Paris museum pass

[Anonymous]

Is it worth it? has any one used it? Are there still long lines for the sites that claim no reservation required? We go in July and I'm realizing I need to book things now.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t get one, but I do think that many sites required the people with passes to make reservations as well. So be sure to research each place.

One thing we found was that using tickets for Notre dame was actually slower than the “no ticket” line. It was spring break, and because they had to scan everyone’s phone, the ticket line took forever. The other line moved fast, and would have been much easier!

[Anonymous]

I stopped getting city passes. You feel compelled to get your money's worth, see as many attractions as possible and you feel like you're on a schedule. That's no vacation!

I just book online. If it's sold out online, can still buy tickets in person but it's true there could be a 30-45 min wait. Whatever, just do some mindfulness meditation.

Notre dame - just show up early at 830 or 9 am, no ticket needed. May need to wait 20 min. Or visit during mass. I kind of like visiting churches the way they were meant to be used.

So I have visited Paris a few times and have never gotten a museum pass.

But, everyone's different. Maybe you're a maximizer. Maybe this is your one and only chance to visit. Do the math and see if it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Years ago the Paris Museum pass was worth it because there were separate lines for pass holder admission that saved tons of time but i don’t know if that’s still true.

[Anonymous]

We went in February and didn't use it even though we went to lots of museums/historical sites. I think it would have saved us a little money, but the ticketing seemed like a hassle with the pass, and I preferred to just book each site the normal way and secure access that way.

[Anonymous]

We did London and Paris last summer and bought all tickets in advance but à la carte. We would not have saved money with the pass because you need to do 2-3 expensive things a day to come out ahead. All advance tickets had the same line whether with the pass or purchased on your own.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind if you do the pass, you still have to go on and booked your timed entry for anything that requires it, so it doesn’t really save any steps.

[Anonymous]

We bought it for Paris and didn't feel like it was worth it overall, but we about broke even on it and skipped a couple lines so it was somewhat worth it for logistics with older relatives.

[Anonymous]

Are you the person asking about London as well? Same answer for Paris as well (we did both London and Paris on the same trip)

[Anonymous]

I got it when I visited Paris, but it was a little over 2 years ago and not in the summer, which I assume is going to be even busier. I would say it was worth it. We ended up going to 5 places and I had priced it out that even with the 5, it would still save a bit. Plus it was nice to just have to show the pass and get waved in where we didn't need a reservation.

I have visited other European cities, but this is the only place where I thought a pass was worth it. One more tip is to make sure you get in the correct line. Not sure why this was an issue for us only in Paris. Seems obvious, but for example, we went to L'Orangerie and arrived a few minutes before our reserved time. There was a long line outside the door and I assumed that was the line for our time. But I decided to go up to ask at the door and they said no, that is the line for the next time slot and waved us in. Similar thing happened at several other sites too.

[Anonymous]

I ended up getting travel pass because it helped me make last minute Louvre reservations. One tip: go to the Louvre Friday evening. It’s not too crowded.

[Anonymous]

Just figure out what museums/sights you want to see and then do the math. Make sure you book online for everything. If you want the catacombs, make sure to book online as soon as tickets open up as they go fast. For the Eiffel tower, if you are ok to walk up the steps, you can just go to the walk-up line to buy tickets and don't need to reserve in advance. For the Louvre, we arrived 15 minutes after our start time and were told to go to a much much shorter line to get in at the side as they were already lining up for the next time slot. Saved us a lot of waiting outside in the sun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did London and Paris last summer and bought all tickets in advance but à la carte. We would not have saved money with the pass because you need to do 2-3 expensive things a day to come out ahead. All advance tickets had the same line whether with the pass or purchased on your own.

NP thank you for this recent experience sharing!