We will be in Paris for 7 days in late May. We will have Paris Museum Passes for the 3 of us. I went to the Louvre site this weekend to secure a "time slot booking" (ie time reservation) that is "compulsory" for pass holders and they are all gone for May (and all but one day in late June!). Am I missing something? I am finding French websites difficult to navigate. Do we have other options to avoid the lines at the Louvre? We really want to spend some time there but it sounding more & more like a royal pain in the derriere and not much fun. (Tip for Eiffel Tower tickets - again, everything for "the top" was sold out for all of May in the first few days of the month, but figured out they release tickets for the 2nd level only, exactly two weeks ahead of time; so set my alarm for midnight in Paris and was able to secure tickets for the 2nd level - it's not the top, but we'll take it!)
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4259 posts
Would you believe me if I told you we did not enjoy our time at the Lourve because of the crowds and size of the building. Even with a timed entry we had to wait in a long line. With the museum pass you can enter so many less crowded, beautiful museums. Go to the Cluny, the Decorative Arts, the L’Organgerie, the list goes on and on.
A fun tour we took was the Mysteries of the Palias Garnier (opera house). It started at 5:00 when the day visitors are gone. The building was practically empty and the tour guide, a young Frenchman, was funny and candid.
Also, we only went to the second level of the Eiffel Tower and the views were just as nice. The top of the Arc also has great views, part of the pass.
Posted by
Washington DC
87 posts
You're not missing anything as far as the websites; you really need to book some of these slots a couple of months in advance. I don't know if more may open up as you get closer to the date, but I've learned from this forum that there are not many PMP slots. If you want to pay for a slot by buying a regular ticket, there are more. There are various companies that offer guided tours of the Louvre, and I understand that these group tours may use a different entrance--but I don't know that there's any way to avoid crowds.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thank you both - appreciate your thoughts & ideas. We will definitely be visiting most of the other museums on the pass, plus a few others. Maybe we'll just try to catch the Louvre on a whim, late in the day if the lines aren't too discouraging. I really don't want to spend a lot of my time in Paris waiting in a long line when there is so much to experience ;)
Posted by
Midwest
122 posts
If you are really keen to visit, you can buy regular tickets and rsvp a time slot without the museum pass. Depending on the size of your group, it is not a hugely expensive adjustment in the grand scheme of things.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Good idea - thank you!