The London Pass with travel - Paris Museum Pass???

JoyAnna - I can't speak about London Pass, but most concensus on this site is, it's not worth it.

Our family used the Paris Museum pass last July and it worked out great for us. We went to the Lourve, D'Orsey, Orangiree, Arc, and Vesaille(sp?). Going to these places paid for the pass, and you avoid lines.

We have never used the "London Pass". Some people say that a transport pass saves money, but we have never spent much on transport. A day pass after 9:30 was something like 4.50 GBP last year and covered everywhere we wanted to go.

Yes, most museums in Britain are free. I cannot think of one where I have had to pay. Attractions like the Tower of London are another story, though.

In Paris the museum pass is worth its weight in gold, even if you do not use the full value in entrance fees, the time you save waiting is makes it a good buy. My wife did not believe me at Versaille that we could just walk in when she saw the loooong lines for tickets, but we did, just walk up to the door, show your pass and you are in. Make sure you buy the pass at a quiet location, Arc de Triomphe is usually a good spot. Be aware that it does NOT cover the Eifel Tower.

We purchased both the London Pass and the Paris Museum Pass and found them both to be worthwhile. However, the travel option with the London Pass is not a good option (much cheaper to just purchase an Oyster card), so if you do get it, my recommendation would be to do it without the travel option. Also with the London Pass, it is true that the art museums in London are free, however, many of the historical sites are not, so if you plan on going to those, then get the London Pass.

The bottom line is that only you can decide if it is worth it: Simply add up the cost of the places you are thinking about going and compare it to the cost of the passes. When I did this, the passes always came out on top and proved very worthwhile.

Sorry for the second post and I swear I'm not trying to sell you on the London Pass, however, the London Pass also has the benefit of skipping the queues (as with the Paris Museum Pass), and since time is money, that added benefit reiterated that both were worthwhile purchases for us. Have fun!

We thought the Paris museum pass was a good deal, saving money and skip-the-line time. Be aware ,however, that though you may jump the ticket line, many places still required a time consuming security check, and nobody skips that line. In London, we visited the major museums and as best as I recall, they were all free. We did buy the Oyster card for London travel, and it was very convenient. We got the unused balance easily refunded when we left.

I agree - skip the London pass altogether. The best things in London are free, except the Tour which will set you back 30 quid or so. The Oyster card is good, but depending on where you are staying, you might not even need it. Every time I visit, I buy a pass and then rarely use it.

As to Paris, many of the museums have free days each month and slashed prices if you are younger than 26 or go after a certain time in the afternoon. If your visit doesn't line up with taking advantage of the concessions and you plan to see at least two places a day, definitely buy the pass. October shouldn't be so crowded that the lines are hideous but you can always wait to buy it when you are there and have a sense for how busy things are.

Hi JoyAnna,

Paris Museum pass is a good idea, the London Pass is not. If you are staying in London almost all of the Museums are free. If it is castles in London that you want to see, I recommend getting a membership in the historic royal palaces society, cheaper than the London pass, HRP membership lets you skip the line at 5 palaces and, I had the 2 people membership, it paid for itself with one trip to the Tower on entrance fees alone. Having gone to London for the past two Octobers, and going again this October, The most you can hope to see of Buckingham Palace is the frontage, changing of the guard and the Queen's Gallery, since she is in residence at that time no tourists are allowed in. The membership also gets you a 10% discount in all the gift shops [Kew Palace, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House, The Tower, and Hampton Court Palace]:
Membership category
Individual membership (one adult)
- applies to an adult aged 16 yrs+ £39
Joint membership (two adults)
- applies to two adults aged 16 yrs+
£61
Family membership (one adult)
- Family of one adult and up to six children * £55
Family membership (two adults)
- Family of two adults and up to six children *
£77

Cheers,
Elaine