Going to Paris in April! Should we buy the museum pass online or wait til we get to Paris? Where online or in Paris is the best place to purchase the pass?? THANKS!!!
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There are two museum passes:
PARIS MUSEUM PASS (has a picture of the Mona Lisa on it): covers only museums. The 2 day pass is 30 euros. Last year, the Paris Museum Pass was for sale at virtually all the museums. It%26#39;s very convenient. I%26#39;d go to a small museum (not the Louvre) to buy it so you don%26#39;t have to wait in line, or I%26#39;d get it before leaving the U.S.
THE PARIS PASS (blue in color): is much more expensive %26amp; includes subway/buses. I%26#39;ve never used this pass.
Both versions are for sale on-line, but be careful that you%26#39;re not paying an upcharge to the dealer who sells it.
We are a group of 10, and we are using the Paris Museum Pass (Mona Lisa version) with a Carte Orange for the subway. The Carte Orange is $16 euros for a one-week pass that begins on Mondays. It is only for sale for the current week until Wednesdays. If you buy on Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, it is for the following week.
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When you buy the MP in Paris, make sure you buy it at a Museum or Monument that does not have a long line. I would suggest the Cluny museum or the Crypt at the Parvis at Notre Dame. Even the Conciergerie had a short line.
Otherwise, you will need to wait in the long lines like everyone else just to purchase the MP, and in my opinion, the primary reason to have the MP is to avoid the long lines.
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Do NOT buy the Museum Pass online. There will certainly be an upcharge and probably also a shipping charge. As I said in a post yesterday it is no more difficult to buy it in Paris than it is to buy a stamp at a US post office — and if you are smart about where you buy it the lines will probably be shorter!
pixfield%26#39;s advice is sound, but there are a few other places to buy it besides at the participating museums and monuments. You can find a complete list here: www.parismuseumpass.fr
The Paris Pass is basically just a %26quot;bundle%26quot; of other passes that can also be purchased easily in Paris at lower cost. IMO it is over-priced and provides a package of %26quot;benefits%26quot; that are of doubtful value and that most visitors will never use.
As a general rule it is neither necessary nor cost-effective to buy any of these passes from third party vendors or before arriving in Paris. The same goes for European rail tickets. RailEurope is one of the most egregious price-gougers in the travel industry. Even if you pay full price for your rail tickets purchased from the siource (sncf.com in France...) you can usually save at least 20% on their prices. With discounts that you cannot get from RailEurope the savings can be as much as 80%.
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