Is the Paris Pass 2024 worth it? We review prices and value here

After a couple of slow years like every other city, Paris is booming again and 2024 looks like another busy year for the city and its major attractions. The Paris Pass made some changes and then changed back last year and now in 2024 it’s easier and more straightforward than it’s been in a while. And unlike many other major tourist cities, most attractions in Paris didn’t increase prices in 2023 so the Paris Pass is about the same price as last year as well.

The Paris Pass can be a great tool for many visitors. Not only does it allow free entry into most of the top tours and attractions that are most popular with first-time visitors, but it also helps you plan an efficient itinerary that will save you a lot since so many of the best attractions are close together. As we will discuss below, I highly recommend both the hop-on, hop-off bus tour (in the morning) and the 1-hour Seine cruise (around sunset) whether you buy a Paris Pass or not. Fortunately, they are both included.

Note: This article was last updated in March, 2024. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. This helps to keep this site going.

The main Paris attraction passes

  1. Paris Pass – This includes a Paris Museum Pass (see below) and an All-Inclusive attraction pass, which includes entry to most of the famous attractions and tours that are not specifically museums.
  2. Paris Museum Pass – This includes only admission to nearly every major museum in Paris.

If you are NOT interested in things like the Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour, the Eiffel Tower guided climb, the (highly recommended 1-hour Seine Cruise or the wine tasting experience, then the Paris Museum Pass alone will save you money.

Prices for the Paris attraction and transportation passes

Paris Pass 2024 prices

2-day passes

  • 2-day Adult Paris Pass: (including a 2-day Museum Pass) €179
  • 2-day Child Paris Pass (ages 4 to 11): €94

3-day passes

  • 3-day Adult Paris Pass: (including a 2-day Museum Pass) €214
  • 3-day Child Paris Pass: €109

4-day passes

  • 4-day Adult Paris Pass (including a 4-day Museum Pass): €275
  • 4-day Child Paris Pass: €130

6-day passes

  • 6-day Adult Paris Pass: (including a 6-day Museum Pass) €300
  • 6-day Child Paris Pass: €140

Exclusive discount for Price of Travel readers

Prices of the most popular museums covered by the Paris Museum Pass, which is included with the Paris Pass

Palace of Versailles: €18

Built during the 1600s and 1700s, the Palace of Versailles is one of the largest and most famous palaces in the world. Always one of the most popular attractions in the Paris area, it’s outside of town and it takes 60 to 90 minutes to reach, depending on your starting point. Admission is included with a Paris Museum Pass and you’ll have to make a reservation as well.

Louvre Museum: €17

Obviously you can visit Paris and not visit the Louvre, so it’s good that it’s included in the Paris Pass. You now have to make reservations for your visit, but it’s an enormous place so that is usually simple. The building itself is a historic palace that would be worth a tour even if it didn’t contain the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, among thousands of other important pieces.

If you are an art fanatic, feel free to spend 4 or 6 hours in the Louvre or even visit twice. But honestly for most people, it gets overwhelming after an hour or maybe two. When I bring new people to Paris I walk them to the Mona Lisa and then to the Venus de Milo. By that time we’ve passed by thousands of paintings and sculptures and been there 45 minutes. After that we look around at anything else that has caught our eye, and then exit through the gift shop. A focused hour is more enjoyable for most people than wandering around for four hours unsure of what you are looking at. It’s also always pretty crowded.

Musée d’Orsay: €16

Located across the Seine from the Louvre in a gorgeous former train station, the Orsay Museum is actually more enjoyable for most people because it’s far more compact and yet also filled with super famous pieces. Here, along with smaller crowds, you’ll see one of Van Gogh’s Starry Nights, Whistler’s Mother by Whistler, and Bal du moulin de la Galette by Renoir. Honestly, you’ll probably recognize at least 10 or 12 famous paintings and you won’t wear out a pair of shoes in doing so.

Arc de Triomphe: €13

You already know what the Arc de Triomphe looks like, and it’s definitely worth going up to the observation deck on top because you’ll get many of your best Paris photos from there. Most people will climb the 234 stairs, but they also have an elevator for anyone who doesn’t look like climbing 234 stairs is possible (or a wise move). The HOHO buses stop here and it’s a good place to get off for a visit because many other people also get off so there will be empty seats on top when you want to get back on. That isn’t true of several other stops.

