Did it save us money? Not at all—yet I would buy it again! Let me tell you why.
Like many tourists visiting Paris, I wanted to make the most of the city in the time I had. I also wanted to stretch my dollar the best I could as I was traveling with the family.
I thought the Paris Museum Pass was the perfect solution—or was it?
What is The Paris Museum Pass?
The Paris Museum Pass allows visitors to pay one price for a specified period of time and gain access to roughly 50 of Paris’s most famous museums and monuments.
Some of the museums are just outside Paris, but the majority are within the city.
Some, including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, the Palace of Versailles, and Sainte-Chapelle, require a reservation, but there is no additional charge.
The passes are sold as a 2-day, 4-day, or 6-day pass that at the time of this writing cost about $100, $122, and $144, respectively.
How are the Days Determined?
This is one of the most important aspects of the pass.
The 2-day pass is really a 48-hour pass. Meaning, from the time you enter your first museum, the 48-hour clock starts ticking.
You have 48 hours to visit as many of the museums, etc. covered by the museum pass as you would like.
And just to state what may be obvious to some, without going into greater detail, the 4-day pass covers 96 hours and the 6-day pass covers 144 hours, operating the same way as the 2-day pass.
Was the Paris Museum Pass Worth It?
Our trip to Paris entailed three days, so it seemed logical to purchase the 2-day pass. It was the first time my stepkids were in Paris, so there was so much for them to experience and see.
You can read more about our visit to Paris here.
We started our 48-hour window by visiting Musée d’Orsay and concluded with our visit to the Louvre in the 47th hour.
What did we visit in the 48 hours that were covered with the pass?
Musée d’Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, and the Louvre. Had we bought the admission separately for each of these, the cost would have been roughly $82 per person.
Yes, we did go to the cathedral at Notre-Dame and the Arc de Triomphe, but the pass wasn’t required. The cathedral was free and we viewed the Arc de Triomphe from the outside as we ran out of time (our 48 hours expired).
So for us, based on the price of admission only, the pass was not worth it. That actually surprised me. My initial assessment was that we saved a few dollars, but that wasn’t the case. We paid a little more than we would have had we paid the admission separately at each of the museums.
But the pass did give us a sense of structure and options. I guess there is some value in that.
However…
The 48-Hour Pass Made Everything Feel Rushed
We felt rushed as we visited the museums and attractions. We also felt rushed during the periods in between.
That internal clock in your head goes tick, tick, tick.
We didn’t feel like we could take that extra hour to sit at a cafe or walk along the Seine.
My frustration with the slow-moving crowds at the Musée d’Orsay had less to do with the other tourists and more to do with my concern about getting as much value out of the pass.
After we visited Sainte-Chapelle we made a conscious decision to stop rushing. Rather than visit another museum, we decided to go to Luxembourg Gardens. We casually strolled the grounds and sat near the fountain.
We weren’t in Paris to win some type of sightseeing race. And I’m glad we recognized that.
This moment helped recenter us and what we wanted out of Paris.
What’s Included in the Paris Museum Pass?
The official website for the Paris Museum Pass is www.parismuseumpass.fr and there you can find the list of museums and monuments included with the pass. I am not sure how much the included museums change, but rather than list what is currently included, I recommend visiting the website.
Who Should Buy the Pass?
The museum pass isn’t for everybody.
There is so much to Paris outside of the museums and monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, Sacré-Cœur, and the 20 Arrondissements (or districts) within Paris.
If museums aren’t your thing, don’t force it. It’s okay to visit some, or none at all.
But if you have come to Paris for the museums, the Paris Museum Pass does make financial sense if you plan to visit roughly five or six museums during your stay. Anything less than five, you may be better off without the pass.
Would I Buy The Paris Museum Pass Again?
This may surprise you based on what I have described, but yes, I would definitely recommend buying the pass, but not the 2-day pass.
Forty-eight hours is too compressed a window to enjoy the museums.
I would spend the extra $23 per person and buy the 4-day pass, even if the visit to Paris is only 3 days, like ours.
This gives you the freedom and flexibility to visit the museums without feeling rushed. That mental margin is very important as a tourist with limited time.
Slowing down helps you notice the little things that make Paris special.
That way, you won’t feel guilty ordering another glass of wine with lunch and getting lost in the Louvre while trying to find the Mona Lisa won’t seem like the end of the world.
