Buy tickets NOW for Paris attractions in August?...

Paul,

You may consider getting the Paris Museum Pass once you arrive to Paris.

If you haven’t booked your Eiffel Tower tickets, you can check for availability ASAP. These tickets must be booked way in advance (usually 92 days in advance)

Yes, your child (under 18) can enter most of the museums for free, but make sure she has her passport available as proof of age.

I’ve not traveled with a child (under 18) so don’t know the specifics, but hopefully someone else will chime in with this information.

Have a wonderful trip!

Edited to add...

Check the Paris Museum Pass FAQ for information about children under 18 and free entry.

Paul, I'd definitely consider buying the Paris Museum Pass, as Priscilla has suggested. Hands down, it's the best tourist pass we've ever purchased, and we made very good use of our 6-day cards during our week in Paris.

One of its biggest benefits is that it allows you to re-visit the attractions it covers as many times as you wish to. That was very nice when tackling the Louvre: we could do it over multiple, shorter visits, including popping by during a later-night opening, versus one long and exhausting day.

You don't have to buy them in advance, just do it when you get to Paris, and don't date them until the first time you use them 'cuz that starts the clock ticking on the life of the pass. Also use European dating (day/month/year) instead of the order we Americans usually use (month/day/year):

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-t-how-to-use-it-19.htm

Agree with the Paris Museum Pass recommendations. The ones on your list that are not covered are the Opera Garnier and the Tour Montparnasse. No need to book the Tour Montparnasse in advance, but I think that Opera tours are more limited places and should be done in advance.

Priscilla, Kathy, Philip -- THANK YOU -- I had not tuned into the Paris Museum Pass, but that looks like it would work really well for us - will definitely look into that. (I also just saw the "Paris Pass" - which includes a ton of other stuff but is way more expensive - probably not worth it for us.)

This looks like the official Paris Museum Pass site: https://booking.parisinfo.com/il4-offer_i148-paris-museum-pass.aspx is that right?

Thanks for your other tips, also.

Paul

Re having children with you while using the Museum Pass--not a problem. No one asked to see any id for them at any of the museums we entered; they were just allowed to walk in with me and my husband. We were just there last month.

This looks like the official Paris Museum Pass site:
https://booking.parisinfo.com/il4-offer_i148-paris-museum-pass.aspx is
that right?

This is the "official" Paris Museum Pass website, and again, there's no need to buy them before you get to Paris. You just don't want to do it at one of the busiest attractions, like the Louvre.

http://en.parismuseumpass.com

(I also just saw the "Paris Pass" - which includes a ton of other
stuff but is way more expensive - probably not worth it for us.)

Bingo! That pass is ridiculously overpriced and is regularly advised against on this and other travel forums. There are other MUCH more economical ways to cover transport without that part of the pass.

Paul,
The official Paris Museum Pass website is the one Kathy linked, as well as the one I linked on my reply (blue letters) above.

Here’s a recent post I wrote comparing the Paris Museum Pass vs the “Paris Pass”

Enjoy your time in PAris!

I haven't taken the "King's Apartments" tour at Versailles, but others on this board have had good reports of it, not only for itself but as a way to get into the palace without the long ticket-buying line. Might be worth checking out on the Versailles website, probably does require pre-booking.

I agree about the Museum Pass, a great value for saving time and maybe money too. A bonus, it lets you pop into museums you might not invest in just to see one or two things, or to use the restrooms.

I bought the ParisPass for my trip leaving in 10 days. That pass includes a museum pass, Metro pass, and the Paris Pass. The Paris Pass has a B rating it seems by purchasers, but it has 4 things I will do outside of the museum pass. I will take the Big Bus hop-on-hop-off tour on arrival day. I will do the Seine River Cruiseon arrival day if we can get an evening reservation. I will do the Montparnasse Tower. I will do the English language tour of the Opera House. And my daughter wants the Set In Paris tour to see movie filming locations. She is attending a film camp starting day 5 of trip when I take off to Chaminox.

