We (4) will be spending 3 days in London and 3 days in Paris. We hope to spend 1 day traveling outside each city and 2 days in each city. What are the best transportation passes and museum passes?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23562 posts
With such limited time I would skip the major museums as just too time consuming. Or you have to discipline yourself not to spend more than a couple hours in the museum. You can easily spend a couple days in London just looking at the major sights.
For that short a time, there are not any super special transportation passes other than the daily pass or ten ride book in Paris.
Posted by
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
206 posts
For Paris, you can buy a 2 day museum pass, which then allows you entrance, at most places skipping the line, to many sights and museums. We were in Paris for two plus days in summer 2007, and saw the l'orangerie, the Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Saint Chapelle, and climbed the bell tower at Notre Dame, all of which are covered by the pass (although you don't get to skip the line at the bell tower). With short time, skipping the lines is particularly important (if you are traveling during a busy time). We bought the 10-packs of metro tickets. I haven't been to London in a long time, but am researching a trip for next summer. My impression there isn't the same kind of pass for London, partly because many of the museums are free.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
For those who want to see the Rodin and Orsay on the same day, there is a pass for the two that will save 2 Euro. I bought one of these passes, toured the Rodin, then walked over to D'Orsay and skipped the line going in.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2799 posts
Hi Richard, in London you can get an Oyster card for transportation. It allows you to use the tube or bus.
You can load it with as much money as you want, you can add money to it anytime and you can get a refund for what you don't use. Or you could purchase a 3 day travelcard which can be used on the tube and buses.
Posted by
atlanta, ga, us
53 posts
Just returned from Paris and London 4 days ago and here are my thoughts.
1) The Paris Museum Pass is well worth it. We bought a four day pass for 3.5 days there and used it multiple times including for Versailles. THe time it saves by letting you skip most lines is well worth it given your short time there.
2) For London, no really good passes. Fortunately, many of the museums are free like British Museum, National Gallery, and the Tate. The TOwer of London and Westminster are expensive given the conversion rates but both are well worth it.
3)Paris transportation-we bought several carnets of metro tickets while there and a separate RER pass to versailles which was not expensive. Pais is also a beautiful city to walk.
4)London-we bought a pre-paid oyster card for 4 days there which was well worth it. WE also walked a lot but some of the sights are very far apart and the weather can frequently turn cold and rainy quickly.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
London: There are 2for1 offers associated with PAPER travelcards issued at National Rail train stations (not Tube stations). See here. You could buy one-day travelcards for each day you wish to take advantage of any of those offers. Otherwise buy Oyster cards, load each of them with about £20, and use them as pay-as-you-go cards. The Oyster computer will automatically charge you the lowest fare for single rides and will cap each day at no more than 50 pence less that the cost of a one-day travelcard for the zones in which you travel that day. You can get back any unspent money loaded on the Oyster cards plus the £3 deposit when you leave London.
Paris: If you're going to take a lot of rides on a given day, buy one-day, zone 1-2 Mobilis passes for that day. Otherwise buy ten-ticket carnets as needed and share the tickets. For a list of all your pass and ticket choices with links to detailed explanations of each one, go here.
Posted by
Newcastle, WA, USA
643 posts
I'd buy One-Day Oyster Card passes in London. This will give you unlimited travel on the tube, bus, and DLR in Zones 1-2. My wife and I got back from a 10 day trip to London on October 1st, and we loved every minute of it. We enjoyed riding the bus the most. The view from the front window on the top is the best in London. The tube is incredible too, we never waited more than a minute for a train it seemed. London Taxis are also a real time saver, use them to get from place the place to save time!! We did and it was well worth it.