Paris - Museums & Metro
 

I keep hearing a lot about the Paris Museum Card & the Paris Visite Card being the best things to buy and am trying to figure out if they make sense for us. First the Museum Card: Of the things on their list, we only plan to visit the Louvre, the Orsay, Arc de Triomphe & Towers of Notre Dame - but are doing them over a 5 day period due to other plans. (We're not big museum people.) So it seems like it doesn't make sense for us to buy the Card (5 days - $45) - other than that it will let us skip the lines maybe? Am I missing something?

As far as the Paris Visite Card goes - we arrive on a Thursday & leave on a Tuesday, so I don't think the Carte Orange will work for us. A 5 day Paris Visite (all metro & bus I think?) seems to make sense. Or would it be better to just buy carnets? And is the Paris Visite card just for a certain kind of bus or any bus? (Boy do these seem like dumb questions! I've been to Paris before, but always used only the Metro & never the busses.)

Thanks for your help!

Avoiding lines is a HUGE part of the appeal of the Carte Musee. Lets you drop in for smaller chunks of museum time.

We've bought the Paris Visite card both times we've been in Paris, because we were stradling weeks as you will be. We liked the convenience of one ticket, as oposed to a handful of single tickets. Yes, it is good for busses, too, and you will probably only need the zone 1-3 one.

No matter which museum pass you get--1-day, 3-day or 5-day--just make sure you have one BEFORE you go to the Louvre and/or d'Orsay to save a wait (possibly a long one) getting in.

Hate to confuse your situation with a conflicting response but we were in Paris last week. I had a museum pass, put saw very little waiting at the Louvre od D'Orsay for those that did not have a pass. I was at the Louvre at 9:00 on a Monday. Supposedly a heavy day because other museums are closed. I was at the D'Orsay on Sunday another heavy day at 14:30. I'm sure this can vary. The Pass did not help avoid lines at the Arc de Triomphe or Norte Dame. Everyone has to get in the same line. You can get a discounted fare for the metro by buying a set of 10 tickets.

Just buy carnets for your transportation needs. The Paris Visite is not worth it. The line at the Louvre may possibly be avoided by using an underground entrance--not the pyramid. A one day museum pass will probably be worth it for the Orsay. Even though you aren't "museum people" go to the Rodin museum on the same day--or the Ecole Militaire or the Cluny or Ste Chapelle (NOT to be missed!!). All small places that are wonderful and will make your pass economical.

One reason to buy the Paris Visite is for the convenience you get. In terms of museum lines...sometimes that depends on when you show up. I've never waited in line at the Louvre but I don't wait until mid-day to get there, either. And if you're "not big museum people" that's OK...the pass probably isn't for you nor should it be.

The alleged convenience of a Paris Visite pass is expensive, compared to carnets.

The only museum you really need the Carte for is Musee d'Orsay where there are usually long lines. I've heard that the separate entrance to the gift shop, where you can purchase the Carte, has re-opened. So, if you find a line once you arrive, head for the gift shop. Then, return to the entrance with your pass, whereby you can avoid the ticket line.

If you find a line at the Pyramid at the Louvre (and we've never experienced much of one), head for the entrance at the Denon Wing, which no one seems to have discovered yet (see the Louvre website for the exact location).

I'd agree with Gretchen. If you find you need the pass for Musee d'Orsay, visit Musee Rodin and Eglise du Dome (Napoleon's Tomb), which are both nearby, on the same day.

If you were planning to do as many museums as you possibly could over three to five days, you'd probably save some, but the savings diminish once you've visited the Louvre & Orsay (which are the priciest).

I read somewhere (here?)that the Visite pass is worth it if you will be using it for 6 or 7 rides per day.
I do so much walking that I'd never come close to that, so I buy carnets.

My strategy for the Orsay is to get there 1/2 hour before opening time if I donyt have the museum pass, and just before opening time if I have the pass. The information desk near the entrance has museum floor plans in English. I start on the top floor of the
museum where most of the impressionist paintings are--early in the day you can see them in relative peace. If you are interested in decorative arts, there are some beautiful furnishings and objets, especially on the first floor, to see in addition to the paintings and sculptures. The Orsay is closed Mondays, open until 9:45 on Thursday night.

