Cheap Sightseeing and Monument Tickets in the Capital of France
The Paris Museum Pass give huge discounts and savings on tickets to sights, monuments, palaces, and galleries including the Louvre, D’Orsay, Pompidou, and Versailles.
Paris has some of the greatest museums and art galleries in the world. The Paris Museum Pass gives unlimited access to most permanent collections to make for a great deal for cultural sightseeing. Over 60 sights, museums, monuments, or galleries are included in the Paris Museum Pass including virtually all major sights in Paris including the popular Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, the Pompidou Center, and the Arc de Triomphe, as well as the popular day-trip destination – the Palace of Versailles. The Eifel Tower is not covered by the Paris Museum Pass.
The Carte Musées, formerly the savings pass of choice for Paris museums, is no longer used.
Buying and Using the Paris Museum Pass
The Paris Museum Pass gives unlimited access to over 60 different sights in Paris. The pass can be bought for two, four, or six consecutive days and cost €32, €48, or €64 respectively. As many museums are closed on Monday, it is often not a great deal to buy the pass in a way where Monday is included.
The Paris Museum Pass may be bought online but needs to be delivered by mail to a physical address. It is probably easier and less hassle to buy the pass at Paris tourist information offices (including at Charles de Gaul Airport and major Paris train stations) or even easier from participating museums or monuments.
The Paris Museum Pass is best bought from smaller museums where queues are unlikely. It may then be used at any museum – bearers of the Museum Pass may generally go directly to the museum or monument entrance without having to pass by the ticket counters. Skipping these lines are one of the best benefits of the museum pass – queues at ticket windows at the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles are often notoriously long.
The pass comes with a pamphlet listing the museums, opening hours, and transportation information. Note that the pass is generally not valid for temporary exhibitions.
The Paris Museum Pass Offers Excellent Value for Money
For visitors over 18 to the cultural sights of Paris, the Paris Museum Pass can be excellent value for money. Of course, the more museums, monuments, and gallery the traveler visits (or can bear to visit) during the pass validity period, the better value the pass become.
Seeing the Arc de Triomphe (€9), the Louvre (€9), Sainte-Chapelle (€8), Museé d’Orsay (€8), Picasso (€6.50), Towers of Notre Dame (€8), and the Palace of Versailles (€15) will have the traveler break even on the six-day card.
The Paris Museum Pass can be bought in advance. On the first day of use, enter in ink the date and full names.
Top Advantages of Buying the Paris Museum Pass
- Saving on admission fees – the more places the traveler visit, the better value the Paris Museum Pass becomes.
- Bearers of the Paris Museum Pass can generally go straight to the museum entrance without having to pass by the ticket window.
- The same museum may be visited more than once and on different days – no need to try and see the whole Louvre in a single morning.
- The Paris Museum Pass alleviates the need to see the whole museum, even if only a small section or even a single piece is of real interest.
- Similarly, there is no financial incentive to stay in a museum that disappoints or if the mood changes.
Read Before Buying the Paris Museum Pass
The Paris Museum Pass is not great value for all. Children under 18 gets into most museums and cultural sights in Paris and France for free. Youths under 25 and students often get special discounts or free admission too.
The Paris Museum Pass is valid for the consecutive days – once the first date is entered, no refunds are given for whatever reason.
Many museums are closed on Monday, so ensure sufficient sights of interest are open on Monday before including the first day of the week in the pass. Some museums are free on Sunday, or the first Sunday of the month, so once again check detail before including Sunday in the pass.
All consecutive days are counted so avoid major holidays especially January 1, May 1, and Christmas (both December 24 and 25).
The Paris Museum Pass can be a great money saver and the value of not having to queue for tickets is immense especially during busy periods when waiting time at sights such as the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre can be unbearable.
Based on Save with the Paris Museum Pass first published on suite101.com