Sainte-Chapelle: €11.50

Conveniently located just a short walk from Notre Dame cathedral, the Sainte-Chapelle church will be another unexpected highlight of your Paris visit. This 800-year-old church has easily the world’s most impressive and beautiful stained glass windows in several different rooms. It’s breathtaking when you first see it, and one other great feature is that it’s small enough that you can easily enjoy it in less than an hour. The Paris Pass allows you to pack in many smaller and quicker attractions like this without worrying about going broke in the process.

What ISN'T included in the Paris passes

  • Eiffel Tower Elevators – 2nd floor elevator: €18.10, 3rd floor elevator: €28.30
  • Catacombs of Paris: €18.00

The Paris Pass DOES now include a guided walk up the 700 steps to the 2nd Floor including expert commentary, but obviously the climb isn’t ideal for everyone.

Extras included in ONLY the Paris Attractions Pass

Eiffel Tower guided climb to 2nd floor: €38

This is an exclusive deal for Paris Pass holders and it’s not for everybody, but it will be the highlight of your Paris trip for many. This is a climb of the 674 stairs up to the 2nd Floor (out of 3) with interesting live commentary and explanations in English. It takes 3 to 4 hours in total, so you won’t be racing up. If you are fit enough this will be amazing. And honestly, the 3rd floor isn’t much higher and it’s so high that all of your best photos will be from the 2nd Floor anyway.

Wine Tasting: €36.00 (includes free full-size bottle of wine for each person)

If you want to learn more about wine and try a few interesting French bottles then this is perfect. It’s a long block from the Louvre but an easy walk along the Seine, so it’s an ideal activity to schedule for after your Louvre visit. You get an English-language mini tour in a historic cellar explaining the key aspects of wine making, and then samples of three different wines near the end. They even send each visitor away with a full bottle of French wine to take with you, so it’s a hard one to pass up.

1-day Big Bus Paris hop-on, hop-off tour: €45.00

This is a full-day hop-on, hop-off pass on the double-decker bus that goes by and stops at almost every major tourist attraction in Paris in about a 3-hour loop. You can use it as transportation to get from one attraction to another, but I highly recommend starting early and doing the full loop once before hopping off. I’ve done at least 25 similar HOHO bus tours in major cities and the Paris one is easily my favorite. Paris is compact enough that the loop isn’t too long, and all of the main sights are clustered on either side of the Seine, so you don’t waste much time driving through random areas.

Whether you buy a Paris Pass or not, I highly recommend you take the HOHO bus tour on your first full morning in the city, and you will have seen all of the main sights and know how to get back to them later before noon.

Bateaux Parisiens River Cruise: €18.00

In my opinion, this is the other must-do tour in Paris, whether you buy a Paris Pass or not. These large boats with plenty of top-deck outdoor seating leave from near the Eiffel Tower on a frequent basis, but they are popular so it’s wise to get there a bit earlier than you want to depart. The trick is to select a departure right around sunset. Paris is stunning as it is lighting up for the evening, and you pass under 18 bridges that are each lit up in a unique way. By the time you get back to the Eiffel Tower an hour later, it will also be gorgeously lit up for amazing photos.

Parc Astérix: €59

This large theme park in the northeast suburbs of Paris is based on the Astérix comic book and characters, so it’s a great option and compromise if you are traveling with young ones. The place has many roller coasters and other thrill rides to go along with the character-themed attractions. There are buses that leave from central Paris that take you to the park for a fee. You can also take the RER train to Charles de Gaulle Airport and then a special shuttle from that train station to the park.

Montmartre & Sacré Coeur walking tour: €36

Leaving three times per day (10AM, 2PM, 5PM), this 90-minute walking tour is a highly recommended way to get to know perhaps Paris’ most interesting neighborhood. Especially gorgeous at night (so the 5PM tour could be perfect), Montmarte is the city’s most famous art district and community. At its center is the namesake hill with the stunning Sacré Coeur cathedral perched on top. This will be one of your favorite stops in Paris and some of your favorite photos as well.

