Paris Pass and Transportation for family with young kids - 6 days
 

We will be in Paris for six days (May 10-15) with my mother-in-law and four children ranging in age from 6-11. We are staying at the Paris Hilton la Defense so I realize we are not exactly centrally located (when you can cash in points, that's the way it is!).

Here are a few of the things we would like to see when we are there: Louvre, Notre Dam, Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur, Orsay Museum, day trip to Versailles. We also know that we need to find a couple of places that have gluten free treats - Helmut Newcake and Laudree (for macaroons) are two on our list. We suspect we will also want to find some organic markets in hopes that they carry some gluten free breads, etc. as well.

We want to understand if we should purchase the Paris Pass or the Museum Pass? We also are interested in finding out if we can purchase a weeklong pass for transportation while we are there? If we do not purchase a Paris Pass or similar card, are there ways to purchase tickets in advance online? We did hear from someone who visited with children that it was nice to not stand in line, but I do not know how busy it will be when we are there in May.

You should definitely get the Paris transportation cards first thing. ( We just got them there, so not sure if they are online or not). We find them invaluable and here are some more kid friendly tips from our many visits to Paris that might help:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2011/0...with-kids.html

Also I would google a map of Paris Metro ( and buses) to know ahead of time exactly how to get to where you want to go. Will make life much easier once you arrive. Great system, but takes some study to comprehend and make it easier on you.

Paris is always pretty busy with tourists ( and it might be rainy) but it's not high season.

Happy planning!

DO NOT get the Paris Pass - it's almost impossible to get your money's worth out of it, and with your crew it WILL be impossible. Don't buy anything on line in advance, either - expensive markups and they are really easy to get once there, either at the first museum you visit or at FNAC or other outlets.

For the métro, you can compare various passes, but IME, usually just buying a carnet or several carnets of tickets is easiest and works out better.Don't discount taking buses as well as the métro. DO learn the system before you get there: www.ratp.fr

You need to figure out how many museums kids of those ages actually will want to visit, too. Unless you're visiting a LOT, the Museum Pass may not be worth it, though it does let you avoid the lines, and with kids that's a big plus. Yes, museums in Paris will be busy in May - they are world-famous attractions.

I think taking the kids to museums ( even young kids) is a fabulous idea and with planning, it can be actually quite easy. Our child, now 11, remembers vividly her first trip to Paris at 5 ( celebrated her 6th BD there), loved the museums and it remains a fave city.

Here is how we saw 3 museums in a day and had a ball when our child just turned 6 ( and we stayed far from the center and used mass transit):

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2006/0...eums-in-a.html

Here's my top 10 tips for seeing museum and doing tours with kids:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/2010/0...education.html

Hope that helps. I find preparing ( both you and the kids) before going helps tremendously ( and there are tons of kids books and movies about Paris) ....especially when you want to do a lot in a short period of time.

There are always ways to skirt around the crowds, even in highest season..like seeing the Louve quickly late in the day or doing a picnic at the Eiffel Tower, etc.

Don't forget to schedule in some down time for kids like playgrounds, pools or just vegging out a bit. Just playing with Parisian kids can be a delight and teachable moment! ;)

yes, you can purchase some tickets in advance online, just go look at the websites of places you want to do that (I know you can for the Louvre and Eiffel Tower). I agree do not buy the Paris Pass, a terrible idea. I think you should do things that are not so complicated given how many kids you have and that you aren't sure about things. So just buying a carnet of metro tickets probably would be best (eg, a pack of 10). Besides your dates exactly span the weekend, so a weekly pass probably isn't the best idea anyway (as it runs Monday-Sunday). Furthermore, you need photos for the weekly pass and to pay for it (5 euro I think), the first time you get it (the regular city transportation pass).

I think it would actually make more sense to buy the Tourist transportation pass ParisVisite in your case as it runs 5 consecutive days after the day you start it and doesn't require a photo. And would be cheaper than buying two weekly passes. You might get one of those for the kids, actually, as it is only 16 euro for them (and the regular weekly pass has no discounts for children). It is 31 euro for adults (5 days, 2 zones).

IF you do buy a carnet, children under the age of 10 actually get a 50 pct discount on those tickets. Another reason why the regular weekly pass is not a good idea in your situation as you get no discounts on it by age.

We purchased the Museum Pass and a carnet (10-pk) or two. We ended up walking a bit as well.

Details and photos:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

http://ukfrey.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/paris.html