We are in Paris end of March, what is the most economical, and legitimate way (on-line or at some booth) to obtain tickets for elevator for the Eiffel Tower? May one just walk up, we can climb stairs. Does one still need a ticket?
Heard that the Paris pass is a waste, but where is a source for the Museum Pass as we want to see the Louvre, and other museums. Does this pass also avoid the lines, not security of course.
Thanks for any info, as some online sites seem high priced.
JJE
You can get information about the Paris Museum Pass at http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-t-presentation-and-advantages-2.htm. The pass is helpful for the Musee d'Orsay but so is just prebuying a ticket. What would be most useful for the pass IMO is the multiple entries that it allows one to do. So, you could go to the Louvre in the morning, leave for lunch and return in the afternoon. Just buy the pass at a museum in Paris -- most of them sell it.
The best place to buy a ticket for the Eiffel Tower is the official website: https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/rates-opening-times
It is a bit late to be buying tickets for the summit of the Eiffel Tower, but look at their official web site and see if any are left for your dates. You can always line up and wait and in March it isn't as bad as July. If you walk up the first two flights, you can buy the elevator for the top from floor two when you buy the walk up ticket at the bottom. That line is usually fairly fast -- 15 minutes or so. The line on the second floor for the top can be long and everyone waits in that same line if they have a ticket to the top whether they walked up or rode up.
The Museum pass is best bought at the airport or just at the first museum you go to -- pick one without long security lines. It gives you access to shorter security lines some places, especially helpful at the Musee d'Orsay. It is useless for Versailles and Ste. Chapelle. I know that the Orangerie has a separate security line and at the Louvre you can use the pass holder/ticket holder line at the Pyramid, but we always go in at the Carrousel entrance which is faster anyway. The biggest advantage of the Museum Pass is you can repeat visits -- two 2.5 hour trips to the Louvre is better for me than one 5 hour trip. And you can pop into places briefly that you might not otherwise visit. Line savings are not much except at the Musee d'Orsay.
The Museum Pass is easy to buy once you are in Paris. You can buy it at a non-busy museum (Not the Louvre, lol!) or at the kiosk at the airport. The last couple of times I've bought mine at the Tabac (tobacco shop) down the street from my hotel. And yes, you avoid the ticket lines and you can re-enter museums as well. This is handy for the Louvre as it is easy to get overloaded there. Sometimes I need to go outside into the sunshine for a break, lol!!
Cross-posting with Janet: I'll add that I have been moved to the empty group entry security line at Sainte-Chapelle by showing it to the guard. I was surprised. It also helps inside the secure area as there are people queuing for the ticket line at the front of the chapel and you can usually just walk up to the entrance kiosk with the pass.
Yes Ste. Chapelle is a bit unpredictable. They allow people who work in the court complex to enter security separately from the tourists. Whether they give museum pass priority is up to the guard and probably depends on how busy it is too. Don't count on security line priority but it doesn't hurt to try.
There are plenty of tickets available for the Eiffel Tower summit in March. Just go to the official sight (previously referenced), select the summit, enter the date, number of people. Available times will be listed. I’ve been plugging in various dates just to see how busy they are in the off season (we’re planning a trip for November) and there’s lots of times available.
The museum pass website includes locations where you can buy the pass. From the main page, click on “The pass”, then “Points of sale”. http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-t-points-of-sale-3.htm?cat=6&type=47
Janet travels gave incorrect information on the Eiffel Tower. Tickets may no longer be purchased at the second floor for the summit elevator.
"Yes Ste. Chapelle is a bit unpredictable. They allow people who work in the court complex to enter security separately from the tourists. Whether they give museum pass priority is up to the guard and probably depends on how busy it is too. Don't count on security line priority but it doesn't hurt to try."
I agree. I just caught the guard's eye and held up the Museum pass and he waved me thru.
Just walk up. It's great exercise, it's cheaper (7 euros?), and the view from 2nd level is the best anyway, in my opinion. No worries about reservations, timing it just right, and the rest. The walk up entrance is at the other leg with the shorter line.
I did not say you could buy them on the second floor which you cannot. I said you can buy them when you buy your walk up ticket (at the bottom of course) which you can. Sorry if it wasn't clear. You buy a combo ticket which includes walk up ticket and elevator to the top from the second floor.
