Where to buy Paris Museum Pass?

I just posted a reply to your Rome transport question too... The Paris subway system is great. Easy to buy tickets and use. Keep in mind that sometimes you walk a long way underground (like when you are switching lines at a station), and pay attention to picking the best exit for you. Many stations have multiple exits, and one is most likely to come up where you want to be, and others will be farther away. We did not use busses or taxi's in Paris. We did have Paris passes, which are great, but I bought them online from home before we left. If you are a Monet fan I recommend the Orangerie (in the Tuileries garden, pretty close to the Louvre) to see the very large Water Lilies paintings. It is a small museum so doesn't take a lot of time.

You can buy the Paris Museum Pass at any participating museum or monument, branches of the Paris Tourist Office, and FNAC stores. Go to www.parismuseumpass.com for a complete list. For first-timers, the Metro works extremely well. The closest Metro station will be listed in printed information about most sights. In Paris you'll virtually never be more than a five-minute walk away from a Metro station. However, the bus is great for an above-ground view of an area you'd like to see when you don't have time to walk through it.

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For a short stay like yours, buying ten-ticket carnets as needed and sharing the tickets would probably be your best option. Each ticket provides unlimited transfers anywhere the Metro goes and on the RER in zone 1 so long as you don't exit the system. Each ticket now allows bus transfers for up to 90 minutes after you first board a bus. Go to www.ratp.fr for more information and to download and print a Metro/RER map for central Paris and a RER map that shows service to outlying zones, including the airports and Versailles.

I bought mine at the Invalides in the 7th. another good location would be the Rodin Museum. Neither was crowded. It is easier if you go to crowded places like the Louvre and Versailles with the pass already purchased. You will save so much time. The metro was very easy to use. I was there for 8 days and used the metro exclusively, with the exception of the RER to get to Versailles. You will need a separate RER ticket to get to Versailles. Just use the self service kiosks - you can pick the language - or go to a service counter. For other sites you want to see, check out Rick's book for advice. We used it as our a travel bible, and it was spot on.

Jenny, be careful and don't overplan. Paris is an overcrowded city, you can get tired very quickly from the street noise, traffic, and crowds. To me it sounds like you are stuffing too much into the three days. I bought my museum pass at the Delacroix museum, virtually no people there at all.

We were just in Paris in early August and bought our ticket at Musee Armee no line at all - however, there were no ticket lines anywhere we went(Louvre, Pompidou, Picasso) except the D'Orsay.

Jenny, I purchased my museum pass online at http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php and plan to do the same for any other tickets I am able to. It's nice to have them before you leave home although it does add to the documents you end up carrying over. Saves a little time once you're there, anyway.

Have a great trip!

Dawn

Hi Jenny,, for the two planned Museums and only three days,, why would you buy a pass?? They only save you money if you use them to see at about 3 sites a day. And as for time saving,, the only waits you will encounter at the Louvre , IF you enter from the underground shopping mall and buy your 9 euro ticket from the machines there,, is the wait in the SECURITY line. The pass DOES NOT allow you to skip this line, and it was amusing to watch people trying to jump this line with their passes,, LOL>
I have used this method of entering the Lourve at least 5 times and never had a wait of more then a few minutes.Entering at the "Pyramid " is the problem.
Waiting in that line is about 10 minutes.
The line up at Orsay can be longer, arrive at opening and you will be fine.
Regardless , do not bother buying online, it is easy to obtain in Paris, the Cluny Museum ( which is definately worth seeing) rarely has much in the way of a line, buy it there.

There is a great website where you can buy your museum passes & subway passes before you go. They send you a map & it is very convenient. www.discoverfrance.com.