I'm going be in Paris for a few days, one of which happens to be the 1st Sunday of the month when a few museums of interest have free entrance. Does this mean the lines will go fast? Was planning on getting the Paris Museum Pass to skip to the front of the lines. Don't want to waste a lot of time in lines, even for free. Any experiences?
Posted by
OP
Oxnard, CA
4 posts
Free entrance 1st Sunday of each month: Louvre, Orsay, Rodin, Cluny, Pompidou Center, Delacroix, and Picasso Museum, according to Rick Steves travel book.
Posted by
XXX
1170 posts
Which museums offer free entrance on the 1st Sunday of the month?
Posted by
San Carlos, CA, USA
383 posts
We were in Paris in May and needed to go to the Orsay on a free day due to our itinerary. The line to buy tickets snaked for blocks. We had Museum Passes but stupidly waited in line for 1 hour until someone told us that we could walk right in. We would still be standing in that line if we hadn't overheard someone talking about it:) The lines do not move fast; they must let in just so many people at a time or the museum would be jammed. Definitely get the pass and don't wait in any lines.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15597 posts
On the 1st Sunday the Louvre and the Orsay are said to be jam-packed, though it also depends on the time of year. My experience is that the Orsay is always crowded, because it is relatively small and very popular. Many parts of the Louvre may not be crowded even on the first Sunday, though I am sure the "highlights" will be. You don't say how many days you will be in Paris or how many museums you plan to visit. Do note that the pass covers other tourist sights that are not museums, like the Arc de Triomphe, the Sainte-Chappele, the towers of Notre Dame.
Posted by
Beautiful Austin TX
582 posts
I was in Paris only last month, and was so glad I didn't buy the museum pass. Everyplace I visited, was not crowded at all. I arrived at the Louvre at 4pm on a Thursday, and walked right in and bought my ticket. I don't think the museum tickets are not all that expensive and I would have spent more with the pass! But if you go to many museums a day, then the pass would be worth it. When will you be in Paris? October was wonderful, and I had perfect weather! But if you are going in the Summer, the pass will be worth it!
Have fun!!
Posted by
in a train schedule...
267 posts
I visited the Musée d'Orsay, Musée du Louvre and the Centre Pompidou on a First Sunday in July (peak time anyone?). The lines were a little long, but moved very quickly. I went in the early afternoon.
Two tips:
1) Don't expect to visit every museum in Paris on this day. Museum fatigue is real.
2) Enter the Louvre through the subway: "Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre" (Lines 1 & 7). Everybody loves going through the pyramids and most do not realize there is more than one entrance. The pyramids are pretty, though. See them on the way out.