You could consider just an advance-purchase ticket for the Louvre if you're not doing the pass.
The longest entrance line for the Louvre is the main one starting in the courtyard at the Pyramid. The line is long there because everyone's bags have to be run through an x-ray machine. There is another entrance at Porte des Lions, between the Arc du Carrousel and the Tuileries Gardens. A highly-recommended entrance is the underground entrance from the metro stop yPalais Royal-Musee du Louvrey. Either splurge and use a ticket to enter the metro or, if you are already coming off a metro train, exit at the far end of the platform where the sign says ydirect access to the Louvrey and you will walk through a security check, then the Carrousel shops, and into the central ticket and information area.

If you enter off the rue de Rivoli across from the Palais Royal, you can also take the entrance via the Louvre Carrousel shops. If instead you walk under the archway, you will find a guard who will let you enter through an express escalator if you have the museum pass or an advance-purchase ticket. The first Sunday of every month offers free admission to the Louvre and many other cultural sites, but the lines are even longer.

good luck

"The alleged convenience of a Paris Visite pass is expensive...."

I must respectfully disagree. It is not an alleged convenience, it is real. Yes, if you only a visit a couple of places it is expensive. for the visit However, if you go to a bunch of places over three to five days it is well worth it. And not only for lines at Musee D'Orsay or the Louvre. How about Versaille? It saved us at least an hour's wait there, as well. During peak times in Paris, it can save time at other places such as Musee Rodin and St. Chappelle, where there was a huge line the last time we visited. For Smyling, the Museum pass might not be the thing, but for the majority of people who like to see all the sites, I believe it is a must.

I was at d'Orsay at about 2PM on a Thursday, a month ago and there was no line to purchase tickets.

Perhaps the lines are on weekends or peak season.

One more reason I like the Museum Pass. If I am in Paris for five days, I might like to go to the Louvre or Musee D'Orsay a couple or three times. I don't like spending four or five hour stretches anywhere (well, maybe a good wine bar). This way you can zip in and out whenever you're in the area if you feel like it. People will say you can get to places a half hour or an hour before they open, but to me that's the same as standing in line, so where is the benefit? The Museum Pass lets me do whatever I want to do at the time I want to do it. That said, I guess I'm glad a lot of you people don't use the card because then there would be a line for the Museum Pass people.

I usually just buy carnets or MObilis passes on days I really think I'll be running around town a lot, if I'm not there a full week or crossing a weekend. I think the Paris Visite can be convenient for a lot of people and it's good on all buses and metro. If you get the minimum zones (3), it costs about 18 euro for 3 days, so that is about 6 trips a day. It does have a discount on museum shop purchases, which is nice.

The line at Sainte Chappelle is unavoidable, even if you have the museum card. The line outside is for the security x-ray check. You can avoid the line for tickets inside with the museum card, but that isn't such a long line and you've already waited on the long line to get into the complex.

I think maitaitom is confusing the Paris Visite with the museum card. Djkbooks was talking about transportation by saying the convenience of the Paris Visite was expensive compared to buying carnets. I agree, all we used was carnets and probably averaged around two to three trips per day. For that kind of usage, the carnets are much more economical than Paris Visite.

"I think maitaitom is confusing the Paris Visite with the museum card."

mea culpa. Nikki is correct. I will now give myself 20 lashes and a glass of wine.

Hey, maitaitom, one more mistake like that and I won't let you have any of my free-range children!

Take my children. Please.

to add to the confusion about the museum card, I understand it is not good for admission to temporary exhibits. Does this mean that if I want to see the MIchelangelo drawings, or the DaVinci exhibit at the Louvre I have to wait in line separately? Has anyone done this, are the temporary exhibit lines very long?

www.intermusees.com/

Official website for the Carte Musee. If bought in Paris, prices are as follows:
1-day pass : 15 €
3-day pass (consecutive days) : 30 €
5-day pass (consecutive days) : 45 €

We use the Paris Visite transportation pass because we like just having one pass for five days and we can hop buses or Metro as the need arises. Also, there are coupons that come with it; I saved 10% on jewelry and 5% on books that I bought at the d'Orsay shop. One other discount that comes to mind is on the fee to the top of the Tour Montparnasse.

You can buy advance tickets just for the Louvre
check the Louvre website for details

Given that and your other details, I wouldn't buy the museum pass
I also find that I wouldn't get my money's worth from buying transit passes in Paris--I end up doing mostly walking. I'd go with carnets.