Emily in Paris: The Unofficial Tour

Fans of the hit Netflix show will definitely be interested in this 2-mile guided walking tour of some of Paris’s loveliest neighborhoods. It only goes on Tuesdays and Fridays as of now at 1:30 PM so you’ll want to plan well in advance and make reservations. You’ll see the character’s apartment and other famous exteriors including Gabriel’s restaurant along with the bakery where she has her first pain au chocolat. If you don’t watch the show it’s definitely not worth it, but if you do this will be a major highlight.

Grevin Wax Museum: €26.50

This is the French equivalent of Madame Tussauds and it’s far more enjoyable than most people expect. With a central location close to several other included attractions, the Grevin Wax Museum is in a gorgeous building filled with over 450 characters that look so lifelike that you keep expecting them to move. There are obviously many French historical figures, but also international historical figures and athletes and actors and pop stars. You’ll know scores of them. While it’s true that you might not normally pay €26.50 to visit a wax museum, it’s great with the Paris Pass because you can just pop in for an hour or so in between other places. Most people are very impressed.

The Paris Big Bus Tour and Seine River Cruise are great ways to get oriented for first-time visitors

On your first visit to Paris you definitely want to visit the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and hopefully the Palace of Versailles (a bit outside the city center), but you also want to have a good look at the city of Paris itself.

Whether you buy the Paris Pass or not, you’ll want to strongly consider taking the Paris Big Bus Tour (included in the Paris Pass) as well as the Seine River Cruise. Both of these offer an excellent and efficient look at all of the famous places you might want to visit later, and you can do both of them in half a day. Take the hop-on, hop-off bus tour as early in the day as you can, and plan on doing the Seine river cruise just after sunset in order to see how beautifully lit the bridges and famous buildings are at night.

Is the Paris Pass good value?

If all of the above seems confusing, you are in good company. These ‘city cards’ can be a great tool for many first-time visitors to destinations, but in some cases they cost too much or disrupt your trip in other ways. Before a trip it’s easy to plan 4 or 5 museums and attractions for each day, but once you arrive that always feels too ambitious. A big part of what makes Paris so incredible is the gorgeous city itself, not just the museums and main sights.

Another thing to consider is that if you lock in your sightseeing expenses before you arrive there will be the temptation to just rush from one thing to the next to get the most from your money. If you happen to have a day when you only get to one or two attractions, you might have a sense of guilt over missing your pre-trip goals.

On the other hand, if you prefer to pay in advance and then challenge yourself to make sure you see all the amazing sights that Paris has to offer, then the Paris Pass can be a great deal. If you are mostly interested in the museums then the Paris Museum Pass is probably the better deal, but if you also want to take a bus tour or a river cruise or do the wine tasting then the Paris Pass is the way to go.

For great value hotels check out our recommended Paris hotels section, which gives you 5 excellent choices without the hassle of going through nearly two thousand hotels in the area.

New: How to get the most out of a 2-Day or 3-Day Paris Pass

Important advice for getting good value out of a Paris Pass

After using so many of these city passes through the years, and also getting some comments from customers who don’t feel like they got good value out of the Paris Pass, I can reveal two important bits of advice for Paris Pass holders.

1. Start early in the day, at least on your first couple days using the pass

The number one struggle for those who regretted buying a Paris Pass is starting early enough. Especially on your first couple of days using the Paris Pass you are strongly encouraged to leave your hotel by 09:00 or so, and go to the most popular attractions first. Places like the Louvre or the bus tour tend to not get too busy until 11:00 or so, which means that if you start on those things right after breakfast you will have time to do TWO top attractions before lunch. After that you’ll have the rest of the day to do one, two, or three more activities, and you’ll still have the whole evening free to have a long dinner and wander the beautiful neighborhoods.

Some people complain that by the time they got to their first attraction of the day, the place was packed, so they started on a bad note and then felt rushed the rest of the day trying to catch up.

2. Plan your day and route before you leave your hotel

The Paris Pass comes with a very helpful booklet that shows all of the attractions on a map, with hours of operation. If you spend some time before you leave your hotel for the day, planning an efficient route that connects the attractions you want to see that day, it will all seem easy and you’ll get the most out of your Paris Pass.

