Paris Museum Pass and Skip the Line
 

We will be in Paris for 5 days in August on our honeymoon, which I understand to be the most horrendous time for lines. This will be our first visit, so we want to see all of the tourist stops. I've done the math, and the 4-day Museum pass will likely break even with most of the sites we'd like to see
(Notre Dame, Conciergerie, Saint-Chappelle, Pantheon, Musee d'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, Rodin, Les Invalides, Louvre, Versailles) BUT my main question is whether it truly helps with skipping the line and less wait times. I understand that the Notre Dame tower will truly be awful no matter what, and we are not planning to go up the Eiffel Tower, and plan to visit the Louvre in the evening on one of its late nights. However, the rest will likely be midday and I'd really like to minimize wait time. Will the pass help with this? If not, any other tips? We tried to avoid this in Rome last year and booked many Skip the Line tours, which were helpful in that aspect, but ultimately not worth the money to us.

Thank you!

The "skip the line" mantra is simply a marketing tool. Nobody gets to skip the security lines, which can be no big deal or formidable, depending on the time of year and time of day you arrive. Buying a Museum Pass ahead of time simply will enable you to avoid standing in line to buy tickets, that's all.

At the Louvre you can use a special entrance and avoid long tickety queues IME - Versailles too I've heard folks here say. Of course still have to go thru security but the line to get to that is rarely long with the priority entrance, at least at the Louvre - things may have changed recently however due to security concerns.

But the others should not have long lines - St-Cirq probably has been there more recently than I - but it used to be at least with a pass you could go thru a separate entrance apart from the regular ticket line.

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-faq-16.htm

the answer should be in here.

I've never encountered long lines at most of those places, there are not huge queues for the Pantheon. And I routinely go in July which is second to August for number of tourists. Much to my big surprise, I was in Paris last week and there wasn't any line at all at the Orsay museum on Friday, going around 11 am. I had even gone out of my way to stop by FNAC to buy a ticket in advance, as well as some other shopping, expecting a line there but there wasn't one at all. I did see huge lines at Notre Dame which I suspect may have been for the towers. I've never seen a line at the Rodin or Invalides, either. I haven't been to the Arc, so not sure about that way. Never had a very bad line at the Louvre, but go in by the metro entrance, I did see lines at the courtyard pyramid entrance for tickets last week.

But in any case, if you are going to break even anyway, why wouldn't you get it? It can't hurt and should possibly help a little for the ticket queue line, that's all.

We used the museum pass in May and found it very helpful for skipping the lines. Yes, you have to go through security, but we saved ourselves hours of lines. It was most helpful at Saint-Chappelle, Musee d'Orsay and the Rodin Museum. Buy the pass once you get there, either at a smaller museum without long lines like the Cluny or at FNAC - there is likely to be one close to your hotel.

Thank you for your feedback. I think that skipping the ticket lines will help us save some time, even with security lines. With such a short first visit, we really don't want to waste it!

I found the fast track line was worth its wait in gold. We were there at end of june and we arrived at ste chappelle when it opened and the line for non museum pass people was snaked through a bunch of ropes. We walked right into the pass line, zipped through security and were in before any crowds

Musee d'orsay also had a line for non pass people

Arc de Triomphe had a long line for tickets and separate long line for security. So pass people skipped the ticket line and went through own security line.

Not to mention at how nice it is to just flash the pass at each place, even if there is no real line, instead of pulling out your wallet to pay and get tickets each time.

There is no need to purchase any pass, including the Museum Pass, to be able to skip ticket lines or to avail yourself of special entrances such as the one at le Louvre.

All that you need is an advance purchase ticket, available on the websites of each museum.

If you are trying to cram as many visits into museums as possible then the Paris Museum Pass may be useful but it is not the only option.

I truly wonder if you will actually get to all these places in 5 days on a honeymoon!! LOL
Some have lines ALL the time--the Louvre and Orsay. Choosing an entrance other than the pyramid can cut down on the security line for that museum.
I might suggest you get the pass for 2 days at a smaller museum--the Rodin for instance and do your museum going in those two days and then fill in for the remainder of your visit, even buying another 2 day pass IF you indeed want to see so many places.
I always suggest the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris for a particular reason--it graphically depicts the sights that are close to one another in a certain area so you can maximize that time.
You may also not have time for Versailles on this time line of a visit--5 days. We don't know if this includes arrival and departure.
You will really want to just enjoy the city.

A small but useful secondary advantage to the pass is the ability to stop for a few minutes in a small museum just to see what it is and use a restroom or sit a moment.

Since you are not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you might want to go up on the tethered balloon:

http://www.ballondeparis.com/fr/info...nfos-pratiques

The view from 150 meters up is about half that of the height of the Eiffel Tower, but it includes the Tower.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ball...w=1745&bih=868

Yes the Balloon de Paris is fun - in the Parc Citroen on the grounds where the former car plant stood - one of Mitterand Projects in renewing Paris I believe- just downstream from Eiffel Tower.

Since you are not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you might want to go up on the tethered balloon:

It's a honeymoon--why don't they make reservations at Jules Verne and have the Eiffel Tower AND a memorable meal.
She hasn't even talked about restaurants.

Thank you for the suggestions! This trip has been in the works for a better part of a year and a half, and we are seasoned travelers, so itinerary-wise, we am quite comfortable with what we are choosing to see/do in the time that we have. (Restaurants already chosen, etc.) Just was unclear on this pass and exactly what perks it comes with, knowing that the lines in Paris are worse than most.

And, I am terrified of heights, so the tower, balloon etc. would not work for us. Our big romantic night will be at the Versailles serenade and fireworks show, but there are plenty of other little things that we have chosen that will make Paris/the other destinations special and memorable for us.

<<Some have lines ALL the time--the Louvre and Orsay.>>

well, no they don't. I just gave an example of a time when the Orsay didn't have any lines at all, and it was just a couple weeks ago.

IN general, lines will be shorter and/or nonexistent if you go first thing in the morning, or later in the day for those that are open late. The worst lines seem to be mid-day.

Some of the worst lines they say are at the Louvre on Wednesdays - the day after it is closed on Tuesdays and at Versailles on Tuesdays since the Louvre is closed.

Not sure Louvre is still closed on Tuesdays as it never made sense, at least during the high tourist season.