Tips for the Louvre? And Paris Musuem Pass? Worth it?

We recently used the pass but only after determining which sites we wanted to see and comparing the prices for individual purchase versus that of the pass. The cost was about the same, but we saw these two advantages to having the pass. First, you skip a lot of lines particularly at the Louvre and Versailles. Secondly, we did things we wouldn't have done without having the pass because we wouldn't have paid extre- like climbing the steps to the top of Arc de Triomphe and seeing the Georges Pompidou Centre.

Lines can be long at the Musee d'Orsay so having a Paris Museum Pass will help you if you go there. That's even more true for Versailles.

IMO, besides being able to skip lines, one of the big advantages of having a Paris Museum Pass is that you can pop in and out of museums for quick visits, check things out, and then return for a longer visit if you're so inclined.

I agree with Steve that if you're going to walk a lot, then sharing tickets from carnets is better than buying passes. A carnet costs 11.60 EUR.

Tim and Susan- thank you for the replies. We were planning on doing Musee d'Orsay and Versailles (which I didn't even think of when mentioning the museum pass). Also, climbing the Arc de Triomphe- wouldn't have thought to use the museum pass there either. Both are good thougths. In terms of purchasing them, were would you recommend buying them? Online or picking them up when in Paris? If so, where would be the easiest?

And with the mention of Versailles- how long would you give your self there? Half day? Full day?

Thanks again and cheers!

From a financial standpoint, the more places you visit, the better value the pass becomes. A 2 day pass (which is what I assume you'd be getting for a 5 day stay) costs 32 Euro. A one day passport at Versailles gives you a little more (an audio guide, the water and garden musicals, when on) and it costs 18 Euro. The Louvre and the Orsay are 9.50 Euro each. So two stops plus Versailles and it's paid for itself. Check out www.parismuseumpass.fr for a list of all the sites covered, and links to the individual websites to see how much each charge. Most are 7-10 Euro, so between 3 and 4 sites means it's paid for itself. Note the days used must be consecutive.
The second benefit of a pass is "passing" the ticket lineups. Every time I've been to the Orsay, there's been some kind of lineup...some of them HUGE. And there always seems to be a lineup at Versailles, although the greater access to on-line ticketing may help cut that down. You won't pass the lines if you decide to go up the tower at Notre Dame, since there's only one way up. But at several spots, it's worth its weight in gold.

Buy it at one of the tourist info booths at the airport....or one of the other tourist locations in Paris...or, as noted, at one of the less-visited locales covered by the pass. The pass's website gives you a list. Better than ordering it on-line...they charge 13 or 14 Euro to courier it to you, which tends to cancel out the financial value of a 2-day pass.

Perfect. That was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Steve. Also, good tip about the free wifi as well.

Also, in terms of cost and value- where does the Paris Museum Pass fall into play?