ann

I'm planning on going to several of the museums covered by the pass - Louvre, D'Orsay, Cluny, Rodin, Notre Dame Towers, maybe one or two others - so the pass first sounded like it would make sense. But how can you do that many museums in one day. I'm not even the type to spend huge amounts of time in each museum but I would think you would want at least a couple of hours. Does it really make sense to try to cram all your museum going into one (or even two) days. I'll be in Paris for 6 days in March. Any thoughts on this. Thanks

Kris

I liked the museum pass for a couple of reasons. First, we were there at a busy time and the pass bypasses all the admission lines. The line at the Louvre was probably a 45 minute wait and we just strolled in.<BR><BR>Second, not all the sites on the pass are major sites like the Louvre so they don't all require several hours. So we might have passed up Napoleon's tomb had we not had the pass but instead went to visit it because it was included and on our way to something else. One day we visited the Musee d'Orsay in the morning, Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle in the afternoon and went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe in the evening.<BR><BR>With the pass you also don't feel like you have to see everything at a museum at one time, you can visit the Louvre a couple of times and break it up so you don't suffer from cultural overload. Or if you just want to see the Mona Lisa, you can zip in and out and not think about having to get your money's worth.<BR><BR>If you get a 3 day pass, the third day is essentially free (1 day pass is 85 FF and the 3 day is 170 FF) so you could use it to see Versailles or something else outside of Paris which is included if that interests you.

beth anderson

I agree with Kris - just the NOT WAITING is worth the extra money you might end up paying, if you only go to a couple...<BR><BR>try to go up in the Arch of Triumph - on the pass and well worth it. <BR><BR>if you really only get a day pass, or even two - pick the ones you think would have the longest lines, or at least the TOP ones you must see, and at least visit them. <BR><BR>M d'O has long lines, so does the Louvre. Notre Dame - it was not able to be used as a line jumper, for some reason. but it was 'free', and a must-see.<BR><BR>http://www.intermusees.com/wwwie/index.html<BR><BR>Beth

elaine

ann<BR>As the others have said, the major advantage is the time saved waiting in line at the Louvre and the Orsay museums. The money saved is a bonus imo. For a six-day trip I'd get a 3-day pass (it's three consecutive days) so I wouldn't feel pressured to see the major museums all in one day or even two.<BR>Also, the Louvre and the Orsay have two <BR>evenings when they stay open later, and that helps with the planning.<BR>I have a file on Paris along with some museum strategies I've used;if you'd like to see it, email me. I'm an avid museum goer wherever I travel, but I have about a 2-2 1/2 hour interest limit on any one visit. After that amount of time I need a break. So I try to go more than once to each large museum.

Gretchen

As others have said it is the convenience of bypassing lines for the biggies but also the possibility of just popping into some others. One of our favorite museums has turned out to be the Carnavalet which is the museum of the city of Paris (as depicted in art). Another possibility I have just learned of on another board is to purchase museum tickets in advance at FNAC if it looks like a busy day. In March I do not think lines will be much of a problem (we've been there the past 2 years in March). So it really becomes a question of number of museums you want to see.

GGinSF

I was just there for 6 days and I bought a 5 day pass. It only cost 240F which is less than $35. A 3 day is 160 (around $22). <BR><BR>Even in the off season there were lines at the Louvre and especially the d'Orsay that I avoided. The pass is absolutly a must in my opinion. For the extra $13 I think you'll be happy with the 5 day pass. You won't feel like you have to cram in tons of things in any one day, and you can choose certain areas to go each day without having to criss-cross town to get to 4 museums/spots in one day. <BR><BR>I even enjoyed the sewer tour (really!), which I wouldn't have done without the pass. It's pretty quick (30-40 minutes) and it's close to the d'Orsay.

Christina

I have bought one once just to avoid the lines in summer, even though I only went to one museum. I don't think it enjoyable to cram museums into one day and don't do it which is why I don't usually buy the pass, only when I want to go to a museum with long lines. I always go to whatever museums I want anyway, though, I don't ponder the price as they aren't that expensive anyway in comparison to the cost of your trip.

