I just got back from Paris, and told my friend about the museum pass, which I LOVE in order to skip the long lines (esp. this time of year). My friend is traveling with 2 children (ages 12, 13). Since kids under 18 get in free to most museums and sites, can my friend buy just a pass for herself, and then skip to the head of the line with her children? Anyone have any experience with this?

Yes, your friend's children can skip the lines with her.

Yes, of course. If there's any question about how old the child is, though, it's best to have ID for him/her.

In her current trip report, European novice mentions that they had to stand in line to get a free ticket at Napoleon's Tomb. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...travaganza.cfm

Though it didn't seem to be the case at the d'Orsay or the Rodin museums, and the other places they visited.

Excellent -- thanks!

You may want to check ahead at the individual museums. We just got back, and in many places the student discount applied to EU kids only. For us, the Paris Pass paid off (my daughter is 15).

The "student" discount is for people aged 18-26, usually, it has nothing to do with letting kids in free below age 18, which is not because they are a student but solely due to age. Many French musems do limit the discount for ages 18-26 to EU citizens, but I've never seen any limitations on the children being free below age 18 (or whatever it is, a few do age 16 or something else).

Christina, I don't remember the terminology...could have been "Youth." All I know is that we often had to pay for our 15 year old in cases where an equivalent EU youth would have gotten free. I have enough museums jumbled in my head that I can't remember how each museum (or even each country) handled the situation, only that we ran into it *a lot*. So it can be worth checking into beforehand.

Hi, as CW pointed out, the kids just go to the head of the line with you at Orsay, Rodin, Louvre, Pantheon, Saint Chapelle. Not sure how it is at the general entrance to the Arc because we went to a side entrance so MIL could take the elevator up instead of climbing all the steps. DS went right up with us in the elevator--they didn't require anything special.

However, at Napoleon's tomb one person with the pass and the child has to stand in line to get a free ticket for the child.

At at the Orangerie, you all have to stand in the cashier line to pay the nominal extra fee that they impose.

We thought the pass was an excellent value and really did save a lot of time in quite a few places.

Ditto the experiences for under 18 at Napolean's tomb. The only other place we had to go get a "free ticket" for the kids was the Picasso museum. Everywhere else, not a problem--sometimes were asked age.

Of course, the pass is no help for lines to the Notre Dame towers whether one is an adult or child--everyone has to queue.

I'm trying to remember, but quite frankly, as long as the kids were under 18, no one applied any EU distinction to the ticket policies. And ironically, over 18, they've often been OFFERED student discounts without our asking throughout Europe if they can show their college ID.

I checked a couple of Paris museums, and you're right, they didn't have the EU distinction. Then I looked at the Uffizi in Florence (same trip), and they did. So I muddled it up a bit.

I never thought to just bring our daughter, passless, to the passholders' line and she'd be let in free. We just bought the pass for all of us with the thought of beating the lines. Perhaps we didn't need to? Too late, now.