Paris Passlib - Fast Track Please Help!

Andrew, is your girlfriend a citizen of the E.U.? If not, then she doesn't qualify for the Passlib Youth Pass and would need the museum pass.

129 € for a 3-day pass is quite expensive and that doesn't include the Eiffel (20€ extra). I really think there's a more economical method of cover your sightseeing than this but could you give us an idea of what you're wanting to do/see in Paris? Also, does your "3 days" include your arrival day? If so, you may more realistically have 2 FULL days and a partial of another.

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for your reply! She is indeed, we’re both from Ireland!

I’m just wondering what part of the Paris Passlib actually gives you the fast track entry? If I buy an adult ticket and can use the fast track, does she have to wait in line because the museum pass doesn’t come with the Paris passlib for youths?

We arrive early Tuesday and leave early Friday so we pretty much have three full days. Museums, attractions, landmarks, the usual tourist stuff (plus lots of eating and drinking of course!)

I can’t seem to find an answer on the fast track issue anywhere so if you can help that would be excellent.

Thank you,

Andrew

Yes, she should be able to fast-track with you: she should have her passport on her at all times for proof of age/citizenship. Do be aware though that a 129 €, 3-day adult Passlib only comes with a 2-day Paris Museum Pass so you'd have 1 day when that part of the package will not apply.

There are also a few attractions which do not allow fast-tracking even with the pass so read the specifics of the Paris Museum Pass carefully. While you can skip ticket lines with this pass, you cannot skip security-check queues. This usually isn't an issue as they move along quickly but it IS an issue at some, such as Versailles. That one is especially notorious for having very long, slow security queues but with so little time in Paris, I would skip Versailles anyway.

Here's the FAQ page of that pass:

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-faq-16.htm
Regarding EU citizens under age 26:
http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-faq-16.htm

But again, I think you're spending much too much for the Passlib. A 2-day Paris Museum Pass is only 48€ if purchased on its own, and you can get a carnet of 10 individual-ride t+ metro tickets (zone 1; which is most of central Paris) for just 14,90 € versus the hoho bus on the Passlib. A 1-hour Bateaux Parisians cruise is only €15 if purchased on its own. The Museum Pass does not cover the Eiffel so you'd have to find another option for that but still, I don't know as I'd spend 149 € just to have that covered.

https://www.ratp.fr/en/titres-et-tarifs/t-tickets

https://www.bateauxparisiens.com/english.html

The transport piece of the Passlib (Paris Visite) will not cover you to/from the airports unless you add that option at an increased price. Honestly, Passlib looks like just another version of the Paris Pass - which almost no one recommends purchasing - with the only difference being the Eiffel option.

I have never seen any scenario where the Paris Pass, Passlib, or any of the derivatives is anything other than a complete waste of money. There is nothing in any of these promotions that cannot otherwise be purchased at far lower cost.

EU residents (not necessarily citizens) under 26 have free access to most museums. Those not qualified for free admission have two options giving them skip the line access to museums: (1) purchase a Paris Museum Pass or (2) pre purchase a ticket from the museum´s own website. Skip the line only means bypassing the ticket line, not the typically longer security lines.

Residents qualifying for free admission, Museum Pass holders, or those with advance tickets proceed directly to the security lines or the pass holder entrances.

you can get a carnet of 10 individual-ride t+ metro tickets (zone 1; which is most of central Paris) for just 14,90 €

The ticket t+ may be used anywhere on the métro, bus, or tramway. The zone 1 limitation applies only to riding the RER using a ticket t+. RER destinations outside of Paris or outside of zone 1 require a specific point-to-point ticket. When riding the RER, it is incumbent upon the rider to know the limit of his fare and not to travel beyond. Tickets must be retained by the rider until departing the transportation network.

The ticket t+ may be used anywhere on the métro, bus, or tramway....

Yep, I just included the ratp page versus include ALL the info on the ticket but good that you completed the picture, Tocard. We did make very good use of our 6-day Paris Museum Pass (which is NOT the Paris Pass) but 3 separate trips to the Louvre, along with the other places we used it for, justified the price. :O)

Thank you both very much for your answers! I had an inkling it was a bit of a waste of money! I always get hooked on something that promises FAST TRACK 😂

I think we will stick to perhaps just the museum pass and do as much walking as time (and the weather allows). I’m hoping that the back end of summer dampens the crowds!

On a seperate note, id love to know you guys “hidden gems” of Paris!

Once again, thank you for all your help!

Andrew

"On a seperate note, id love to know you guys “hidden gems” of Paris! "

With only three days, unless you have a special interest in something, you will be busy seeing the un-hidden gems. Don't worry - they're gems nonetheless!

Do feel free to skip anything that does not interest you - regardless of how famous it is, or how many people tell you it's a "must see." With such a short time, if something is not on your personal A-list, it's out.

All that said, while I know going up the Eiffel Tower is a must for many, I've only done it once, years ago, and don't feel a need to do it again. But on each trip, I go up the Arc de Triomphe twice (once by day, once by night) and I go to the Trocadero at night for its view of the Eiffel Tower (be there a few minutes before the top of the hour, so you can see it "sparkle" for 5 minutes).

Your GF can just walk in with you to museums and show her passport to prove citizenship and age. The ordinary museum pass is the part of the tourist rip off Passlib that gives 'fast track' but don't get your hopes up there. Some museums have different lines for those with tickets e.g. the Musee d'Orsay uses a different door and it is MUCH faster if you have a ticket or pass with that designated security line. The Louvre has a special line for ticket holders at the Pyramid but in my experience it is still a longer wait than just using a different entrance. Versailles has no 'fast track' for pass holders and the security line is endless; for that you need to buy a timed entrance and you can't do that with a Museum Pass (and with only 3 days, I'd not do that anyway unless Versailles is your number one wish). Ste Chapelle has no special track for pass holders, nor does the Tower at Notre Dame. There you need to reserve your time slot the morning you wish to go up and then come back 15 mnutes before your reserved time; you can use the pass to pay or pay when you go up.

The Paris Pass and Pass Lib include a bunch of stuff you won't have time to do and if you want to do any particular thing e.g. a Seine Cruise, they are easy to just buy. The transport pass included is the worst transportation bargain in Paris. Just get a pack of 10 ordinary metro and bus tickets for 14.90 and if you need more, buy another.

For 3 days you dont have time to see the standard highlights of Paris much less 'hidden gems'. But one you might enjoy is the park at the tip of Ile St. Louis down along the water. There are several spots at both ends of the island where young people take a bottle of wine and enjoy and evening along the water at sunset. It is a quite beautiful spot. We liked to arrange our early trips with balance i.e. no more than one church and museum in any day and always a nice self guided neighborhood walk (there are lots of books and sites on line which provide maps and instructions for various parts of town) and visit to one of the nice parks such as Luxembourg Gardens, Tuilleries, Monceau or Butte Chaumont. Pere Lachaise cemetery is also an interesting spot for a stroll. But you don't have much time so be selective and plan to be back to see more. Ruch less, enjoy more. Do the things that are your dream of Paris.

As the others have said, Andrew, you won't have time to fit the "biggies" into your 3 days let alone any lesser attractions, and especially not if wanting to make good on your museum pass. I will agree with Janet about the Parisian cemeteries: Pere Lachaise and Montmartre are two very good ones. Of the museums, the Cluny is excellent and less visited than the Louvre or d'Orsay.

And if either of you is a Monet fanatic, the waterlily murals in the Orangerie are spectacular. Usually no line.