Paris museum pass, 2 or 4 days
#1
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Paris museum pass, 2 or 4 days
We will be in Paris early next May for 5 nights and 4 1/2 days. I definitely want to get a museum pass but I'm not sure if I need to get a 2 day or 4 day pass.
We're not real big on museums but do want to see parts (probably small parts) of the Louvre, Rodin and D'orsay. The reason I'm even thinking of maybe getting the 4 day pass is for all the other sights that seem to require an entrance fee. We do want to see Notre Dame, Ste. Chapelle, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe etc., so should would be getting a 4 day pass or would it be easy to do those in 2 days and pay for whatever sights we don't get to see. Also, it's $13.50 to have the pass sent to the US, is it worth it?
We're not real big on museums but do want to see parts (probably small parts) of the Louvre, Rodin and D'orsay. The reason I'm even thinking of maybe getting the 4 day pass is for all the other sights that seem to require an entrance fee. We do want to see Notre Dame, Ste. Chapelle, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe etc., so should would be getting a 4 day pass or would it be easy to do those in 2 days and pay for whatever sights we don't get to see. Also, it's $13.50 to have the pass sent to the US, is it worth it?
#2
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1) Get the 4-day pass. The pass will also cover tower of Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, and the Arc. If you get the 2 day pass, you'll have to see Louvre and Orsay back-to-back, as the pass allows you to skip the lines. I think you'd enjoy the museums more if you have a day between the 2. Also, having a 4-day museum pass allows you to enjoy Louvre and Orsay in smaller doses. You can go to the Louvre for 1 hour every day, and just focus on one section that you want to see.
2) No reason to pay more to have it mail to you. Just buy on when you arrive in Paris.
2) No reason to pay more to have it mail to you. Just buy on when you arrive in Paris.
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I would get the 4 day, as yk suggested. The last time I was there they had a three day option, and we got the most out of it, including Versailles. Definitely saved admissions, and lots of wasted time in lines.
Don't have it sent to you at home, big waste of money. You can get it at CDG or at Gare du Nord, or multiple other locations.
Don't have it sent to you at home, big waste of money. You can get it at CDG or at Gare du Nord, or multiple other locations.
#4
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I agree with the other posters--get the 4 day pass so you're not rushing to see everything that's covered by the pass in 2 days. And agree that there's no need to have it sent to you in advance--we picked ours up at the tourist office at CDG airport but they are on sale at numerous places, including the museums covered by the pass (but if you're going to do that, I'd plan to get your pass at a smaller museum before visiting the Louvre or the d'Orsay, as part of the value of having the pass is being able to skip the ticket buyer lines at those 2 places).
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There is only one answer to this, and no one posting here knows what it is.
Spreadsheet the entrance fees of the museums you might reasonably visit during your visit. Add and delete at will, keeping in mind the effect of saturation and travel between the various venues. Some people like the fact that you can visit some of the more obscure museums without compunction, since they're "free" to sample at will.
If you want to, factor in some value for the ability to skip entrance lines (doesn't apply to some venues - see details at parismuseumpass.com), and add it up. You might want to add to your list: Cluny and Rodin.
If the pass is cheaper, buy it. If not, don't.
Note - sometimes the best way to see Versailles is to buy a <i>Forfait Loisirs</i> at a train station. It includes transport from anywhere in Paris, entrance fees, and (I think) audioguides. Line-jumping privileges are included. Using a pass day for Versailles only is rarely a good deal.
Spreadsheet the entrance fees of the museums you might reasonably visit during your visit. Add and delete at will, keeping in mind the effect of saturation and travel between the various venues. Some people like the fact that you can visit some of the more obscure museums without compunction, since they're "free" to sample at will.
If you want to, factor in some value for the ability to skip entrance lines (doesn't apply to some venues - see details at parismuseumpass.com), and add it up. You might want to add to your list: Cluny and Rodin.
If the pass is cheaper, buy it. If not, don't.
Note - sometimes the best way to see Versailles is to buy a <i>Forfait Loisirs</i> at a train station. It includes transport from anywhere in Paris, entrance fees, and (I think) audioguides. Line-jumping privileges are included. Using a pass day for Versailles only is rarely a good deal.
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I recall that the Eiffel Tower is not included in the group covered by the Carte Musee.
The Rodin (and many other museums) is very small.
The pass allows the holder to pop in and out of museums (including the sames ones more than once) and avoid lines at most attractions. It is available at many of the sites covered by the group. You could acquire yours at a smaller museum without a long wait.
Enjoy your visit.
The Rodin (and many other museums) is very small.
The pass allows the holder to pop in and out of museums (including the sames ones more than once) and avoid lines at most attractions. It is available at many of the sites covered by the group. You could acquire yours at a smaller museum without a long wait.
Enjoy your visit.