If you aren’t able to plan ahead like this then maybe the Paris Pass isn’t ideal for you. If you aren’t able to spend a bit of time planning ahead, chances are you’ll be racing around and wasting a lot of time, and you’ll be unhappy with the Paris Pass.

The Paris Pass is ideal for:

  • First-time visitors to Paris who want to cover most of the main sights in a few days
  • Travelers who want to see and do as much as possible on a short trip
  • Visitors who want to orient themselves with the bus tour and Seine river cruise

The Paris Museum Pass by itself is ideal for:

  • Culture vultures who plan on visiting at least 2 museums each day but don’t care about tours or anything else
  • Budget travelers coming during busy season who want to skip the ticket queues

Visiting with no pass is ideal for:

  • Visitors spending more than 7 days in the city who might prefer to see only one sight per day
  • Backpackers and other extreme-budget travelers

Exclusive discount for Price of Travel readers

One last thing to consider about budgeting your time in Paris

There are plenty of free things to do in Paris, many of which should be high priorities for first-time visitors, including strolling the Champs-Élysées, exploring the Montmartre neighborhood, and admiring the Eiffel Tower and the Arch de Triumphe from the street, so spending a lot of money on museums and attractions isn’t necessarily the key to enjoying the city.

Also, remember that there are only so many hours in the day, and you can only do one thing at a time. The Louvre itself takes at least 3 hours even for a “quick” visit, and while you are inside it doesn’t matter if you get 50 or 100 other “free” things included, you’ll only have time to do a few per day at the most.

However…

The Paris Pass is a popular and efficient way for first-time visitors to see all the best sights in a short time, with little stress and almost no time wasted in ticket queues. Whichever way you decide to visit Paris, you will have a good time. If you can get a discount on the Paris Pass, it’s obviously a better deal and worth considering.

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  1. Andrei says:

    Hello
    We will be visiting Paris from 25-28 november and I would like some tips. We would be staying at this hottel :ibis budget Paris Porte De Montmartre 45 rue du Docteur Babinski, 18th arr., Paris, 75018 and as I’ve seen on the map it seems to be on the third zone. Is that true ? Cause I would like to buy a Paris pass and I’ve seen that the metro pass covers only 1-3 zones. And I planned the trip like this : on friday arrive at the hotel then we go in the center and visit the Eifel tower.
    Saturday : With the HOHO bus
    Louvre 1-1:30 H
    Notre dame 1h
    Opera 30 min – 1h
    Arc triomphe 1 h
    The Aquarium 1h
    In the evening vine tasting and the river cruies
    Sunday : Montparnasse tower 1h
    The Montmarte train 1h
    Chocolate Museum 1h
    Wax Museum 1h
    Versailles 1-2h
    Can we do it ? Or I’m too optimistic? At louvre we just want to see fast some main atractions and at Versailles just the pallace cause the gardens I think are not worth to see in november.
    Thank you in advance.

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Andrei,

      Yes, it does appear that your hotel is in Travel Zone 3, so all of your trips would be within the Paris Pass area, as nearly all attractions are in Zones 1 and 2.

      Your plan does seem a little ambitious, but you can do almost all of it, or all of it if you really hurry. The HOHO route takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes if you don’t get off the bus, and doing it the way you plan means that you’d spend probably 60 to 90 additional minutes waiting for the next bus. However, if you get on the bus around 9am you should have time to see it all.

      Also, as I explain in this article about how to get the most out of a Paris Pass in 2 or 3 days, it’s hard to even see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo in less than 90 minutes considering all the walking. The good news is that you see much of the works and the museum in the process, but it’s hard to just rush in and out. On the other hand, you can visit Notre Dame in 20 minutes or a bit under an hour if you climb to the top. And the Arc de Triomphe is another than can be done in under an hour because it takes about 8 minutes to walk up and 6 minutes to walk down, while you can appreciate the whole view in maybe 20 minutes.

      So I think some of your allowed times are a bit short, and others could be done more quickly.

