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Do NOT rely on Paris Museum Pass for Louvre Access

Posted by on

We were in Paris recently and had a bad experience with the Paris Museum Pass and the Louvre Museum. The pass indicates that it gives access to the Louvre.

On Friday July 19th, we tried to use it around 5 PM and were told that the museum had stopped accepting it around 3 PM that day. We were told to buy timed tickets online. Unfortunately, all of the timed tickets were sold out through Wednesday the 24th, and we were leaving on the 23rd. We got in line for the Louvre before 9 AM on Sunday and Monday. Each day around 9:45 a Louvre employee told us that they were no longer admitting Paris Museum Pass holders because the Museum was "Full".

The Paris Museum Pass website does not provide any way to contact the company or apply for a refund.

If you want to see the Louvre, do not rely on the Paris Museum Pass. The museum will not honor it.

Posted by
5435 posts

There are already numerous posts about Louvre access and the Museum Pass. There is a current thread about the updated procedures for Louvre access.

Posted by
8882 posts

So sorry about your disappointment. This has been a recent development that several posters have commented on.

Small consolation, but it would probably have been so crowded you might not really have enjoyed yourself as much as you think.

Posted by
6481 posts

As Cjean implied, the louvre now has procedures for Paris Museum Pass holders to use the pass to get timed tickets. I believe it also now allows only one admission to the Louvre and perhaps other sites. This is unfortunate for some of us that like to take the museums in short bursts. Unfortunately I think you were there during a transition. This certainly doesn't offer you any remedy. I would be upset as well.

Posted by
8554 posts

It isn't true that it would have been too crowded to enjoy -- most of the museum is never crowded -- one current issue is that they have put the Mona Lisa in a temporary spot with poor access which leads to traffic jams in the hall and they panicked and closed down entries for that. Bad planning.

And apparently the golden days of using the Museum Pass for multiple short entries as well as allowing people to come and go all day on one regular ticket are over thanks to Chinese tour groups which were putting multiple tours through the museum on one set of tickets (collecting the tickets and re-using them). This kind of behavior is why we can't have nice things.

And yes it is infuriating that the terrible management of the Louvre shafted people like the OP. There were people making a lifetime trip to Paris who planned well and then found themselves denied entry to the Louvre. It is shameful incompetence on the part of the Louvre management.

Posted by
2047 posts

That is sad that you can't go into the Louvre twice. We used the pass to go three times, one in the daytime and twice two hours before closing. Glad I went to Europe when I had the chance. Still upset that non-UK residents can't climb the Elizabeth Tower to see Big Ben as that was a favorite memory as was looking down onto Westminster Bridge.

Posted by
16544 posts

The new website has a disclaimer stating that you must reserve an entry time for the museum if using the pass:

https://booking.parisinfo.com/il4-offer_i148-paris-museum-pass.aspx

Yes, it's a pain PLUS losing the former ability to enter as many times as the pass is valid makes it a lot less convenient and economical. A few years ago we did the Louvre 3 times in a week with our pass without much ado. Dang.

Seriously, I want to blame most of this on stupid Mona and a lousy tour-group ticketing system.

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