friskygz

My sister and I and her 14 year old daughter are traveling to Paris for one week in May and we are in need of some guidance.

1) Is it true that Children under the age of 18 are admitted free to the Museums in Paris? If this is not true, which Museums charge a fee for children 14 yo and how much per museum? Would you purchase a Museum Pass for a 14 year old child ?

2) I read the Thread about the Paris Visite Pass being not being worth the money. I?m considering the Carnet of 10 metro tickets however, Will the Carnet allow me to go to the same places as the Paris Visite zones 1-8?
If not, what zones are included in the Carnet tickets? Do they cover the following: metro, RER, bus, tram, funicular (Montmartre), and noctambus (night bus)? Of do I need to buy something extra?

3) We would like to visit Vernon & Giverney while we are in Paris. I understand that you can take the SNCF from St. Lazare station to Vernon? Is there a additional ticket charge or will the Carnet Tickets work for this trip?

4) Once in Vernon, I understand that you can then take an ancient train through the Eure Valley to Giverney? How much does this trip cost and what is the schedule for departure and return?

5) I?ve been to the Louvre and D?Orsey and wish to see smaller museums this trip. What would you consider ?must see? as far as small museums go?

6) My last trip I was unable to visit the South side of the Seine. What do you consider ?Must see? on the Luxembourg side of the Seine?

Thanks for your Help!!

StCirq

You don't need a Museum Pass for the 14-year-old. There are museums in Paris that charge an entrance fee, but it is not uniform, so you'd need to research the ones you may be visiting.

The regular métro tickets, which are what you get 10 of when you purchase a carnet, are good anywhere in Paris on the métro and the bus system. If you use the RER, you'll pay a supplement that's determined by your destination.

Haven't been to Giverny in a number of years, and only drove there, so will let someone else answer that.

My favorite small museum is the Jaquemart-André. Also the Marmottan, Jeu de Paume, and Carnavalet.

On the Left Bank you have the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon's Tomb and the Musée de l'Armée, the Rodin Museum, the d'Orsay, the Montparnasse tower, the Luxembourg Gardens, the St-Germain area, and the Latin Quarter,to name a few. What constitutes a "must see" depends on where your interests lie.

cls2paris

Giverney is worth the trip! Yes, you take a train for Gare St. Lazare to Vernon. Check the schedule, some of the trains get there in about 50 min and some almost 2 hours. Depends on the number of stops. This trip is not covered by one of the Metro tickets and I don't recall the fare. I have not taken the train from Vernon. They have a city bus that picks up at the train station when the train from Paris arrives. Not sure of the cost. You can also rent a bike or take a taxi. I would recommend getting there either early in the morning (it opens at 9 or 9:30) or towards the end of the day. You might be able to avoid some of the crowd.
I enjoyed the Musee Marmotten and Rodin museum.

SalB

St.Cirq's suggestion for the Marmottan was right on. Other small museums I love are the Rodin and the Cluny (Museé de Moyen Age). You can picnic in the garden there too. It's lovely and fun people watching.

The carnet tickets will take you anywhere the Paris Viste pass will take you, including buses and the funicular. I don't think you would want to pay the price for a zone 1-8 Paris Viste since you will be doing most of your Metro riding in the central city and I think that's just zones 1 and 2 although I'm sure someone here will quickly correct me if I'm wrong.

When you want to go out of the central zone, simply purchase that ticket separately, e.g. to Versailles or Giverny which are on the RER anyway.

BTW, your teenager should love the Tuileries Gardens. It's a great place for teens.

Kristinelaine

I could be wrong, but I don't think the RER goes to Giverney. You need a regular train ticket.

StCirq

True - you can't take the RER to Giverny as far as I know, and anytime you need to take a regular train (SNCF), none of the Paris metro/bus/RER tickets are usable. But it shouldn't cost much from Paris to Giverny. It's about 25 € round trip to Chartres, so probably less to Vernon.

Seamus

You're getting good counsel here -especially about the Jaquemart-André. To be sure you have the whole picture: The Metro, RER and SNCF are separte systems. Metro and RER are local/regional, SNCF is national. The tickets in your carnet will work for any Metro stop. You can also use them on RER but will have to pay a bit additional if your destination is outside central Paris (such as Versailles.) Neither tickets in a carnet nor Paris Visite pass will work at all on SNCF, for which you would need to buy a ticket at the train station.
Before buying a Pass, figure out if it really will save you anything - you have to ride an awful lot to break even, and the "extras" are not that great. Metro tickets run about 1.2€ each, less in a carnet. The cheapest 2-day/3-zone Paris Visite runs about 23USD/16€. You'd have to ride more than 13 trips just to break even. I bought a pass once several years ago, haven't done it again.

hanl

To elaborate further on what Seamus has said (and complicate matters further!), the SNCF is not entirely separate from the RER. In fact, the Parisian transport authority (RATP) runs the metro, the buses, the funicular, the Noctambus and the trams. RER lines A and B are run jointly by the SNCF and the RATP, and RER lines C, D, and E are run fully by the SNCF. (So when the RATP is on strike, certain RER lines are often still running, and when the SNCF is on strike, the RER lines may be affected but not the metro...)

