Paris Pass

The Louvre museum, the Pompidou, the D'Orsay museum, the Rodin museum, the Eiffel Tower, the Opera Garnier, Versailles, Notre Dame, the Sacre Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe.... There is so much to see in Paris! To help you in your itinerary I leave you all the information about the monuments and activities included in the Paris Pass.

The best option

Paris Pass

If you are looking for a tourist card to visit the main attractions of Paris, the Paris Pass is your best choice.

Enjoy the best monuments of Paris, sightseeing buses and even a cruise with this tourist pass valid for two days.

From $188 at Hellotickets

The tourist cards are passes that you can hire for a certain number of days to access transport and major tourist attractions in the city at a reduced price. The Paris Pass is the main card of Paris and also one of the most profitable.

With this card you can access at the best price to the most popular attractions in Paris, such as the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame. In addition, it includes a Parisian breakfast, wine and cheese tasting and you can also get on the tourist bus and take a cruise on the Seine River, a complete package!

• Why I recommend the Paris Pass: if you are one of those who want to make the most of your trip, visiting the most emblematic monuments and museums, you can save time (with the Paris Pass you will save queues at the ticket office) and money, as it will allow you to access the attractions at a fixed price.

You can get the Paris Pass from 98 euros. The first thing you need to know is that the price of the Paris Pass depends on the number of days you book the card for. You can book the Paris Pass for two or three days.

During the time you have it active, you can access as many times as you want to the attractions included without paying anything extra and without waiting in line (in some places there is an entrance reserved exclusively for members of this card).

Pick up

Once you have purchased your Pass, you can choose from the following delivery methods:

Activation

Once you buy your Paris Pass it will be valid for two years until it is activated and it will be activated the first time you use it at an attraction or activity. Note that the activation is by calendar days and not by hours, so you don't want to use your Paris Pass for the first time at the end of one of the days of your trip, but at the beginning of the day to take advantage of it throughout the day.

The Paris Pass is a digital pass valid for 2 or 3 consecutive days which gives you direct access to some of the city's top attractions as well as some of Paris' must-see activities such as a cruise, a Parisian breakfast or a wine and cheese tasting.

Attractions and activities included

Attractions not included

As you can see, there is a big absence in this list: entrance to museums like the Louvre is not included in the Paris Pass nor is entrance to the Catacombs, entrance to Disneyland orthe Moulin Rouge show. These are experiences that you will have to pay for separately, but considering all that this tourist pass covers, I can assure you that it is still cost effective.

There is no exact answer, it all depends on what you are going to use it for and what kind of traveler you are. If you make the most of it, the Paris Pass will save you money and time, that's for sure.

When does the Paris Pass pay off?

• If you don't want to miss out on the iconic sights (like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame), make a list of their prices separately, add them up and compare it to the price of the pass.
• If you have in mind to take a cruise on the Seine, it is also included.
• If you want to have a panoramic view of the city, a tour in a tourist bus is always a good option and a tour in the Big Bus is included.
• If you are interested in gastronomic plans, Paris is perfect for tasting its cheeses, wines and champagne. You can also enjoy an authentic French breakfast.

When does the Paris Pass NOT pay for itself?

• If you are going to be in Paris for a very long trip you don't need to pack all your sightseeing into a few days, so the Paris Pass will not be cost effective and it is better to enjoy the culture of Paris at your leisure.
• If you are more interested in culture and don't want to miss the must-see sights of Paris such as the Louvre, Versailles or the Arc de Triomphe, you will have to pay separately.

Ana's Traveller Tip

Make a list of the museums and attractions you want to see in Paris and calculate how much the tickets would cost separately to see how much you would save with the Paris Pass.

If you have decided to purchase the Paris Pass, don't miss out on the opportunity to take a sightseeing bus tour of Paris. Bus tours are often underrated as a "too touristy" option, but I advise you to get rid of your prejudices because this tour is very enjoyable.

Keep in mind that the size of the city makes it impossible to tour it "at a glance", something that the Big Bus tour of Paris does provide. The fact that visiting a city from a vehicle is not the ideal option does not exclude the possibility of enjoying an excursion with commentary included to enjoy its main points of interest before or after visiting them in depth.

The duration of the complete tour is one hour and a half and you can learn more details about the route and what you will see in this article on Paris Hop-On Hop-Off Buses.

The Paris Museum Pass is a very good choice if your main interest is the museums of Paris. The difference with the Paris Pass is that most of the visits included are to museums. For example, unlike the Paris Pass, the Paris Museum Pass does not include wine tasting, the visit to the Paris Opera, walking tours or the climb to the Montparnasse Tower.

It does however include the climb to the Arc de Triomphe, the visit to the Sainte Chapelle, the entrance to Versailles or the climb to the towers of Notre Dame (the latter is currently unavailable due to the 2019 fire).It also includes a one-hour cruise on the Seine with live commentary during the tour. If you buy online this card you have the option of delivery to your Paris hotel, but not to private residence within the city.

Although the Paris Pass is the most** demanded**, there are other tourist cards to visit Paris. They are all quite similar in terms of use, number of attractions included and conditions. However, there are subtle differences between them that may make you choose one or the other.

The Paris Passlib card is very similar to the Paris Pass, but will suit you if you are looking for a 5 day option which is the only one that the Paris Pass does not have. It is priced a bit lower, so it may be a good option if you are not interested in seeing the Paris Opera, climbing the Montparnasse Tower or doing the wine tasting.

These three tourist attractions are the main difference with the Paris Pass, so if you are not interested in any of them, the Paris Passlib may be a better option. Also, with the Paris Pass if you pay a little extra you can get access to a tour on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

Plan

It is clear that any card pays off if you are going to see as many things as possible in a short period of time, but that does not mean rushing from one place to another. With good planning you will be able to access a greater number of tourist attractions (and therefore save money) without giving up calm and tranquility.

Before you start your trip, make a list of the things you want to see and organize yourself according to the areas in which they are located; in many of these areas you will also have the opportunity to take a free walking tour, so don't think that buying the Paris Pass means spending the whole day visiting closed sites.

Be aware of the opening hours

Before activating your card, check the opening days and hours of museums and tourist attractions. Some are often closed on public holidays or special days. If your trip coincides with one of these days, do not activate the card for that day or take advantage of the cruise on the Seine, the wine tasting or the visit to Versailles.

Find out about discounts and guided tours

You may be touring the Notre Dame district and not know that your Paris Pass includes a guided tour of the archaeological crypts located just in front of the cathedral. Before planning a visit to an attraction check that the Paris Pass does not include any guided tours of the area.

Also ask the stores or restaurants you go to if you have discounts with this card as you can not only save a considerable amount on visits, but also in local restaurants or souvenir stores.

Also note that the time on this card runs by calendar days of use and not by hours; if you arrive in Paris in the afternoon spend that day touring the city and activate your Paris Pass the next morning so you don't lose time of use.

With the Paris Pass you are going to have some great things to see in Paris. To make the most of the rest of your time in the City of Light I recommend you to visit our post on What to see and do in Paris, in which we select the must-see visits, tours and monuments.

Monuments apart, in Paris there are shows worth seeing. One of the best known is the Moulin Rouge show and you can also Moulin Rouge Tickets with dinner to complete your visit to Paris and learn more about the show in this other article: This is the Moulin Rouge Show in Paris.

Finally, one of the most frequent doubts you may have when you read the wide range of museums included in the Paris Pass will be how to choose. I have written this other article on The 17 Best Museums in Paris which you can take a look at to make up your mind.