ann

Thanks for all your replies. It's sounding like a better idea. I will be with my daughter who is 17 and therefore either free or reduced rate at most museums so we wouldn't get her a pass. Will she be able to bypass the line as long as she is with me or will that be a problem? I was thinking that the lines wouldn't be that long in March - what do the rest of you think. And for those of you who have been there in March, any other helpful info? weather, etc. Thanks

elavine

Hi ann<BR>If you have the pass, your daughter can go through with you.<BR>I know tourism is down, esp. from the US, but the Louvre and the Orsay will have lines from early in the morning, even before opening time.<BR>Weekends are the busiest.<BR>As for weather, check one or more of the following. By all means bring an umbrella, gloves, and clothes you can layer. Paris is the same latitude as Newfoundland and March will not be warm.<BR><BR>http://www.paris.org/Accueil/Climate/ weather and climate all over France, also has historical data for the dates you'll be there<BR>www.accuweather.com/adcbin<BR>/intlocal_index?wxcity2=PARIS&wxcountry=EU;FR Paris 5-day forecast<BR><BR>www.wunderground.com When you access a forecast for a city, at the bottom of the "current conditions" table, you'll see a box for "Historical Conditions". <BR>www.weatherbase.com and www.washingtonpost.com also have historical data<BR>www.bbc.co.uk/weather<BR>

beth anderson

Hi Ann, <BR><BR>Elaine is very most likely right, and I have no room to say as I have never escorted a minor, but I would check when you buy the pass what the rules are. My gut reaction to your question was that she'd have to get her own pass too, but what do I know.<BR><BR>It would be a real pain to walk all over the place finding these museums only to find out your daughter can't go in with you without a pass of her own. Better safe than sorry.<BR><BR>and believe me, maybe I am in the minority but I will pay extra to NOT have to wait. long lines drive me batty.<BR><BR>Beth

Jen

Your daughter will not need a pass only a student ID card. I took my 16 year old daughter and she just breezed in with her ID. There were several times when she went without me and just walked right in.

Kay

The pass is well worth the price, but be sure you buy it somewhere away from the long museum lines -- the tourist info offices, train and major Metro stations, for example. I bought mine the minute I cleared immigration at CDG; the 3 or 5 days only start running the first time you use it, so get it early!

elaine

Some hotels sell it directly to their guests without any additional charge.<BR><BR>You can go to the cartemusees website for a list of all included museums,<BR>and you can find the nearest small museum where you can buy it, if you don't buy it in a metro station

Scott

Hi Ann:<BR><BR>After spending thousands of dollars getting to Paris and staying there for a week, I wouldn't cut corners on the $40 museum pass....I'd suggest you get the five day museum pass and carry your daughter's student ID and/or a photocopy of her passport to show the ticket-takers to admit her as an under-eighteen freebie. You never know when you might stumble across another museum/monument/site that's on the Carte Musee list and you can simply walk in without hestiating. I was just in Paris last month with my two teenaged sons and we visited all(well, at least lots)of the sites and monuments and I can tell you for certain.....your daughter just walks through with you on your pass...although she might be asked to show her passport(photocopy will do) as verification of her age. At the Picasso Museum, we had to go to the ticket window to satisy the minor bureaucracy of getting the boys an actual free ticket to show to the ticket-taker at the entrance door.....the passport photocopies did it. Everywhere else we just showed my Carte Musee and their passport photocopies and walked past the line-ups and through the entrance. I thought the crowds around Paris would be light in early November, given the stories about tourism being down overall, but the city was as busy as I've ever seen it. And the line-ups at the Louvre were the longest I've ever seen. Another tip...while I'm spending your money wisely...is to buy a Metro pass on day one so you can get on and off the Metro or buses whenever you want.... I find the buses a great place to rest and sight-see from...and I don't really care where they're going. I always buy the one-week Carte Orange that is good for all public transportation in Paris. Get on and off a bus or Metro or RER whenever you want. But take a passport size photo, as they attach it to the pass and give you a little Metro ticket that you use all week. The pass is good from Monday to Sunday inclusive and costs around $30ish. There's another pass called the Paris Visite. It's a bus pass and has some site/shopping discounts, but I've personally never really found it to be any more useful than the Carte Orange(except unless your visit doesn't correspond well with the Monday to Sunday validity of the Carte Orange). You can read all the comparative details of these passes in guidebooks like Fodor's, Access, Frommers, rough guide, etc., or sift through the many postings on this site about the ins and outs of Paris Metro passes.<BR><BR>Enjoy!<BR><BR>Scott

Patty

Just one suggestion. We were in Paris in early September. The line at the Louvre Pyramid was huge (only one line) and upon closer inspection it was not the ticket line but the security line where they checked your bags for bombs or whatever - inside the line broke into two parts - one for ticket holders. Instead we entered through the Rue Rivoli shop entrance and then breezed through with our pass. The Louvre especially has many entrances, you just have to get creative.