BumbleB6

I would like to buy a Paris Museum Pass for next week while we are there, for four consecutive days.
Here's the thing - It seems to be a good deal for my husband and me, but my daughter is 16.
I understand she gets free admission to most of the places we want to go - Louvre, Pompidou, Saint-Chapelle, Versailles, Musee de Cluny, etc.

My questions:
We are U.S. citizens, but I understand the free admission still applies to her?

Will we still be able to skip the lines with her, as long as we show her ID? In other words, she doesn't need to queue up anywhere special; she can just tag along with us in the Pass line?
Finally - where can I get the pass? Do we need to go to the office on Rue des Pyramides? Or can I pick it up at other places? Airport? Etc?

Thanks for any info you might have.

PalenQ

We are U.S. citizens, but I understand the free admission still applies to her?>

Sometimes they do not because the U S has not signed a reciprocal agreement with the E U - wording on admission signs a few years ago said E U citizens - this was for older folk so maybe the under 18 is a blanket policy for all but I would not assume it will be so.

BumbleB6

Thank you, PalenQ. We had a similar issue buying a train ticket for her in Spain last summer. She did not apply for the youth discount because we're from the U.S. That's why I ask this now.
(Why would the U.S. not sign a reciprocal agreement for that?!! sigh.)

I would hate to buy just two passes, then show up, and find out she actually has to stand in line to pay, after all. Maybe there is an e-mail address I can send a message to... I'll go check.

BumbleB6

Well, I actually found this on the Paris Museum Pass website - sorry, never thought to check the FAQ there before -
" • Do children need a PARIS MUSEUM PASS?
No, children under 18 and european citizens under 26 are allowed FREE access in most of the museums and monuments included in the PARIS MUSEUM PASS itinerary.
• Do children in my party under 18 years of age have to queue up to get in?
No. The few establishments that issue tickets for free entry are not among the most often visited attractions."

Would be interested to hear of real-life experiences of U.S. citizens with children, about this, though. Thanks!

PalenQ

Ah so it is the 18-25 year old folks who do not get free entry because of the lack of reciprocity (I think that is what the reason was for older folk).

And yes bored museum ticket takers may just not ask - that is what I would think likely - they may not care that much!

StCirq

Your daughter will get in free. At her age, it has nothing to do with her citizenship. And yes, she can stay with you and enter at the same time.

Make sure you know which museums close Mondays and which close Tuesdays so you don't waste the passes.

BumbleB6

Thank you St. Cirq! And yes, I already checked the schedules, .
Normally, we don't do these passes that require consecutive days, but for the first time, ever, this actually will be cheaper than if we paid as we went.

PalenQ

The pass is also good at Versailles and other places around Paris - many museums are discounted I believe on Sundays (Louvre free first Sunday of each month and of course mobbed) - priority entrance to Louvre is a key thing with the pass plus you will go to museums you would probably not pay to enter - like the to me fascinating Arts-et-Metiers Museum of old sciedntific and industrial inventions - one of Faucault's Pendulums swings in this former chruch
's apse.

trvlgirlmq

BumbleB6 - I have first-hand experience with this from 2 previous trips. Everyone will line up together and enter together. An exception is if you want to climb to the top of Arch de Triomphe. Even though free, kids still need a paper ticket and you can not bypass the line. The line was too long when we went so we decided to just look. I believe we also needed a paper ticket at Musee l'Armee but the line was very quick. Kids still free though.

Have a wonderful trip!

PalenQ

there is no priority entrance at Arc de Triomphe for Museum Pass holders? Or did you not have a pass and were just buying regular tickets?

Gina_07

We did actually use the 6-day museum pass for my husband and myself in Paris. Our children, both under 18, entered free of charge and never had to stand in lines. We are all US citizens.

It was very convenient. We visited many museums, some of them multiple times during our visit, even for an hour, if we had time and desire. Without the pass we would be much less flexible and would waste lots of time in lines. I would do it again.

The only place we had to stand in line, all of us, even with the pass, was to climb up the 400 or so stairs at Notre Dame. I hope I remember this correctly. Everybody had to follow the line there.

lateinlifetraveler

<<many museums are discounted I believe on Sundays.>>

They are discounted on the first Sunday of the month but you need to check their websites to verify as all do not do this.

BumbleB6

Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone!
Merci!
This is what I want to hear.
Ok, I will purchase only two passes for myself and the husband. Already made a tentative itinerary according to closing/opening days and times.

BumbleB6

I'm back, and we purchased a 4-day pass. Well worth the money, in my opinion. We went to L'Orangerie and Pompidou once, twice to the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay (on the latter two, just being able to skip the long lines is worth the price of the pass), and to Chateau de Vincennes and Sainte-Chappelle. In 4 days. Not my usual speed of touring, and yes, I was exhausted by the end of the 4th day!
But the pass worked out well for us.
Thanks again for all of the advice.

And yes, the kid got in free to all of these places, and no one ever asked for her ID. They will ask you how old the child is, that's all.

AlessandraZoe

Thanks, BumbleB6, for reporting back to confirm your experiences. Any RECENT experiences are the most helpful.

You "worked" museums like we did, and there is no question that the pass was worth $$$$ for your needs. It took us 5? 6? trips to Paris before we STOPPED getting the pass because it just was so darn convenient to dip into the Louvre or the d'Orsay for an hour (or a pee)and then leave to go on to something else.

Re Free tickets queue (for persons checking this post for info): The Picasso Museum is another place where we had to get free tickets first. Luckily, lines were not long.

I think we also had to get free tickets, as trvlgirlmq, at the Musee l'Armee, but I can't remember. Like trvlgirlmq, our experience in the line there was so short that it didn't matter.

BumbleB6

You are welcome!
Ah, the Picasso Museum.. alas, it's still closed, due to re-open in June of this year. That was one of the main reasons for planning my visit originally, so we will have to go back now.
We also went to the Louvre and D'Orsay at night, during their late hours.. Louvre is open Wednesday evenings, and D'Orsay is Thursday, until 9:45. Still a crowd, but much less so than during the day.
I highly recommend L'Orangerie, btw, even if you're not a huge fan of Monet and Impressionism. The huge Water Lilies paintings are really amazing. Seeing them in a book, or on a poster, does not even convey their true beauty. You can cover the whole museum in a morning or afternoon, as well. Combine it with the Louvre, which is close by.

AlessandraZoe

I so agree with you about l'Orangerie. Now that was a museum that was closed to us for eons, so it truly was worth a trip back just to visit it.

And you are so right about late hours at the Louvre and d'Orsay.

I hope that when they reopen the Picasso, they re-order it the old way which was chronological. I was not a Picasso fan at all (even though the entire family tends to be art-centric) until I visited this museum.

And why did we go there?

Because it was included in the pass!!!!!