PARIS City Pass

[XPRTSHPR]

Going to Paris for the first time for 5 days after British Isles cruise on Princess in early June.  Is it worth it to get either the City Pass or or Turbo Pass for all of the museums or better to do each on our own?  We're not big museum people (will not be spending an entire day anywhere) but want to see everything.  Also, is it best to do an Eiffel Tower tour during the day or at night (not of a Saturday we know).  What else is important to know?  Thanks all.

[simplyrubies]

I have not tried the City Pass or Turbo Pass before but this blog gives an overview of the differences between both. Looks like the Turbo Pass offers less attractions. The benefit of a City Pass is that not only do you get admission to the museums, but you also get unlimited bus/tram/metro travel within Zones 1-3 and fast-track entry into the museums. If you're planning to go to multiple places, it could very well be worth it. I would take a look at all the places you are wanting to go see plus the cost of metro tickets and calculate the price of admission for each to compare to the price of the City Pass. Would you be saving money, and if not, would you be willing to pay extra for the convenience/fast-track privileges? You don't have to buy the City Pass for all of your time in Paris - if you know you're going to be spending 2 days looking at museums for example, you could only buy a pass for that time. It's important to know that if you exceed a certain amount of value your card will expire  - more information can be found on their site. 

 

In terms of the Eiffel Tower, you will get a different experience depending on when you go. In the daytime, if you go up the Eiffel Tower to one of the observation decks, you can get a beautiful view of the city in daytime but you can get a unique view at night of the city when lit up. It could be fun to stay for sunset to see the transition from day to night! Every night, the Eiffel Tower will sparkle for every 5 minutes on the hour. You can't see this when you're on the tower itself, you have to be on the ground. Even if you just pop by to see the sparkles, it is gorgeous!

 

Saturdays in Paris are touch and go with the gilets jaunes protests. They are quite widespread, so expect road closures and delays. They have been violent and teargas continues to be used on protestors, but the good thing is that they tend to publish their routes ahead of time. In case of potentially dangerous situations, the US State Department has travel advisories for Paris which you should check. They have gone up to tourist areas such as Sacre-Coeur but if they turn violent, are often dispersed and will not stay all day. The French government has recently mandated that gilets jaunes are not allowed to protest on the Champs-Élysées anymore (the street by the Arc du Triomphe) due to excessive violence so that will be a good location on Saturdays. Generally they are peaceful but if you see yellow vests, it may be worth it to pick another location for the day or to at least come back later. I can't predict if they're still going to be around by the time of your vacation, but it has been 19+ weeks of protests, so I wouldn't be surprised if gilets jaunes are still going by then.

 

If you see armed guards, it has become the norm in Paris after the November terrorist attacks. Bag checks in museums are commonplace. They are usually stationed at major tourist attractions. It can be quite a shock if you come from a place where this is uncommon - I know it was for me when I went! Make sure to watch your belongings, pickpocketing in Paris is quite common. 

 

I say this not to scare but to make sure you can have the best vacation possible. Have fun, eat well, and enjoy yourself!

[Hlitner]

We have been asked this exact question by some friends and our answer is always the same.  "Do the math."  While various city passes (in any city) may seem like a great deal, the real value is completely dependent on what you plan on doing (how often will you use the Pass) and the cost of alternative options.   The Paris Pass web site actually does give you a lot of cost information so the calculations are not that difficult  

 

Also had to smile at the "we want to see everything."  DW and I have spent months in Paris (over many decades) and have not even come close to "seeing everything."   Paris remains DW's favorite city in the world (and we have been to far more then 100 countries and countless cities).  We would never consider buying a Paris Pass for ourselves because it is just not our personal style to bounce from museum to museum.   On nearly every visit to Paris we will stop at our favorite museum (the Musee d'Orsay) where we will spend at least 3 hours...despite having been to the place many times.  One could spend a month inside the Louvre and still not have time to see all the collections.  

