Museum Pass in Paris

I like art museums & always buy the pass. The value is in convenience. Because you don't pay for each visit, you'll be more likely to visit lesser known museums & maybe find a new favorite or two. Also, they all have toilets & you can go in just to visit one. Now there's a savings - you don't have to buy a coffee to use the john.

MaryAnn, I was like you- wondering if it was really a good investment. We purchased the Pass, and are so glad. Yes, it saved us time in line, but what we found was that we visited sites we would have passed on (no pun intended) if we'd had to pay for them. I highly recommend purchasing it and then using it to drop in one some un-planned sites.

MaryAnn, I've been to Paris twice, once in Nov. and once in Jan. and both times have purchased the 3-day museum pass and found it to be helpful and worth it's cost. It particularly came in handy when my friend and I decided to see the entire Louvre museum, but knew we couldn't do it all in one day, so instead we went as soon as it opened each morning 3 days in a row and saw a wing each visit. Three visits to Louvre at adult prices, nearly pays for the 3 day museum pass all on it's own, not to mention the other sites it got us in to as well. And while the lines might be shorter in the fall, the weather can be less than pleasant and anything that saves you from standing out in the rain/cold/wind, even by only a couple of minutes would be worth it in my book. But really it just comes down to what you're seeing while in Paris and how long you'll be there.

IMO, it is not worth it to purchase the Museum Pass if you are only using it to save time. You really have to go to many museums with it to get the value from it. I did one day of nonstop museums once just to get my money's worth out of it (and because I only had a short time in Paris) But if you're just wanting to go to the Musée d'Orsay and Le Louvre, well, I'd say go early in the morning and avoid the lines/crowds. And with there being so many ticket windows at the Louvre, it can be possible to buy tickets quickly. It's the security lines I've found to be the worse. And pre-purchased tickets aren't going to speed that up.

MaryAnn, I just got back from Paris a week ago and I have to say the pass IS worth the money. I purchased mine at the airport as soon as I landed, because it was convenient and easy. I visited 4 museums and Versaille and those alone paid for the pass itself and then some. The benefit came from skipping ticket lines, because every minute counts when there is so much to see. Just be sure to plan accordingly since you must use on consecutive days. I did all my non-pass sights (like the Eiffel Tower) before I began using the pass. Hope this helps.

MaryAnn, we bought museum passes while in Paris this summer and were very glad we did. We went to Versailles, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Rodin museum, Orangerie and saved money with the pass. You're more likely to duck into a small museum for a short amount of time, and I would expect that even in November you'll be able to avoid lines. Of course, you can always get the pass and let your friend go without!

My husband and I loved the museum pass. The shortened lines were great but what it really did was encourage us to wander into random places for short periods of time. We walked a lot so there were places we passed that were covered by the pass. Without it we would never have stopped in because we had it we might wander in for 5 or 10 min if it looked interesting and there was no line. So for example we did a drop by the Rodin Museum and spent 5 min to see the thinker which was great but we would never have done if we had to pay every place.