Monet exhibit timed entry is sold out. Any other way to get in?
 

A friend is going to Paris and would like to see the exhibit. All timed tickets are sold out for the week she is there. Are they admitting people without tickets? Would being there when it opens be worth a try? TIA

I was there on October 15th and our timed entry was 9:00. the lines were enormous, even at that early time, so I don't think "being there when it opens" is going to help. I do hope your friend gets in to see it, as it's truly marvelous.

One hint to those going: The first two rooms (mainly landscapes and seascapes) are crowded, due to everyone just getting in and hanging around, going through slowly. If you're willing to just move on through those quickly you will be able to view the rest of the rooms at a leisurely pace, seeing them close up.

Just stand in line for 2 hours. Most of the people going do not have timed tickets. Hell, I went to the Basquiat + Larry Clark exhibits at the Palais de Tokyo this week, and that was already a 65 minute wait.

Are there any group bookings available? I read on a post about a person who booked a group then plucked volunteers to be in his group from the people in line...seemed like an innovative plan.

We were there on October 12 with advance tickets for the first entry time (9:00 a.m.). At 8:45 a.m., the line for non-ticket holders was about 20 deep. Much longer when we came out at 10:30.

The advice on initially moving beyond the first two rooms is good and can be broadened. As we were there in the first "wave" there was a "cluster" effect resulting in very different densities in the rooms. We just moved back and forth to the less crowded rooms; and, as a result, saw everything without obstruction. (We used the audio guides, which let you press a number associated with selected painting.)

Some hotels have promotions going where you get tickets for the exhibit when you book at their hotel. I searched under "hotels with tickets for Monet Exhibit in Paris" and came up with some -- I wasn't looking for myself so I just checked out one, Concorde hotels, but I'm sure there are others.

We saw the exhibition on October 19. We fortunately had ordered tickets well ahead. We had tickets for right when they opened, which I think is the best time. We weren't crowded at all but noticed by the time we moved on to the second exhibition floor that the first was getting very crowded. Being able to really savor each painting before the crowds built was heaven.