The museum pass has a lot more to add to those activities. Our purchase is 3 days, but that is only a 2 day museum pass. We are starting PARIS Pass on arrival day for bus tour and river cruise. The museum pass starts the first full day for two days. The Metro Card for 2 museum pass days, plus next day when we have a bike tour of Versailles planned that leaves from a few stops from our hotel.

We think it will work for us, but many just buy Museum pass and Metro cards separately. Can’t go wrong with Museum pass.

The Paris Pass is a tourist hose job; it takes ordinary products you can buy locally, throws then in an envelope and adds a fee. The Paris Visite transport pass is a dog on its own; more so as part of a package. And if you are riding the HOHO and Batobus then it goes to waste. Buy the things you actually want when you are there and book key museums ahead on line or pick up a museum pass when you get there.

the Eiffel Tower needs to be booked yesterday; if there are still tickets to the top, get them now. If you want to visit Versailles then you need to get timed tickets. Everything else can be done when you get there. A Museum Pass can be picked up at a less visited museum or at the airport and is probably wise on a first short trip. Your daughter just walks in with you; if she is an older teen make sure she has good ID with her age -- passport, passport copy, driver's license. (they don't necessarily have to accept the copy but they usually do -- and in fact it is rare to be asked for ID to prove age when a child is with family, but with an older teen it occasionally happens). I would not use the museum pass for Versailles unless you book the Kings Apartment Tour (which you would need to do asap). That tickets uses a difference entrance and you don't stand in the hellacious security line out front. Your daughter gets in free to the chateau but you would have to buy her KAT tickets and garden tickets on fountain days. Otherwise you want a timed ticket for the chateau to avoid the really awful line or else you need to get there an hour early -- which means of course a minimum of an hour standing in line. Arrive later and the line can take 2 or 3 hours.

With the museum pass you can often use different security lines that are shorter; this is a big deal at the Musee d'Orsay and useful sometimes at the Louvre and Orangerie, but not possible at Versailles or Ste. Chapelle.

For transport. you are going to be there mostly between Monday and Sunday of one week so get everyone the Navigo Decouverte. It requires a small headshot which you can print out at home and bring along or cut out of a snapshot (25/30mm). You can use this on the train from CDG to Paris although I'd still probably take a cab on arrival. With a family group, get a taxi for the fixed price of 50 or 55 (right/left bank) for 4 with luggage. Add 4 Euro per person over that and the airport has plenty of large cabs for up to 7 people.

Paul, if you are arriving at Paris through CDG airport, you can purchase your Museum Pass from their ticket booth once you pick up your luggage & walk out of the secured zone.

Locations at CDG Airport: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-t-points-of-sale-3.htm

Locations w/in Paris: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-t-points-of-sale-3.htm?cat=1
- Choosing a smaller museum or site (Cluny / Les Invalides / Conciergerie) to purchase would be better than a larger/busier site, such as the Louvre.

Enjoy your trip.

brushtim, janettravels44, emd9930, Dick, Priscilla, Kathy, stephb - thank you so much for you input. Will be looking into you suggestions. FYI, we are coming in my train, so will look into the "buy at a small museum" option. Thanks again.

You can also buy the museum pass at newstands - look for a sign "Tabac". We bought ours across from Sainte-Chapelle.

If child is 16 or 17 bring id if they could look 18 , I’ve never had to show my kids id when using the pass ( which we’ve done several trips with ) because they were young enough it was obvious they weren’t near 18 .

Well, if you are arriving at Gare de Lyon, on the street level, in front of Tracks L & M near the Information Office & RELAY store is the Paris Tourisme Office. They sell the Museum Pass in there as well. That is where I will be getting mine when I come in from Zurich. There may be similar stores at the otters train stations.
Enjoy.

Thanks everyone for your advice. We did the Museum pass for museums and the Navigo Decouverte for transit and both helped us immensely.