Hi,
A friend is going to Paris this summer and advised that advance tickets to the museum are going fast: as soon as they come available?
Has anyone tried to buy advance tickets? Has anyone gone with out advance tickets? How bad was the line without advance tickets?
I am leaning towards buying a membership for 30€ (regular ticket 11€) to skip the line and not be tied to a specific time and date.
Thoughts?
The tickets go fast because tour guides snap them up to be sure they can sell their tours and guarantee they can get you in. You can always sign up for a tour group going to the museum and they will provide you with tickets. I wouldn't dream of going to any Paris museum in the summer without a ticket or museum pass. Buying a membership will not keep you from being tied to a date and time- you'll still need to make a reservation but when you get there you won't be in a line to purchase tickets. Also, keep in mind that on May 28 they will be shutting down one room after another since they are preparing for a big Fall exhibit that will take up the entire museum so there is much you will not be able to see.
Thank you!
Has anyone actually been in recent months? I can also speculate but I am looking for verified information.
Here is the address to the Membership page in French
http://www.museepicassoparis.fr/visite-2/individuels-2/individuels-adhesion-picasso-pass/
On the French site, one gets "access prioritaire" and a discount in the museum shop with the membership. Both are conspicuously absent from the English version of the same page. The take home: buy your membership on the French page!
I totally would dare depending on the museum. What? Miss out on the Marmottan because it isn't covered by the pass or have reserved tickets. Surely you jest! [Yes, I'm calling you ”Shirley”!]
My trips don't require appointments unless it is a show or Atelier at the Louvre or other museum. I am going for 2+ weeks. I'll be in the 'hood many times and can get the membership anytime. I believe there is a late night on the 3rd Friday of the month. The closing of rooms may be delayed until June 30.
Sandra, since you'll have lots of time in Paris, just keep an eye on the reservations situation on their website. You can see if tickets are being snapped up or if there are lots available, then buy online a day or two in advance and not wait in line. If tickets are few and far between, then go for the membership.
I had planned to visit the museum while I was in Paris last month, but somehow I never had the time . . . I was only in Paris for 15 days and only a 15 minute walk from the museum. For the most part I had such great weather that I didn't want to spend hours inside. In the end I had to choose between seeing more Monets or Picasso, and Monet always wins in my book. (Giverny, Marmottan, Orsay - didn't even have time for the Orangerie)
It was recently recommended in either a magazine or a newspaper that membership is the best way to beat the line, but it's kinda pricey.
We went right at opening while in Paris the first week of April, and slid right in-however, by the time we left, the courtyard was packed with people trying to get in.
I don't know this for a fact, but it apppeared they were controlling the density in the museum because while we were in, it got pretty busy, especially with the tour groups hogging the most important paintings.
Thanks for the replies. I think it's one of the cheaper memberships. D'Orsay/l'Oroangerie is 45€ and Louvre Family card, which I recommend if shared between two adults and 2 or 3 kids, is 80€
I wonder if later in the day when the bus tours have gone home is better.
Sandra, I'm curious what kind of a Louvre pass you are referring to. Last time I checked, a yearly dual membership, for two persons living under the same roof, was 120 euros. The membership is not transferable, btw. So 80 euros for a family is a real bargain.
Just bought tickets for Picasso museum on line yesterday. We are going in June and there were lots of tickets for sale. Of course, stuck with a date and time, but now I know we will see it. Picasso is one of my husbands favourites.
Jacky, have a great trip!
Terry, it's called La Carte Famille. Yes, 80€ for one year is a really good deal. I used it previously on two trips 9 months apart. They still send me e-mails. It is good for 2 adults (not necessarily from the same family or address) and up to 3 children. It came with art SWAG. Discount for the workshops/classes which we did. I initially got it because a friend and her daughter were joining us so it was 40€ per family. That trip, we were in Paris for 3 weeks; the following trip for a week. We must have gone at least 10 times - another friend met us in Paris and wanted to go!
Even at 80€ it's a bargain for my 2 weeks in Paris.
Sandra, Thanks for the heads-up. That is a very good plan, which I didn't know about. Enjoy your visit!
Just thought I would add, I bought the tickets ahead. Our timed entry is good for 30 minutes after the time printed on the tickets, so our 1130 entry is good until 12.
