Paris Pass

Most people are going to say "Paris Pass, NO! Paris Museum Pass is a better deal"
As with any pass, calculate what items you are actually going to use and compare the cost of those irems to the cost of the pass -- even the Museum Pass may be overpriced if all you want to do is one museum one time.

Just backing up Laura's advice.

We didn't purchase that pass because the math didn't work for what we planned to do and see in Paris and how we intended to get around; there's no possible way we could have come anywhere close to breaking even on it. Paris Museum Passes plus a carnet of shared transport tickets were far better purchases, economically, for our purposes.

As with any tourist pass, you have to make the list, do the math against individual entry fees and amount of transport you intend to take (if that's included) and see where it shakes out.

Into that equation you have to decide how much your time is worth. Time you will be standing in lines which you could be using for some other purpose.
When I calculate the value of the passes, I don't need to break even on admission prices alone. I always consider the time saved, particularly if I have a limited time in the city where I am considering a pass. Last spring in Paris, the numbers did not add up, but the time I saved was worth the "extra" I paid.
I vacation to see things and experiences new things. Standing in line is not a new thing. It's not something I like to experience. And it's something I can do in my hometown, as I did yesterday at the Post Office.

When will USPS start selling "skip the line passes" for the holiday season?

I haven't used the Paris Pass. But, during our first trip to Paris together, we purchased the Museum Pass, and it was an excellent deal for us. And, we stopped into more places to see them briefly because we had the pass. Also, it can be handy just for having a nice toilet available across town!

Here's a brief cost comparison ...

Paris Museum Pass
2 day €48
4 day €62
6 day €74

Paris Pass
2 day €129
4 day €189
6 day €229

Paris Pass includes ...
Paris Musem Pass

Plus transport ...
Paris Visite Travel Pass

Plus some extras, including ...
1 Day Hop On Hop Off Bus (€33 value)
Seine River Cruise (€14 value)
Paris Opera Tour (€13 value)

Comparing transport options ...
€19 for 2 day Paris Visite Travel Passon bus, metro, RER in Zones 1-3.
€14.50 for carnet of 10 metro trips.
€27.15 (including card issue) for Navigo Découverte one week pass (Mon-Sun) on bus, metro, RER in Zones 1-5.

Orly & Versailles are in Zone 4.
CDG & Disneyland are in Zone 5.

Over 2 days you have more than enough places to keep you occupied with the Paris Museum Pass. When, to maximise value, you lock in the 1 Day Hop On Hop Off Bus, Seine River Cruise, Paris Opera Tour, your limited time on a 2 day Paris Pass realistically leaves precious few hours for any museums. For 4 or 6 day comparisons you'd really need to cross check your full intended schedule. I find I make 3-4 metro trips on an average day when visiting Paris.

Ribaholic.. we all like to skip lines.. and the Paris MUSUEM pass allows that in most places.. but this poster is asking about the Paris PASS.. not the same thing.

I know people who bought the Paris Pass.. and they never got to use all the things it came with.. so it was a waste of money really.

In addition to charging extra for ordinary passes like the Museum Pass, the Paris Pass packet includes a Paris Visite transport card which is the least economical transit option. It is designed to hose tourists and ridiculously overpriced. Get the Museum Pass and then explore transport options like carnet of ordinary tickets or the Navigo Decouverte Pass depending on the days you are there.

we all like to skip lines.. and the Paris MUSUEM pass allows that in
most places.. but this poster is asking about the Paris PASS.. not the
same thing.

Exactly. You get the same line-skipping privileges with the Paris Museum Pass, and it doesn't include the extras in the Paris Pass we wouldn't have used at all or enough to have gotten the good of, like the hoho bus and Visite Travel Pass. That's what kicks the price of that one up so much. Supplementing our Museum Pass with one carnet of 10 individual transport tickets was much less expensive, and we barely got through all of them during our 6 days in the city. Heck, you could buy another carnet or two and still come out ahead.

Thank you, Merci tout le monde.
Joyeux Noel..

jpasquin,

Great advice here!

Keep in mind that the 3 day Paris Pass only includes a 2 day Paris Museum Pass.

You may want to read this post I wrote this summer (after our visit to Paris), explaining the difference between the Paris Pass vs. the Paris Museum Pass.

BTW, if you want access to unlimited public transportation (Metro, bus & RER) in Paris (includes Zone 1-5), then you may look into buying the Navigo Découverte pass:

http://parisbytrain.com/paris-train-metro-week-pass-navigo-decouverte/

Enjoy!

To sum it up: there is no such thing as a Paris Pass if by 'pass' you think of one card or documents that lets you do all these things. It is a collection of ordinary products easily acquired without fee. The Paris Pass doesn't let you skip lines at museums like the Museum Pass -- it IS the ordinary Paris Museum Pass component of the packet that lets you skip lines. Some people find having the various products in one envelop a convenience but you pay for this convenience.