I'll be traveling with my 15 year old daughter and I. I've read that most teens get in free or reduced rate at most sites. My question is would I be better off just to go ahead and purchase a pass for her to keep from having to find out how she gets in at everysight. My thinking it would be easier just to buy one for her to save the time and hassle.? Your thoughts?
Thanks Tom
If you plan to visit many of the larger, more popular museums, go for the pass. The biggest value of the pass is not necessarily money saved, but time.
No, she doesn't need a pass. Kids under 18 are allowed free admission to most museums. If you want to purchase the pass to allow you to skip the line, then you only need to buy the pass for YOU...not for her. We've done this several times with our kids most recently in June 2008.
Tom( from Washington) reread the question.. the question was is it worth it to buy a pass for his daughter, and the answer really is NO!
Frankly I have never seen the value in it for an adult either,, but thats a whole other thread.
Tom,(frin Savannah) your daughter IS free at the Lourve, the Orsay and the Cluny,, for sure.
As for other sites just google and find the website for each place, it is easy to do and find out which places she is free at.
Make sure daughter has id with her if she looks old for her age. I was never asked for id for my 14 yr old son, but he hadn't hit his growth spurt yet( he is now 17 and 6'2" so we would take id for him now, LOL )
The pass is worth it! Don't think about the $$ - think about the time. That pass saved my husband and I HOURS of wait time on our 4-day trip.
Kim, where did it save you "hours" , I have never waited hours anywhere but at the Eiffel Tower.
Last May at D'Orsay, the lineup literally filled the plaza out front. Museum staffers told us it would likely be 2 1/2 hours to get in....luckily, we had passes. Over the late fall and winter, lineups aren't so bad. Economically, the pass (for you) is really only worth it if you plan to visit 4 or more sites with the 2 day pass, 5 or more with the 4 day pass, and 7 or more with the 6 day pass. Versailles (which is one of those listed on the pass) is usually a day-long trip, so it's a waste to use the pass for that. Instead, purchase a "forfait loisiers" pass at any RER and the big Metro stations. It gives you round-trip transportation and discounted admission.
Tom's question really has to do with whether he needs a pass for his teenaged daughter, not whether he should buy a pass at all. His question's been answered. Since we're now debating the need for one at all, I'd like to say that to me, the pass is one of the best things Parisians have come up with for the tourist. I prefer short museum visits. I may to go the Louvre early am one day & late aft another day with visits to different museums in between. Because of the pass, I feel free to take these short visits whenever I'm close by one. I'm going to be in Paris 5.5 days this month & will buy the 6 day pass right away combining it with a short visit to les Invalides - one of my favorite places. I love the museums, so for me the pass is a must.
Thanks, Rose, for restating the obvious!:) Sometimes we like to offer a little more information than requested, just to make sure they have all the facts before them. We get questions all the time from people asking whether they should purchase rail tickets ahead of time at raileurope, or buy them when they arrive. By offering them suggestions about the advance-purchase deals on many national rail websites, we're going beyond the question asked...but it's information they may want to consider as an alternative. BTW, Tom...the best site to check the various museums and monuments to see if you're daughter will get in free is the pass's official website at http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php . Click on "Museums & Monuments" and you'll get the complete list, all with hotlinks that list opening hours and any age limits.
OK, I wish I got this kind of response to every question, LOL. I'm shooting to visit 5 sites that take the pass, so I know it's a good deal for me. I'll check the site.
Thanks
Tom
