Hi all,
First time traveler to Paris. My family of four will be visiting in late March and are looking to buy Museum Passes. There are 3 of us 18 and over and one 16 year old. I read that 18 and under get in free to most museums and monuments? Does anyone know if we need to purchase 4 tickets to all get in the same time at various places, or can we get away with just purchasing 3 passes and all get in together?
Thanks
I would not get the Museum Pass as it offers no advantages unless you actually save a bunch of money with it. all the advantages of the past e.g. no need to reserve, multiple entries at a site etc are now gone.
Most places require advance reservations with pass or buying timed tickets. Note that the Louvre which is very crowded and sells out has a very limited number of slots for the. museum pass and so on a day when you could buy 3 tickets, you may not be able to get 3 pass entries. Minors get a free reservation. When you are reserving a ticket for yourself, you just select a free ticket for the kid at the same time and you all have tickets for your time slot. (at the Louvre enter at the Carousel entrance which is restricted to those with reservations -- although since pretty much everyone has reservations these days, it is less of an advantage than it was when most people arrived without tickets)
At a site which does not require advanced registration or where they don't offer free tickets for minors, the child then just walks in with you. I think (am not sure but seem to remember this is what we did with our 12 year old granddaughter) that the Orsay has timed tickets for those buying but does not have free tickets -- the kid just come in with you. But double check on the website.
You never need to buy a ticket for the child. S/he should have identification -- a copy of the passport is usually enough since at 16 it is possible they might be asked to prove their age. With the 12 year old this was never an issue, but with an older child it can be.
