would spend 5 days in museums, then the 5 day is an excellent deal, but I think most folks find the 3 day is enough. <BR><BR>BTW: if you like Versailles, don't miss Napolean III's apts at the Louvre. They're stunning and in better repair than Versailles. Knowing what I know now about Paris, and if I were going in December, I think I would pass on Versailles and spend more time in Paris. The fountains are not on during December, the gardens won't be as nice as they are in the summer, and Napolean's apts give you a very good idea of what the grandeur of Versailles. However, don't pass on Versailles if you feel that your Paris trip would be incomplete without a visit there. Also, plan to spend a lot of time in the Louvre. It is UNBELIEVABLE. I expected it to be great, and it exceeded my expectations. What a terrific museum. We wound up spending 1.5 days there.