#8
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I know that this may seem like a dumb reason to get the 4-day pass over the 2-day pass, but when we travelled with our family a few years ago, we used the pass for bathroom stops with the kids. I remember stopping at one of the museums (I think it was the Invalides), first to use the rest rooms and then to tour the place. Of course, you could stop anywhere, but my kids were fussy about bathrooms. And with the pass, we were able to do the Rodin Gardens, Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre, all by 1 p.m. in one day (the kids were 7 and 10 at the time). Probably a record, but at least they got to see the highlights of each museum. I think the 7 yo might have been free anyway. No long lines, no waiting whatsoever, to tour the museum or just use the rest rooms. If your intention is to visit lots of museums, I'd go for the longer pass.
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I bought the pass as well - but when we visited Versailles, we found out that it only covered the palace/museum itself and not the gardens and outlying buildings. Still, it was very well worth it because the lines were massive outside every single museum we went to. Why spend a long time waiting in line when you can use that time elsewhere? The 4 day pass is ideal
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I would also vote for 4 days -- it makes it much more enjoyable to spread it out. Yes, there is incremental cost, but you may find that you visit more than you ever would have...
We were there 2 years ago with kids and loved having a longer pass. Since it was a fixed price and paid upfront, we felt like it was 'free' to visit a museum. If we liked it, we stayed, if not, we bailed after a short stay.
The value of a close by bathroom can be a good thing There are also some neat cafes in them -- we enjoyed sitting outside on a nice day at the Rodin museum and strolling through the gardens. We never saw Napoleon's tomb in the Invalides (the kids weren't interested), but they like the church above with the beautiful stained glass windows.
You may find there are 'gems' that you stumble upon. We wouldn't have made a special trip to the Orangerie, but we were walking past and stopped. My girls were enthralled with the canvases (or maybe that was me ?).
At Ste. Chappelle, you will stand in the security line (it is shared with the Palais de Justice), but after that, we were lucky to skip the ticket line with the museum pass. Many days it is not there or small, but our day, it stretched back to the exit of security. We were very happy with the museum pass that day!
have a great visit.
We were there 2 years ago with kids and loved having a longer pass. Since it was a fixed price and paid upfront, we felt like it was 'free' to visit a museum. If we liked it, we stayed, if not, we bailed after a short stay.
The value of a close by bathroom can be a good thing There are also some neat cafes in them -- we enjoyed sitting outside on a nice day at the Rodin museum and strolling through the gardens. We never saw Napoleon's tomb in the Invalides (the kids weren't interested), but they like the church above with the beautiful stained glass windows.
You may find there are 'gems' that you stumble upon. We wouldn't have made a special trip to the Orangerie, but we were walking past and stopped. My girls were enthralled with the canvases (or maybe that was me ?).
At Ste. Chappelle, you will stand in the security line (it is shared with the Palais de Justice), but after that, we were lucky to skip the ticket line with the museum pass. Many days it is not there or small, but our day, it stretched back to the exit of security. We were very happy with the museum pass that day!
have a great visit.
#12
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pointofnoreturn--I think this may be a very recent addition, but the museum pass now covers the two Trianon buildings as well as Le Hameau at Versailles. We used it for those areas when we visited Versailles in September, and the only additional charge we paid was for the gardens due to the fountains being on.
#14
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I haven't seen four days worth of admissions yet. Here's what I've got so far (arranged in order for travel efficiency):
One pass day:
Notre Dame Tower (give the Crypt a half-hour)
Ste-Chappelle
Some Louvre
Cluny?
Other pass day:
More Louvre
Orsay
Rodin
Invalides?
Arc de Triomphe - at sundown
Non-pass day
Eiffel Tower (get there early)
Versailles <i>Forfait</i>
If you think you can use it for 45€ worth of admissions, by all means get the 4-day. We've found that two days per trip is enough.
One pass day:
Notre Dame Tower (give the Crypt a half-hour)
Ste-Chappelle
Some Louvre
Cluny?
Other pass day:
More Louvre
Orsay
Rodin
Invalides?
Arc de Triomphe - at sundown
Non-pass day
Eiffel Tower (get there early)
Versailles <i>Forfait</i>
If you think you can use it for 45€ worth of admissions, by all means get the 4-day. We've found that two days per trip is enough.
#16
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I think I'll get the 4 day pass. I like the bathroom part, when we were in Washington DC a couple of weeks ago I had to go to the restroom and went into one of the Smithsonean museums, of course, they're all free.
Thank you all for your wonderful help.
Thank you all for your wonderful help.
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for Robert's sake, I went through and looked at how we did it. We did a 6-day, so it isn't totally relevant, but it may help:
day 1 Orsay
2 Picasso
3 Arc de Triomphe
Louvre
4 Notre Dame Towers
Ste Chappelle
Pompidou
5 Invalides
Rodin
6 Orangerie
we were combining museums with other things - for example, the Invalides and Rodin day we had taken a Fat Tire Bike tour and were in that area, so did those things.
have fun!
day 1 Orsay
2 Picasso
3 Arc de Triomphe
Louvre
4 Notre Dame Towers
Ste Chappelle
Pompidou
5 Invalides
Rodin
6 Orangerie
we were combining museums with other things - for example, the Invalides and Rodin day we had taken a Fat Tire Bike tour and were in that area, so did those things.
have fun!
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