We are going to be in Paris for the first 13 days in October and wondered if anyone has experience with the major tourist sites....the Louvre, Palace of Versailes etc in terms of taking our chances of buying tickets upon arrival as opposed to buying in advance? Are the lineups still long at that time of year? Do folks recommend the guided tours of these venues?
Posted by
Chicago
8049 posts
We often travel in October in Paris and it is generally a lovely month. Lines are not as long as September or July but we have been at Versailles at the end of October and the lines for the chateau were blocks long. We were visiting the gardens on a fountain day so were not concerned about that. Never go to Versailles without a timed entrance ticket. It is always busy.
These days never go to the Louvre without a timed entrance ticket as people are being turned away. I am not sure when the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit starts but the Louvre will be hard to get tickets for during that period. So book that ahead.
Never go to the Orsay without ticket in hand; those tickets are good for several months. You use a different door with a ticket and avoid the lines which are often quite long.
The Catacombs are another site where I would not bother these days without a timed ticket although it costs twice as much as a walk up ticket.
None of these places is IMHO enhanced with a guided tour. Some people use the behind the scenes tour at Versailles to avoid the security line -- that works, we have done the Kings Apartment Tour for that reason -- but it adds 90 minutes to the experience that is IMHO not worth the time. Most others disagree. I have seen a couple dozen chateaux and that probably shapes my attitude about it. There is nothing amazing in the private areas.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4845 posts
Have to agree with Janettravells. October may not be AS crowded as Sept, but we still found the usual tourist sites very crowded. Bus tours still abounded.
We've never found a need to guided tours. These places are easy to do on your own with a guide book or an audio guide.
Posted by
Florida
201 posts
What Janet said :-)
. I am not sure when the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit starts <<
I believe it starts October 24. I recall that because it is the day after I head home this coming October.
For what it is worth, in the event that you also wish to visit the Opéra Garnier.... My friend and I decided against the Paris Museum Pass (and the Louvre this visit) in October. We are definitely going to the D'Orsay and were about to buy our tickets online last week (they're good for a year) when I read the following on their site:
Keep your ticket!
In the week following the date on your Musée d'Orsay entrance ticket you can enjoy reduced rates:
-when you buy a ticket for the Gustave Moreau National Museum
-when you purchase a ticket for an unguided visit of the Palais Garnier (Opéra National de Paris)
-when you buy a ticket for the Jean-Jacques Henner National Museum
Interestingly, when I went there to copy this to share, I realized that the wording is different from when we looked at it previously - then, it had said "within 8 days after purchase date" rather than "In the week following the date on your Musée D'Orsay entrance ticket".
Opéra Garnier's site offers a reduced rate for "holders of a visit ticket for the Bastille Opera, holders of a maximum 8-days old ticket for the Musée d’Orsay"
In any event, we are waiting till a few days before departure to buy the ticket online so that it would be within that 8 day window so we could use it for a discount at the Opéra Garnier.