The upshot is that within zones 1 and 2 (Paris and immediate suburbs) you can use your carnet tickets on any transport system (except the Noctambus). For the Noctambus, you have to buy a special ticket from the driver (which is valid if you transfer from one night bus line to another on your journey).

mamc

The Left Bank is my favorite part of Paris and there is so much to do there. Be sure to visit the D'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, the Rodin Museum and garden, the Invalides, the Cluny and Luxembourg Gardens. My favorite small museum in Paris is the Marmottan.

mclaurie

While I agree with the small museums already mentioned (I especially love the Rodin & Jaquemart Andre) no one has yet mentioned the Picasso. I'm not a big Picasso fan but this museum, like the Rodin & Jacquemart, is in a beautiful "mansion." It really shows the span of his work with a lot of early, more realistic pieces. It is also in a wonderful neighborhood (the Marais) with a lot of great boutiques.

You say you didn't get to "the south side of the Seine"(left bank, also Rive Gauche) the last time, but the D'Orsay is on the Left bank, so you did! This is the side many people prefer. It's less formal & a bit younger. The famous cafes Deux Magots and Cafe Flores are there.

friskygz

Thank All of You for your Wonderful suggestions! I?m getting so EXCITED about our Trip! I did venture a little into the Left bank. I went to the Eiffle Tower and D?Orsey. This trip I want to spend a little more time South of the Seine. I?ll be sure to visit the Marmottan and the Picasso. And I?ll be sure to visit the Luxembourg Gardens. We were hoping to see some Museums that showcased Antique furnishings, also early architecture. Any suggestions? Thanks for all your Help and Wonderful Suggestions!

Gina

SuzieC

Frisky you wrote "We were hoping to see some Museums that showcased Antique furnishings, also early architecture. Any suggestions?"

The Carnavalet in the Marais... incredible. Middle-ages through the Belle Epoch. I believe it is "free". AND, another really enjoyable, "day dream" of a place, I think it is called the Galleries du Louvre, is an antique sort of well, "mall"...on Rue Rivoli...stroll through and imagine what you'll buy when your ship comes in.

StCirq

Not positive, but I think what SuzieC is referring to is called Le Louvre des Antiquaires.

And the Jacquemart-André has lovely furnishings as well. I've never done this but I'm dying to - have brunch there on a Sunday if it happens to fit into your plans.

SuzieC

Le Louvre des Antiquaires...
Le Louvre des Antiquaires...


That's right!

palette

St. Cirq, last Sunday my friend and I did the brunch at the Jaquemart-Andre. Reservations are not taken. We were there at 11 a.m., the first to arrive. Go hungry! For our 23 Euros, we had tea, coffee or hot chocolate (yummy, but too filling, I wouldn't do that again); a bread/pastry basket, orange juice, poached egg with cream sauce and herbs, lox, greens with dressing and THEN dessert. I tried to get a 2" slice but the waitress explained how they were already precut into 4" slabs of butter, cream and whatever. So we accepted our fate and managed to eat the fillings. The room is gorgeous, with a painted ceiling (shown on their website). We rolled out; dinner that night consisted of a bagguette and some cheese eaten in our room; even that was more than we needed!

friskygz

Thanks again for all your tips! Now, I just can't wait to get on that Airplane for Paris!

Clea

Friskygz;

the last time I was in Paris with my niece age 12, that was the age limit for entering free to the museums we visited. She was a very tall 12 year old and we had to convince them she was actually 12.

Clea

capo

5) I'd suggest the Rodin Museum, as much for the beautiful grounds as for the museum itself.

6) On the Left Bank, definitely visit the Luxembourg Gardens. I especially like the Medici Fountain, a moody and romantic fountain & pool near Place Edmond Rostand.

Two fun street markets are Rue de Buci (6th, near the church of St-Germain-des-Pres) and the Rue Mouffetard (5th).

St.Sulpice (a church.)

Arenes de Lutece
http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Arenes/info.html

The narrow lively streets to the east of Place St-Michel.

Square Viviani, east of those narrow streets, A lovely little park with a great view of Notre Dame.