On my 2nd trip to Paris this March, I'm actually planning a more structured itinerary so that I get to see the museums and monuments up close this time... Last summer, hung out, relaxed, and met locals the whole time---not a single museum was open when I intended to go or arrived.
So, trying to decide if the museum pass is worth the money, and debating whether to buy the 3-day or 5-day. Is the card only good for consecutive days, or can they be split say Monday, Wednesday, Thursday for example?

Thanks for your help!!!

Consecutive days, and absolutely worth it. You can buy it ahead of time at some metro stations as well as at museums, then activate it the day of your first museum visit. For some museums it's worth it simply for cutting the wait time for entrance! No matter what you buy, 3 or 5, plan ahead. Museums close different days and you'll need to map your museum time out, especially if you have the 3 day pass.

You should post this on the Europe forum.

BTW - they have discontinued the 1, 3 and 5 day passes for 2, 4 and 6 day ones. All costing more of course.

In March the only serious lines you will find are for the d'Orsay so you may want to total up actual entry charges. You won't get a huge benefit for just queue-jumping w/ the Pass. The passes are getting less and less valuable, especiall for off season visits.

At the outset, my memory and information may be stale. We last used these in 2001.

If you intend to visit many museums and attractions you doubtless will come out ahead with the Carte Musee, at its fixed price. As noted above, you also get [priceless when there are crowds, or when the weather is bad] separate or front of the line privileges at most, though not all sites (Notre Dame Tower and the Arc did not afford special access in 2001). Some very popular sites are not part of the program, e.g., Eiffel Tower, and some obscure museums, such as the Marmottan (largely Monet) are not members.

You might decide to decide at your first large museum, such as the Louvre or D'Orsay, where the passes are sold at par. I recall that Carte holders also were entitled to a discount at museum gift shops, a feature that may tip the scales if still offered.

One other consideration: children under 18 are not charged admission to national museums, so, if they're part of the calculus [I'm guessing from your nom de cyber they are not], no need to purchase for them. Essential to check museum/monument schedules-their hours and days of operation do differ, and state/city museums are often on separate schedules from national attractions.

Never been to France when there wasn't some sort of strike that closed some attraction/museum or another, though these job actions usually rolled so they never closed all at same time.

Check the european board and bon voyage.

Whether you will get your money's worth from the museum card depends on how many museums you will hit in the days. The major advantage of the card is that it allows you to bypass entrance lines but in March you are not likely to experience this except perhaps at the Orsay. There are entrances to the Louvre that are never crowded. So, for the Orsay, you might get a two day pass and plan for that museum, maybe the Rodin which is not too far, and small, for one day. It may be better to just pay admissions as you go.

I agree with others. If you are planning on visiting many museum it may be worthy. Whatever you decide, do not buy it in advance, wait until you get to Paris. There are no discounts for pass holder in museum shops. Many great museums, such as museum of Paris, do not charge admission. There are ever hardly any lines in Rodin, Invalides, Picasso Museums. In Louvre only one time, and that was a few years ago, we had a long line but all museums were on rotating strike at that time. D'Orsay last September had no lines at all. To avoid lines to Louvre use the underground entrance.

Below is my response to the post on the European board "Biggest waist of money on your trip"

<Last September we returned to Paris and bought a museum pass, as always to avoid long lines. But we visited only two museums and there were no lines at all. Further, I completely forgot on that Saturday most museums were free.>

Your pass, regardless if it is for 3 or 5 days, cannot be split. It must be used only for consecutive days.

Museum on our list for Saturday were all free so the pass was definitely waist of money. Never again!

To avoid long lines to d'Orsay do not arrive there at the time of opening. Go two-three hours later.

smilinsnoboarder, I just read your posts on the Europe board and with only 5 days in Paris I would not recommend the museum pass especially if you decide to take a train to Strasbourg and stay there for two days.

Because you are a student I thought you would be interested in some information I found on www.museum-of-paris.com

<Please Note
- The museum pass does not permit access to temporary exhibitions or guided visits.
- Most museums : offer free admission to children under 18 years of age, offer reduced admission to young adults between 18 and 25 years of age, and generally close on Mondays or Tuesdays, and on January 1 and May 1.
- The no wait rule may not be guaranteed at certain sites with magnetic-strip ticket machines which require a free-admission ticket or at monuments where visitor capacity is limited for security reasons.
- The pass cannot be extended or reimbursed for any reason. The rule applies in the event of closure of participating museums for public holidays or unforseen events ( strickes, etc...) or free-entrance days.

Prices
1-day pass 25 €
3-day pass
(consecutive days) 44 €
5-day pass
(consecutive days) 62 €

One advantage to the pass that I found is that you can go back to a museum a second time if you decide you can't handle seeing all of that museum in one visit. Believe me, you CAN'T see all of the Louvre in one visit; but with the Pass you can return a second time and see the things you missed the first time.

Thanks everyone!
I will most likely just stay in Paris for all 5 days, maybe with a side trip to see the indoor areas of Versailles this time (last summer--saw the gardens and fountain show).
I have read through some guide books to determine if the pass was worth it or buying individual tix was cheaper.
It's a close call.
I have not seen anything about free museums on Saturdays...perhaps those were just some I did not intend to see.
Also, I have searched for the metro pass online, and have only seen it sold in odd number days---never 2, 4, 6--are you sure this has changed?

The pass, as of March, will be for 2,4,6 days. I am not a fan of Versailles and wouldn't take a day out of only 5 to go to it. I know of no museums that are free on Saturdays.
The Carnavalet (one of our absolute favorites) is now free, and I think I read that the Picasso is also. They are near each other and the Picasso is small.
When visiting the Louvre, I think the Michelin Green Guide is very good. Be sure to check what is open on the day you are going as not all wings are open every day.
Be aware that there may be a special exhibition at a museum that requires a separate admission. This is often the case at the Orsay.

The first Saturday of the month almost all museums in Paris are free. I never saw this advertised as it is focused on locals. Everyone gets in.
Also if you have a ticket for a day to Louvre you can return as many times as you want on that day. In Louvre as well, special exhibitions require separate admissions. Bring your student ID and if you are under 25 admission to d'Orsay is 5.50 euros rather than 7 euros regular price. Further d'Orsay is open on Thursdays until 8 pm and if you enter on that day after 4:15 pm you pay only 5.50 euros regardless of your age. We found Thursday evenings to be least crowded in d'Orsay. I agree that Carnavalet Museum is a gem

I appreciate all of your comments, thank you! I will have to look into this Carnavalet museum.
So far, I've decided the "touristy things" I want to do this time in Paris are:
Musee D'Orsay
Louvre
Musee Picasso
Musee Nat'l Arte Moderne
Sainte Chapelle
Arc de Triomphe
go up the Eiffel Tower
Maison de Hugo
tour of indoors area at Versailles
Hotel Invalides---is this the actual area where Napoleon's tomb is, or is that in a separate church?
Perhaps, make a 2nd trip to the top of Notre Dame's Towers

Napolean's tomb is in Les Invalides.
Incidentally, several of the places you want to visit on included in the museum pass--at least the Louvre, Orsay, Arc de Triumph, Ste. Chapelle.