Paris Museum Card
 

For anyone planning to visit museums in Paris, even two or three, PLEASE do yourself a favor and purchase a Museum Card. They are relatively inexpensive, and will save you a LOT of time, since you will avoid waiting on line to get into the museums. I bought mine on the first day of my trip, and waltzed past the lines at the Rodin Museum, the Louvre, and Versaille, all of which had lines that were at least 1 or 2 hours long. I can't stress enough how grateful I was to have that card. I urge everyone travelling to Paris to buy one. <BR>

DITTO! <BR> <BR>I would also buy the card even if I were only going to 2 or 3 museums/sites. <BR> <BR>I've read some people who think it isn't worth it unless you see many places. They completely dismiss the value of their time while vacationing. <BR> <BR>Highly recommend it! <BR> <BR>:-)

Thanks for the tip. I have read conflicting info about the cost of the pass, can anyone help me. My wife and I will be in France May 8-17 and in Paris for 2 days at the start and another 2 days at the end of our trip. Thanks and best regards.

Can I buy one before I get there? Where?

www.intermusees.com/ <BR>should give you all the information you need. <BR>You don't need to buy one before you go, you can easily buy it at any of the included sights/sites. Just don't buy it at the Louvre or the musee D'Orsay where the lines are long. <BR>This is a very popular topic on this Forum: you can do a Search for millions <BR>of past postings. <BR>Good luck. <BR>

Carte Musées et Monuments costs 80FF for one day, 140FF for two days, and 240FF for three. Available at museums and métro stations. <BR>

Here is how I see it: <BR> <BR>BUY THE CARTE!!! <BR> <BR>Even if you do not get the value on museums, you will get the priceless advantage of skipping the lines of tourists. Time has no value and this card will save you time. <BR> <BR>Just to give you an idea, there are at least 10-15 individuals at the "ticket window" in the Louvre and without the carte, one can wait for 30 minutes in line. <BR> <BR>When I (and a colleague) travelled with 40 teenagers (we were teaching), we had each purchase the 2 day pass. We scooted in and out of the Louvre, Orangerie, d'Orsay, Rodin, Les invalides, Versailles. It was great. <BR> <BR>I would never think of doing the museums without it. <BR> <BR>Kimberley <BR>P.S. We are off to Paris in 10 days and I will buy the carte when I buy our first RER & metro tickets as soon as I deplane.:) <BR>

Thanks, Boots, for giving the prices of the "Carte". I have 2 questions. If you buy a pass for 2 or 3 days, do you have to use them on consecutive days or could you use it say Monday and then not again until Wednesday? Also, do you know if there are special rates for seniors? I have tried on several websites to find an answer to this but so far have not been able to. I'd appreciate any help you or anyone else reading this can give. Thanks.

1. Yes, the card has to be used on consecutive days. (The date is written on the card when you first use it, and then the person checking it at the museum looks at the date and the duration of the card to make sure it's still valid.)<BR>2. I don't know how it will be in the summer, but buying the card in mid-April at the gift shop outside the Musee d'Orsay was a breeze. We did not wait at all to buy the cards, and whisked right into the museum at an entrance around the corner from the hordes that were waiting at the main entrance at opening time.<BR>3. The other reason it's great (as people on this Forum have mentioned before) is that you can zip into a museum you're even minimally curious about, just for the heck of it, since it's already paid for. We even harbored a fantasy of a return to the d'Orsay to revisit some our favorites near the end of our five days, but though the spirit was willing, our feet were not.

I don't think there are discounts for seniors, but you could find out where you choose to buy the pass. Children under 18 are admitted free to most museums, but they still have to stand in line for a ticket, so we chose to buy the pass for our 13-yr-old son rather than wait on line with him -- money well spent! <BR> <BR>You can purchase the pass in advance (www.ticketsto), but at a significant price increase PLUS a delivery charge -- not worth it when they're so easily available on arrival. (We paid about $25 each for a three-day pass; Tickets To . . . charges $40 each, plus a $10 delivery fee. However, their web site does list the museums & monuments included in the pass). <BR> <BR>One note of caution: I was purchasing our passes at the Conciergerie, where there was a somewhat lengthy line. I got out of line to ask the entrance guard if they took credit cards for payment -- credit card in hand -- and he assured me that they did. However, when I reached the cashier, she said "Cash only," so four passes took every bit of our cash. If you're planning to use a chargecard, check first to be sure (and ask again)! <BR> <BR>The passes may only be used for consecutive days, and the first place you use it will write/stamp the date. The Eiffel is not included (it's privately owned), nor is Musee Marmottan, but Versailles is. Also, only general admission but not special exhibits are included. <BR> <BR>Another VERY useful note: The Louvre is open until 9:45 on Wednesday nights, the d'Orsay until 9:45 on Thursday nights. We found both of them to be much less crowded then in comparison with daytime visits -- also a good evening activity for teenagers!

I have read from one person where children under 18 (my children are ages 10 & 7) DO need a card to by-pass the lines and another person says they DO NOT need a card. Which is it? We will be in Paris in mid-June for 4 nights and 3 days. Also, our 3 full days are Sunday - Tuesday. With various museums being closed on Monday or Tuesday, what is the "suggested" itinerary? We also want to go to Versailles and possibly Monet's "Garden". <BR> <BR>Thanks!!

Ray -- can't help you with the under-18 question. As far as planning your itinerary, I would recommend that you figure out which museums/sites are your "must-sees", and check the intermusees.com web site to learn when the various places are open. That should help you figure out which days to see what. Also, do a couple of searches on this Forum. Previous posters regarding Versailles have mentioned that it's preferable to go on Sunday, when the fountains are running. (I have no opinion on this, since we didn't make it to Versailles on our tripo.) Also check out the giverny.org web site for info re: visits to Monet's house and gardens. These are not included on the Paris museum card. Much to my regret, we didn't make it there, either (somehow the timing wasn't right for the first couple of days, and once we'd committed to the 5-day pass for our last 5 days, neither of us wanted to give up a full day in Paris. Oh, well. Next time.) A respondent to a previous posting re:Giverny suggested taking<BR>a guided tour there to reduce the logistical headaches.

I'll second this recommendation. Last week, on our first day in Paris, I purchased two five day passes for my wife and myself. Her comment was "Why do we need those?". Well, when she saw the line outside the Musee d'Orsay, and we just walked in, she was rather happy we had them. There's no need to purchase the passes in advance. Most metro ticket booths sell them. We got ours at the Luxembourg RER stop. <BR> <BR>-bmh

Only exception is if you are handicapped or escorting a handicapped person. We never got around to getting a card when my son and his wheelchair went to Paris last summer. At every museum we were taken to the front f the line and got in free. We called it the "pity discount" and looked at it as payment for lack of accessibility <BR>

<BR>Mary: <BR> <BR>ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! All visitors to this forum who visit Paris should definitely buy the Museum Pass. Just returned from my European jaunt in which I spent 3 days in Paris. As a first time visitor, I wanted to make the best use of my time (which did not include standing in long lines). <BR>I bought my card at the Varenne metro stop which was the closest to my hotel. I believe the card can be also purchased at any of the museums which honor it. <BR>

We bought our five day passes at the Picasso Museum our first (not travel) day because it was walking distance from our hotel, and we love Picasso. The best thing about it was that if you hit a problem with too many people at the Louvre, you could turn around and come back at a better time. Or, I could sit in the sun writing postcards while my husband enjoyed Monet's lilies in the L'Orangerie. (He like them so much we went back another day to see them, after a visit to Giverney. We may never have gone to the Cluny with out it. And the cool fold-out brochure makes a great souvenir.