Paris Pass

The Louvre, the Pompidou, the Musée D'Orsay, the Musée Rodin, the Eiffel Tower, the Opéra Garnier, Versailles, Notre Dame, the Sacre Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe... There is so much to see in Paris! To help you with your itinerary, here is 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 in Paris, the Paris Pass is your best choice.

Enjoy Paris's best monuments, sightseeing buses and even a cruise with this two-day sightseeing pass.

From CAD 270 at Hellotickets

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

With this card you will be able to access the most popular attractions in Paris, such as the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame, at the best price. It also includes a Parisian breakfast, wine and cheese tasting and you can also hop on the sightseeing bus and take a cruise on the Seine - great value!

• Why I recommend the Paris Pass: If you are someone who wants 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 give you access to the attractions at a fixed price.

You can get the Paris Pass from 98 euros. The first thing 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 of the included attractions as you want without paying anything extra and without waiting in line (in some places there is an entrance reserved exclusively for members of this card).

Collection

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 will be activated the first time you use it at an attraction or activity. Please note that 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 get the most out of it for the whole 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's must-do 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 one major absence from this list: entry to museums such as the Louvre is not included in the Paris Pass, nor is entry to the Catacombs, entry to Disneyland orthe Moulin Rouge show. These are experiences that you will have to pay for separately, but considering all that this pass covers, I can assure you that it is still value for money.

There is no exact answer, it all depends on what you are going to use it for and what kind of traveller 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 for itself?

• If you don't want to miss out on the iconic sights (like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame), make a list of their separate prices, add them up and compare it to the price of the pass.
• If you're planning a cruise on the Seine, that's also included.
• If you want a panoramic view of the city, a sightseeing bus tour is always a good option and a tour on the Big Bus is included.
• If you are interested in gastronomic plans, Paris is perfect for tasting 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 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 out on the must-see sights of Paris such as the Louvre, Versailles or the Arc de Triomphe, you will have to pay extra.

Ana's Traveller Tip

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

If you have decided to buy 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 your prejudices out of the way because this tour is very enjoyable.

Please note that the size of the city makes it impossible to see 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 a tour 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 and a half hours and you can find out 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 great option if your main interest is in 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, a visit to the Paris Opera House, walking tours or the climb up the Montparnasse Tower.

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

Although the Paris Pass is the most** popular**, there are other tourist cards for visiting Paris. They are all fairly 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 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 the Paris Pass does not have. The price is a little 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're 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 of the first floor of the Eiffel Tower.

Plan

It's clear that any pass pays off if you're going to see as many things as possible in a short period of time, but that doesn't mean rushing from one place to another. With good planning, you'll be able to see more sights (and therefore save money) without sacrificing peace and quiet.

Before you start your trip, make a list of the things you want to see and organise yourself according to the areas where 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 opening times

Before activating your pass, check the opening days and times 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 your card for that day or take advantage of the Seine river cruise, the wine tasting or the visit to Versailles.

Find out more 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 shops or restaurants you go to if you get discounts with this card as you can not only save a considerable amount on visits, but also in local restaurants or souvenir shops.

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 evening spend that day touring the city and activate your Paris Pass the next morning so you don't lose time using it.

With the Paris Pass you will still 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 visit our post on What to see and do in Paris, where we select the must-see visits, tours and monuments.

Monuments aside, there are shows worth seeing in Paris. One of the most famous is the Moulin Rouge show and you can also Moulin Rouge Tickets with dinner You can also visit the Moulin Rouge to complete your visit to Paris and find out 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 help you make up your mind.