The Paris Pass: To Buy or Not To Buy?

We’re answering all of your burning questions about the Paris Pass!

We constantly receive questions regarding the Paris Pass. What is it? Is it worth it? To make your life easier as well as our own, I decided to write a blog about it!

If you’ve got a Paris trip in the works, chances are that you’ve heard about the pass. For some of you, it will be a life saver. For others of you, it’s just not worth the price. Keep reading for all of the information you’ll need to know before deciding to buy or not to buy! (That is the question…! I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist! 😉 )

The Paris Pass is NOT the Paris Museum Pass

The Paris Pass is not the Paris Museum Pass – even I got confused when researching this article! I had originally thought there was just one option, but nope, there are two.

The difference? The Paris Museum Pass will let you enter into the participating museums and monuments, but that’s it. You won’t be able to use the public transportation, or get on a boat or bus tour, which is only included in the Paris Pass.

Here are the Paris Museum Pass prices, if you’re interested:

Price for adults:

• 2 Days: €48
• 4 Days: €62
• 6 Days: €74

Click here to purchase the Paris Museum Pass.

What is the Paris Pass?

The Paris Pass is a tourist pass that was thought up a few years back, to make exploring the city easier for the throngs of tourists that invade Paris each year. You’re probably one of those tourists, if you find yourself reading this article!

The pass will get you into over 50 museums in the capital, and it also gives you unlimited entry into the public transportation system. It can also help you skip the line at selected museums.

The Paris Pass will give you entry into the same museums as the Paris Museum Pass, and will also give you access to all of the transportation extras which include a boat tour and a bus tour.

What are some museums and monuments that I can enter with the Paris Pass?

As I’ve already mentioned, there are over 50 museums that have chosen to participate in the Paris Pass. Here are a few major ones:

• The Louvre, normally 15 euros per adult ticket;
• The Musée d’Orsay, normally 14 euros per adult ticket;
• The Pompidou Center, normally 14 euros per adult ticket;
• Les Invalides and the Army Museum, normally 12 euros per adult ticket;
• The Rodin Museum, normally 12 euros per adult ticket and;
• The Dali Museum in Montmartre, normally 12 euros per adult ticket;

There are also some monuments who have gotten involved. Here are some that are worth your while:

• Arc de Triomphe, normally 12 euros per adult ticket;
• Sainte-Chapelle, normally 10 euros per adult ticket;
• Versailles, normally between 20-27 euros per adult ticket and;
• Panthéon, normally 9 euros per adult ticket.

It’s important to note that the Eiffel Tower and the Catacombs are not included in the Pass.

There are other extras that are included in the pass:

• Hop-on-hop-off one day bus pass. This is a great way to see the city if you have any sort of mobility issues, or are not interested in using the metro. Normally between 39-42 euros per adult ticket;
• Palais Garnier Opéra, normally 17 euros per adult ticket and;
• One hour Bateaux Parisiens Seine River cruise, normally 15 euros per adult ticket.

The public transportation aspect of the Paris Pass is another upside to buying the pass. With it, you’ll have access to the public transportation in zones 1-3 of the Parisian system. Basically what this means is that you can use the métro, bus, RER, and trams within the center of the city without worrying about buying metro tickets. It’s important to note that the pass will not cover your RER ticket to the airport, which is located in zone 5, and it will not cover your RER ticket to Versailles, which is located in zone 4. See below for a map of the zones in Paris!

To put this in perspective, the usual cost of a metro ticket is 1.90 euros for one way. Prices rise when you take the RER train. A carnet (small booklet) of 10 tickets is 14.90 euros in total, or 1.49 euros for one way. There is also the option of buying day passes (valid for consecutive days only):

• 1-Day: 12.00 euros
• 2-Days: 19.50 euros
• 3-Days: 26.65 euros
• 5-Days: 38.35 euros

Click here to visit the Paris Pass official website to see a complete list of museums and monuments!

The Paris Pass might be worth it if…

If we had a dollar for every time a traveler has asked us this…well, we’d have a lot of dollars! The truth is, the answer is different for everyone.

First of all, please don’t feel pressure to “get your money’s worth” and try to cram in as many museums as possible. You may end up seeing a lot, but you’ll probably be pretty cranky and tired after, and will most likely remember that feeling, rather than all of the awesome sites you saw.

That being said, the Paris Pass may be worth it if you:

• Have kids. The Paris Pass will let you skip the line, which can be a lifesaver if you have small and impatience children;
• Are ready to cram in as many museums and monuments you can while you’re here. If you are truly committed to seeing Paris this way then the pass is for you and;
• Aren’t worried about spending a little extra money to get the ease of skipping lines. Getting your money’s worth isn’t important to you because that’s just how you roll.

Click here to buy the Paris Pass!

The Paris Pass might not be worth it if…

There are quite a few of you reading this article that I’m sure won’t need to purchase the Paris Pass.

You can skip the Paris Pass if you:

• Are traveling on a budget and are worried about the cost;
• Aren’t too worried about seeing all of the major museums and monuments while you’re in Paris;
• Will be in Paris for more than a week. You can explore the museums at your leisure!
• Are an expert planner and have already gone online months before you arrive to buy your tickets. You can still skip the line, but haven’t paid the additional cost and;
• Don’t care about the extras like the boat or bus tour.

Conclusion

I hope this article has given you all a bit more clarity on the Paris Pass! So, will you be buying it?!

Have any of you had any experience with the Paris Pass? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below with your own thoughts, especially if you think I’ve overlooked anything.

Until then, happy Paris planning 🙂

Do you need help planning your Paris trip? It sounds like you would hugely benefit from one of our Travel Services. We offer an hourly Concierge service which you can use to pick our Paris experts’ brains about what to do and when, get personalized restaurant recommendations and reservations, get the inside scoop on the best activities to do like wine tasting, and so on. We also offer Itinerary Planning, which is the creation of a top-to-bottom vacation plan perfectly tailored to your tastes and needs. You can learn more about both services (and make your payment) on our Travel Services page.

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