Family of 6 including an 8 year old in Paris in August!!

Posted by Mary Jo and Randy Lewis on 01/15/26 11:12 PM

We are wondering about the value of the Paris Museum Pass for 5 adults and one child for a week in Paris. The 2015 posts said that it was not worth it for children. Is that still true?
2) we are looking to go to Chenonceau for a day trip and perhaps check another chateaux in the area. What is the best way to get there renting a car for 6?
3) would you recommend first timed-entry of the day for major sites such as the Louvre, l'Orangerie, d'Orsay?
4) we would also spend one day at Versailles...I think we need a timed-entry pass and book the round trip train tickets ahead of time, correct?
5) how soon must we book everything for the August trip? We have flights and lodging.

My husband and I were in Paris for a week in December to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary and had a beautiful time revisiting sites from our earlier years. This trip with the family will be much more complicated AND in August!! BUT it WILL be with our grand-daughter which will be so special! We are trying to invite her to be a Francophile!

Posted by jeanm

Chicagoland

01/16/26 02:38 AM

1732 posts

Happy belated Anniversary!

1) Only you can decide if there is value in the Paris Museum Pass. You need to do the math. Look at the sites you are interested in, total up the admissions, check to see if kids are free or discounted and at what age. Will you be able to reasonably see those sites within the allotted time frame? Don't forget that some sites limit the number of Passholders.

2) Have you looked to see how far Chenonceau is from central Paris? On a good day it will be a 3 hour drive in each direction plus time to pick up and drop off the car. Please rethink this idea. If you want to visit another chateau besides Versailles, consider Chantilly or Fontainebleau or one of the others near Paris.

3) First entry of the day is good for sites like the Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle and Notre Dame. There is a huge difference in crowds at all sites after 10 am.

4) There are several ways to get to Versailles by train depending on where you are staying in Paris. There is no advanced booking and no seat assignments on any of these trains. They are commuter trains.

5) Go to the official websites of the places you want to visit see the requirements for booking. They all vary.

I hope you booked rooms with air conditioning for August.

If you haven't already looked at some guidebooks, pick up a copy of Rick Steves, Fodors or another Paris book to help with your planning.

Planning a trip for 6 people is a job. Good luck!

Posted by janettravels44

Chicago

01/16/26 02:39 AM

9477 posts

children are free; a few places require them to get free reserved tickets (the Louvre and Versailles e.g.) but others they just walk in with you (the Orsay). You must have a timed entry for the Louvre and perhaps some other places and the Louvre limits the slots for pass holders. Only get a museum pass if it actually saves you money -- it has no other value.

for Versailles -- get the passport tickets as soon as they are available. There are no 'round trip tickets'. For Versailles you just use ordinary metro/RER tickets which are 2.55 apiece for adults and half that for an 8 year old. Get a Navigo Easy card for each person and. put a few tickets on it. Buses use a different ticket; if you use buses put a few of those on also. They are 2.05 or so. You will use one metro ticket on the metro/RER C trip to Versailles Rive Gauche Chateau and one home. It is a commuter train -- no specific tickets just hop on with the ordinary metro/RER tickets.

I'd get tickets 6 weeks out if you know your schedule.

Posted by crooney55

01/16/26 03:56 AM

346 posts

We have taken both our children (when they were young) and grandchildren (one of whom was 8) to Paris and learned (the hard way, the first time around) that traveling with young children is very different than traveling as a couple. You would know what your granddaughter would enjoy but, in our experience, more experiences and fewer museums was more enjoyable for all. Ours enjoyed the Eiffel Tower, the Seine boat cruise, the Chocolate Museum ( maybe because we could eat samples but it was also quite informative and engaging and included a chocolate making demonstration), Musee Jacquemart Andree (lovely cafe, near Parc Monceau which has a playground and is great for watching everyone with their dogs),Parc de la Villette, a futuristic park that runs along the canal with several museums and sites (Cite des Science, Cite des Enfants,a submarine - all focused on kids), a cooking class, eating crepes (Brezh Cafe), checking out chocolate shops, the Luxembourg gardens (with pony rides), a fashion show, making perfume at Fragonard - brings back so many memories...