paris pass confusion

Yes, the Paris Pass is confusing! I think their marketing is supposed to. The Museum Pass part is awesome, as it not only saves you some money usually BUT you get to skip the line. .Here are some thoughts: Eiffel Tower - Not on your list & I think not covered by any pass Notre Dame no charge, For Tower climb there is a charge (long wait times) Covered by the Museum Pass- Arc de Triumph ,St Chapelle, Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Pantheon. For these I would buy the 2 day Museum Pass only. Actually may not need it for this either with only 4 museums! Part of the Paris Attractions Pass IMHO you do not need the City Tour (is that Hop On Hop Off?). Paris is a walking city and to see the real city you must walk. Altho I have not taken the Paris HOHO, I have heard that bad traffic can be a problem. Seine River cruise is a must particularly at sunset or at night. Can do on your own. 12 Euro The O Chateau Wine Tasting gets good reviews. Check to see which wine tasting is offered for the pass and what the restrictions are. Can do on your own. 30
Euro. Paris Visite - You don't need it for transportation. Buy "Un carnet" with 8 tickets for 10 Euro. I would add these up yourself and see if the Paris Pass works for you. I have always thought it confused lots of new Paris travelers into buying it. When something is confusing, it is good to be skeptical. Check the search function here and also RS Guides as he reviews it also. The 136 euro sale is still $186! That's a lot for Bobbie

A carnet is actually 10 one way tickets for about 11 euros. I agree a two day Museum Pass would be more then sufficient for your needs. Line skipping not needed at Louvre( use alternate entrances for quick ins, I do ) Pantheon, Or Arc as lines are usually not huge issue. Lines are a pain at Tower of Notre Dame, and pass does cover price of admission, but it is one of the places that does not allow line skipping. Line skipping advantage most noted at Orsay and St Chapelle, hardly worth a 4 day pass. Just organize your days. Be aware that mondays and Tuesdays are the days most museums close, so watch that .

thank you both.. I totally agree... yes the 2 day museum pass is about 39 euro and the cost of the museums we plan to go to is about 54 euro so that may be worth it.. yes to buying a book of tickets ..we may still do the tour of the town.. for sure the river tour but that still would not make the pass worth it so good suggestions thank you!

Paul,, really,, and how many times have you been to Paris, and in what season. There are ALWAYS lines for the Towers of Notre Dame, and almost always lines for the Orsay and St Chapelle .. dying to know your secrets.

Paul,, how many times..
Keep in mind you can only get to one site a day "early".

hop On, Hop Off: My general guideline is that I aim at taking one if it is a City i am not familiar with. Helps you identify places you want to go back to, and other places you have 'seen' and dont need to go back. Of course, if your time is limited and your schedule is full, you may want to leave that until your next visit. however, i have always felt pleased whenever i have takedn one

Yes, there are almost always lines for Sainte Chapelle and for the Notre Dame tower, but the pass doesn't let you skip either of those lines. I recommend your getting tickets to an evening concert at Sainte Chapelle, thus avoiding the lines. There are usually 2 concerts in an evening, choose the one that begins before sunset. Get there a bit early to have time to walk around and enjoy the stained glass windows before the music begins. Photos are allowed. The Pantheon has great views from the dome if your visit coincides with a tour to the dome - not included in the pass. The Arc de Triomphe is another good place to be around sunset. The museum passes are for 2 consecutive days. So make sure that the museums you want to use them for are open on your days. The 2-day pass costs €39 each and can be purchased in many places in Paris, including at the airport. There is no advantage to ordering it earlier and paying shipping costs.

thanks for all that We will really have two and a half days to see everything so some things will come off the list.. unless we have the energy in the evening after the two days of the open
So I think the day we arrive from London around 11:30 we will check our bags and do lunch then do the hop on hop off to do the lay of the land..it will be a Thursday so hopefully not as much traffic as there would be on a weekend. Not sure what else but we have two sets of friends to connect with for dinner so maybe that night..with one The next day we would hit the museums (Fri and Sat) not sure how much we can hit in two days.. we are really just wanting to "see" places on this trip (no need nor time to wait in lines anywhere and won't if we have to we will just skip it) The only place I know I would spend more time will be d'orsay as we love the impressionists If we have the energy on the nights after the open we may do some things in the evening but that all depends usually we are really tired.. :( So I think the two day museum pass for the museums will be worth it so we can just walk in and walk out.. Sigh so much to see so little time but this trip is a "highlights" trip and we chose to do it this way so we could get to other places.

Barbara, I am also planning a short visit to Paris and have decided on the Museum Pass. Please note, the D'Orsey museum stays open late on Thursday evenings, so you could maybe fit that in with one of your friends on your first night. I am arriving from Naples about mid-day and meeting friends from Chicago who will already have been in Paris for 6 days. We are going to the museum and probably having dinner at the museum restaurant. It is so important to plan efficiently when time is tight, and I think you have a real good plan here. Happy travels, Linda

Thanks Linda --Good idea!

Barbara Here are 2 other ways for an orientation to Paris! Bicycle (day, night, Versailles) and Segway! Both offered by www.fattirebiketours.com based at the Eiffel Tower. Bobbie

I'd have to scratch my head a little about a bike tour and, in my misspent youth, I rode bikes and vespas all over the city. Be that as it may: a. everybody screams 'don't drive in Paris' b. in most spots I can think of, the bike lane is also the bus lane - - delivery vehicles use the same space, so do taxis c. pedestrians aren't terribly interested in traffic signals or crossing at the corner d. riding in a herd with people who may not have ridden a bike in umpteen years could be a bit sporty e. being the last one through an intersection as the light changes could really stink f. there's probably a 'stop-and-listen' at the major sights, but keeping undamaged wouldn't allow much gawking time enroute I'm obviously missing something. I've never done it, but I think I'd pass.