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Paris Museum Pass

Hi. We're taking our granddaughter to Paris next June. She'll be 12 years old. I had planned to follow Rick Steves' advice and purchase the Paris Museum Pass for just my wife and I, as children are free at most museums. The down side to this, however, is that we won't get to bypass the lines. Apparently we'll have to wait in line just to get the free entrance pass for our granddaughter at each location.

In talking to some good friends who have been to Paris many times, they strongly advised that we buy a pass for our granddaughter anyway, for just this reason. As they put it, "how much value do you place on your limited time in Paris?" An excellent point.

So I put it to my fellow travelers here. Is it worth it to purchase a pass for a 12 year old, even though she would be free at most locations, to save time by bypassing the lines? I'm thinking in particular about the Louvre, though I imagine other locations may also have long lines. We'll be traveling next June, and will have a week in Paris before moving on to Normandy and the Loire Valley. Thank you.

-Bob

Posted by
16895 posts

Rick's description of the Paris Museum Pass says, "a few places, such as the Arc de Triomphe and Army Museum, require everyone - even pass holders - to stand in line to collect your child's free ticket." This does not apply at the Louvre or d'Orsay museums.

Posted by
16538 posts

According to the Paris Museum website, your children enter with you - no queuing - except at the attractions which you yourself will have to queue up for before bypassing ticket lines - such as the Towers at Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle. It looks as if there may be a few attractions which issue your children free entry tickets but they're few and far between, and not any of "Top 10's".

This from the website:

"Do children in my party under 18 years of age have to queue up to get in?"

"No. The few establishments that issue tickets for free entry are not among the most often visited attractions."

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-faq-16.htm

Posted by
25 posts

We had to get a ticket for our son at Les Invalides and one other place that I can't recall - neither of them had any line at all (and this was in August during very busy season a couple of weeks ago). We did not have to do this at the Louvre or Orsay or any of the busy places with lines. I would say it is absolutely not necessary to get your granddaughter a pass. Have fun!