London & Paris

Denise,, not sure what you mean by "Paris Pass" , there is the Paris Museum Pass or the Paris Viste Pass. The Viste pass is not a good deal. The Museum Pass can be a good deal. The Musueum pass should not be purchased in advance since you will pay for the convenience and there are many places to buy it in Paris, plus at most of the sites. Won't speak to London as I have a feeling you are looking for more of transport pass there, ( many musuems are free after all, ) .. and not my area of knowledge.

Thank you for your response! I'll take your advice on the Paris Museum Pass. The London Pass works in a similiar fashion. It allows you entry to popular attractions by paying in advance and you don't have to wait in line. It also includes access to public transportation for the option you purchase. What about tickets to go into the Eiffel Tower. Should a time be reserved in advance or wait until we arrive there?

Denise- most people find the London Pass to be a very poor proposition. Many (if not most) London museums are free and you can time your visit to avoid the worst of the lines, usually. The travel pass that you can buy with the London Pass is a very, very, very poor deal. The 2 for 1 deals that you can use with a travel card purchased at a National Rail Station are usually a MUCH better money saver. You will need a photo card (which you can get at the national rail station, too) so either take an extra passport photo with you or have one made at the photo booth at the station. Just be certain that you buy the travel cards at a NATIONAL RAIL station- not a regular tube station.

I have had a look at the London Pass site and most of the sites mentioned there do not have big queues. They mention that you have queue jumping privilieges at St Paul's and Westminster Abbey. This will only save you about a minute or two. The only London attraction that I know of with really long queues is Madame Tussauds which is not on their list. For some reason they mention that you can go into the National Gallery free with a London Pass. This is sort of true, since entry to the National Gallery is free without a London Pass. So I would say the London Pass is a poor deal.

Denise: The Paris Pass and London Pass are ripoffs. They prey on first-time visitor's fear and lack of knowledge. 1. They make you fearful of long lines (which, as said, are only an issue in a few places). So, they don't save time. 2. They lure you with a long list of covered sites. As said, some of these are free for everyone. So, they lie to get you to think they are offering value that they aren't. 3. While the long list of sites is tempting, no one can see enough sites in a day to make these passes pay off. And, I've read the London Pass actually has a daily cap, so even if you were to try to make it pay off, you can't. So, instead of saving money, you end up spending more. 4. They include transportation for a much larger area than you need. In Paris and London, you only need zones 1-2 for most things. For the few things outside this (like Versailles), just buy a separate ticket for a few euros. So, if the pass covers zones 1-6, you're paying a fortune for transit coverage you won't use at all, or will use for one trip but pay for the whole duration of the pass. The Paris Museum Pass, on the other hand, can be a good deal - IF you are going to enough museums to make it pay. If you aren't, you can get advance tickets online or at FNAC stores, and avoid the lines that way. For London, the two for 1 deals are phenomenal, but require a little work to get - ask here if you need more details. For both cities, a separate transit pass for zones 1-2 can be a good deal - or not, depending on how much mass transit (vs walking or taxis) you'll actually be taking. What do you actually want to see, how long are you staying in each city, and how many of you are there (and what are the actual ages of the children at the time of the trip)? Let us know, and we can tell you how to get the best deal.

I have had a further look at the London Pass site, and when I clicked on the National Gallery link, it mentions that you the audio guide for free with the London Pass. For the National Maritime Museum (another free museum) it mentions that you get a free guide book. These things are nice to have but not essential in my opinion. So I have to admit that the London Pass site does not actually lie. But the intial page for attractions is misleading.