Paris Pass

The Paris Pass is not a good value for us. We use the Navigo Découverte for the metro/RER and buy a Museum Pass.

Also, none of these various passes offered have anything to do with reducing wait times for security checks.

The Paris Pass or any of its derivatives should be avoided. They are nothing other than a collect of various passes or tickets which can be otherwise purchased at far lower cost.

Part of the perceived value of the Paris Pass was its access to a hop-on, hop-off tour bus. (My wife has some challenges in walking). If you don't recommend the Paris Pass, should we be purchasing admittance to various popular attractions ahead of time by each attraction, or by an alternative to Paris Pass? And can you recommend any hop-on, hop-off buses for Paris?

HOHO buses are TERRIBLE transportation; you wait forever for them; they meander etc. Take a two hour overview bus tour with Foxity if that sort of thing appeals to you and use the regular buses for getting where you want to go. If your wife has mobility issues she should carry a cane which will be a signal she needs a seat and you can request one for her if no one gets up. (I had to do this for my mother when traveling with her in Italy years ago). The age to claim a seat in Paris is 75 but someone with a disability of course is entitled to a seat; the cane helps.

The Paris Pass is a rip off i.e. a set of passes easily purchased more cheaply once there. You would probably find a Paris Museum Pass to be a good bargain however. And it gives you access to different usually shorter security lines most places. e.g. there is a designate shorter line at the Pyramid of the Louvre although we have found the Carrousel entrance to be quicker than that ourselves. It used to have a bypass for pass holders but I am not sure it still does. The Orangerie has a separate line for ticket/pass holders. The Musee d'Orsay uses a separate door and security line for pass and ticket holders; much of the year there is no line there; in high season the wait is short compared to the main line. Museums have wheelchairs to lend inside and if the disability is significant and obvious you may be able to go to the head of the line for entrance. Note that at the Louvre which is filled with stairs, that there is an elevator for every stair case which you can use whether using a wheel chair or not.

For a Seine cruise; the dock at Pont d'Alma is ramped and very accessible. The Pont Neuf site has very steep stairs (probably a work around but I don't know where it is). I can't remember if the dock at the Eiffel Tower is ramped.

an alternative to Paris Pass?

The Paris Pass is not really a pass at all. I think it has been clearly pointed out that it´s just a collection of what you can easily purchase yourself for far less money. If you really want Hop On bus tickets, purchase them, there are a number in Paris. However, bus frequency is not as often as many anticipate meaning that they can be a very inefficient way to see Paris. These buses are also very expensive.

Seine cruises are very popular and give you an excellent overview of the city. There are also a number of personalized tours for seeing the city: the Deux Chevaux is one such option.

The Paris Pass contains a zone 1-3 Paris Visite for public transportation. As has been pointed out, the zone 1-5 Navigo fare is a fraction of the cost of the Visite fare.

Some people are mislead by the Paris Pass claim of skip-the-line museum access. This feature comes from the Museum Pass include in the Paris Pass collection but you can purchase the Museum Pass yourself or just purchase tickets from a museum´s own website which also gives you skip-the-line access.

Thanks to all for these excellent suggestions.

We love the Hop On Hop Off busses in any city. We’ve done them in Paris many times (both the red and green ones) and I recommend it but only if you sit up top. They’re not good for transportation though. Use regular busses, taxis or Uber. For mobility issues the Mêtro is too much walking and too many stairs.

Agree with getting a museum pass. You can Google for more info on it.

Some links with info:
Navigo Découverte: https://parisbytrain.com/paris-train-metro-week-pass-navigo-decouverte/

Paris Museum Pass: http://en.parismuseumpass.com
You can purchase the Museum Pass at CDG if that is where you are landing from the Tourist Information booths. This would be cheaper than ordering it online.

Enjoy your trip.