 

So here is our advice to the OP.  Do your pre-trip homework and list the things and places that are most important to you :).  You cannot possibly do and see it all, so you must prioritize.  I will also confess that our favorite Paris activity is to simply spend hours walking the city, enjoying the shops, markets, stopping for food, drink, etc.  I think that Paris was designed for those who love to walk (and we are talking miles a day).  And here is some more advice for the OP.  Paris (and France) is rightfully famous for both food and wine.  It is estimated that Paris has over 40,000 restaurants/cafes and we think that is probably an undercount!  Spend some time researching eating venues because choosing a place to eat can be a daunting task for those of us who truly love food/wine in Paris.

 

The other thing to know about Paris is that just like many other huge cities it is a city of neighborhoods.  Each neighborhood (called Arrondisesment's)has its own character/atmosphere.  Walking around Marais is a completely different experience then strolling through Saint Germaine des Pres (our favorite section of Paris).  And as to the Eiffel Tower, going up top anytime is fine...but prepared for a long wait, huge crowds, etc.  You may not be aware that there is actually a very famous restaurant inside the Eiffel Tower  on the 2nd level (Jules Verne) which is quite a treat for those that can get a reservation and are willing to sell their first-born to get enough Euros to pay the bill :). 

 

Hank

[simplyrubies]

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You may not be aware that there is actually a very famous restaurant inside the Eiffel Tower  on the 2nd level (Jules Verne) which is quite a treat for those that can get a reservation and are willing to sell their first-born to get enough Euros to pay the bill :). 

 

Hank

 

Jules Verne is definitely a treat, so I definitely second this if you want to splurge! Plus, if you go, they will let you skip the line for the elevators to the Eiffel Tower and get in their private elevator to the top. After dinner, you can spend as much time on the tower as you want, though you have to go back down in the same elevator as everyone else.

 

They also offer 58 Tour Eiffel which is cheaper than Jules Verne (and less fine) but also offers a private elevator. I've only tried 58 Tour Eiffel so I can't attest to Jules Verne, but I did enjoy 58 Tour Eiffel! The food came out very quickly, perhaps because the food is cooked en masse. It wasn't incredibly fine/high class but the dishes we had were tasty. The cost of champagne and wine is also included in the fare and they will refill your glass at no extra cost. They sell pictures they take with their pro photographer (at an extra fee). We did not pay extra for the window seat but were lucky to be seated very close to the window, though not all seats are.

 

Definitely a splurge to consider if you're looking at the Eiffel Tower, but at least for 58 Tour Eiffel, the quality of food back on land for a similar price was better. However, Jules Verne is Michelin starred so I would hope the quality would be much better there.

[stamptherapy]

Just a note on this - there is a Paris Pass - IMHO, you DON't want this - what you want is the Paris MUSEUM Pass. We did the 4 day last fall - here is their website - http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

 

It was totally worth it for us, we got our money's worth. Versaille, Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, St Chapelle and some little museums we hadn't planned on going to. We stayed near the Louvre, so we could leave and go back the next day. Totally worth it! We ordered online and received ours in the mail about 10 days after ordering. Just be aware that you want the Paris MUSEUM pass and not the PARIS PASS.

[Formerly known as Seabee]

On 7/4/2019 at 12:55 AM, stamptherapy said:

Just a note on this - there is a Paris Pass - IMHO, you DON't want this - what you want is the Paris MUSEUM Pass. We did the 4 day last fall - here is their website - http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

 

It was totally worth it for us, we got our money's worth. Versaille, Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, St Chapelle and some little museums we hadn't planned on going to. We stayed near the Louvre, so we could leave and go back the next day. Totally worth it! We ordered online and received ours in the mail about 10 days after ordering. Just be aware that you want the Paris MUSEUM pass and not the PARIS PASS.

With the PMP, do you still need a timed entrance reservation at Versailles?  Or do you show up and get skip the line privileges?

[stamptherapy]

We got up early and were there when they opened - we stayed in Versailles the night before. We were at the gate and in the palace within about 15-20 minutes. We went midweek in late October. No, it was not a timed entry. You skip the long "buy a ticket line". However within 90 minutes that line to get in was massive. GO EARLY.