tere8156

I am going to London for 2 days and to Paris for 4 days. I will like to know if I should buy the London and Paris passes If it's a good deal.

janisj

I don't have a firm opinion re the Paris Pass -- I tend to think a regular Museum pass is better.

But the London Pass is an awful idea. There are soooooo many great free museums and galleries in London, to get value for money out of the LP would mean skipping all/most of these just to squeeze in enough paid sites to make it pay. The British Museum, National/National Portrait, the Tates, Imperial War, Museum of London, British Library, Victoria & Albert, Science, Natural History and more are all free.

Are you traveling w/ someone or solo? If there are two of you the DaysOut 2for1 discounts are terrific.

texasbookworm

No. Too much is free in London that you want to see to begin with; the "transportation" part is over priced; and the places you get a discount on are either not the ones you "should" be choosing on 2-day trip or are too far apart to make seeing enough to make it worth it realistic. Realistically only 2-3 major sites can be "seen" (visited in a way that requires admission) and London is so big it takes time to travel.

In Paris the Museum Pass may be a good deal if you plan to go to several on it.

janisj

And no -- tbw and I didn't coordinate our answers

drchris

The

drchris

Sorry! The Paris Museum Pass is a great deal if you're going to even a few museums. Check individual prices at the places you plan to visit and compare to the cost of the pass. And even if it doesn't save you money, it saves you having to wait in line to buy tickets and is easier than buying individual tickets in advance. For transportation in Paris, buy a carnet of 10 tickets, which can be shared. This saves significantly over individual tickets.

PalenQ

Paris Pass has a transportation component that may if you go into outer zones make it a viable deal but not for the average traveler - in any case it is MUCH more viable than the London Pass, which for the average traveler who may buy it naively, is a comlete rip-off for them - now if you have time and energy to visit or do everything possible on The London Pass then it could be a great deal - and as tex and janis say above many major museums in London are free.

In Paris many museums are half off on Sundays and like the Louvre free on the first Sunday of each month (and super mobbed) and senior over 59 in France and OAP 60 and over I believe in England also often get reduced rates.

The Paris Museum Pass is often a great deal if going to several major museums in the coverage period and you get priority entry at places like Versailles I believe - you can come and go as much as you like - there are many places in Paris I would have never paid to enter but I had a valid pass so I did and found them really neat. (Conciergerie; Cluny; Pompidou Modern Art Museum, etc. But that Paris Museum Pass at any participating museum.

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

texasbookworm

janisj--two great minds...right? Glad to co-ordinate with you!

so tere--hope this is helping clarify some choices

BigRuss

Paris - yeah.

London - no bloody way.

As you were.

flanneruk

It's wrong to dismiss the London Pass completely - especially if you're travelling alone. The version that includes travel, though, is a complete waste of money compared to buying an "all you can travel" package direct from TfL, the transport operator, when you're here.

In London, entry is free only to major museums and galleries directly administered by the national government, a few administered by local authorities or a few private philanthropists (like the Saatchi Gallery or the Soane Museum.) These add up to far more art than almost anywhere on earth outside Florence. But, apart from straightforward commercial horrors like Mme Tussauds, a number of sites (especially the royal palaces, which include the Tower of London, and the two major Anglican ceremonial churches) charge, and charge heavily - because they don't receive State subsidies.

It's practically impossible for two people to make the London Pass worth its (eye-watering) cost, because:
- in its small print the London Pass reveals a daily maximum use, so
- the 2 for 1 offer on Travelcards bought from National Rail outlets almost always means even an itinerary restricted to paying attractions will cost more for two people with the London Pass than by using the 2 for 1 deals.

But it IS - just - possible to devise credible itineraries entirely based on places like the Tower and Westminster Abbey where the London Pass will be cheaper than paying at the door for a single traveller. Or for some families with children. janisj is right to suspect such itineraries make most sense for people running through sites too fast to see anything - but there are such visitors.

One public-spirited blogger has invented a spreadsheet on Trip Advisor outlining the circumstances under which this can happen, but I'm struggling to find it. Search "London Pass" on its Forum pages.

Sarastro

<i>Paris Pass has a transportation component that may if you go into outer zones make it a viable deal but not for the average traveler - in any case it is MUCH more viable than the London Pass,</i>

The Paris Pass contains a zone 1-3 Paris Visite pass which will not take you to the outer zones. You can exchange a zone 1-3 pass for a zone 1-5 pass at any RATP/métro station for an additional cost.

All in all, the Paris Pass is a complete waste of money and contains nothing that you could not otherwise purchase at far lower cost.

If you like museums, the Paris Museum Pass may be of interest:

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

nyse

Flanner, is this the spreadsheet reference?

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...n_England.html