      Versailles is outside the city in Zone 4 and it takes about an hour each way to get there (and requires a fare supplement). You’ll need around 3 or 4 total hours for even a quick visit. And the wine tasting experience is really fun, and they give each person a bottle of wine in the end, but it closes at 18:00 each day so you’d need to get there by 17:00. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  2. Ken W says:

    Hi, Roger. Great advice and comments. Our first visit to Paris. Any advice on the best way to get from CDG airport to the Latin Quarter, D’Italie Ave., arriving Oct. 6? Also, we’ll be arriving by train at the Montparnasse station the evening of October 16. What is the best way to get to our hotel, near the Saint_Lazarre station? We’ll be in Paris October 6 am to October 15 am, then back late Oct. 16 with a full day to enjoy Paris Oct. 17. We don’t want to rush but also don’t want to waste time in lines. Which Paris Pass, if any, do you think would suit us?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Ken,

      From CDG Airport you can take the RER (suburban train line) B to the Denfert-Rochereau stop in 43 minutes, which is already close to your hotel. Then you can take the #6 Metro line from there to Place d’Italie station. The whole thing will take about an hour and you can buy a ticket good for the whole journey from a machine or window at the airport station. Just look for the RER train signs.

      On your next arrival you can take the #13 Metro line from Paris Montparnasse to Paris Saint-Lazare, which is 7 stops and will take 10 minutes. Just look for the signs leading to the Metro and then the #13 line. It will be easy once you are there. You can buy Metro tickets when you are there first and keep them for that next arrival. Buy a 10-pack called a Carnet for €13.50.

      I can’t tell if you have one day in Paris or 10 days in Paris. If you have 1 day then a Paris Pass wouldn’t be good value because 2 days is the shortest one. If you have 10 days then get at least a 3-day pass, or a longer one if there is a discount. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  3. JD says:

    Hi, I lead a group of students to Paris every spring, and for the last 5 years or so we’ve used the museum pass for entry to the main attractions in Paris. We purchase ones for our adult chaperones and all students over 18 at the time of travel, but our younger students (all high school juniors) just use their passports to get into the museums for free.
    My question is laat year we were turned away from the L’Orangerie and Sainte-Chappelle because we were a ‘group’ and didn’t book in advance (it was about 8 people total, half parents and half students). We’ve never had any trouble like that before and I can’t find any reason that we couldn’t use the PMP that way. Any thoughts on that?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      JD,

      Interestingly, I got this message just after I visited Sainte-Chapelle myself yesterday, and I noticed the sign that said all groups must reserve in advance. I’m not too familiar with it, and my only guess is that it is related to the tight security they now seem to have in front of all major attractions. Perhaps the security line can be overwhelmed if a group of 20 or 30 people show up all at the same time, and the other visitors get delayed as well? So if you reserve your visit in advance, perhaps they can add an extra guard or two?

      The ticket queues seem to go quickly at those attractions for those with Paris Museum Passes, so I don’t think that that part is the problem. I wish I had a better answer for you. -Roger

  4. Andrei says:

    Hello, I’m coming for the first time in Paris at the beginnig of November and I wonder if is still crowded at the main attractions. I will visit no more then 2 per day, and I think the Paris Museum Pass will worth only if it saves some time.

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Andrei,

      The ticket queues at the main attractions will probably be less crowded in early November than in summer. The tricky thing with that is that they might have 4 ticket windows open until the end of October, and then only 2 ticket windows open starting in November. So it’s actually possible that the queues will still be long, at least at some places at some times of the day.

      But if you only plan on doing 2 things per day, I wouldn’t worry about it. A Paris Pass or Paris Museum Pass might save you 30 minutes per day that time of year, and if you only visit 2 things it’s probably not worth it. Bon voyage. -Roger

  5. Sundeh says:

    Hi Roger,

    Can we buy our ticket to be used a few days after? We plan to buy our train tickets to Disneyland and Versailles all together when we buy our carnet books.

    Sund h

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Sundeh,

      Yes, you can buy a Paris Pass online and then pick it up at the office once you get to Paris. From that point you have up to a year to start using it. The valid dates automatically start once you use it for the first time at one of the attractions or on the Metro. Have a great trip. -Roger

      1. Sundeh says:

        Thank you, Roger! We’re leaving in a few days 🙂 all packed and ready to go!

  6. gail says:

    Hello Roger,
    Thank you so much for this informative piece.
    I was wondering:
    I’ll be in paris with my best friend for our first time December 27-January 4. Arriving early Wednesday morning and leaving the following Wednesday morning.our tentative itinerary as follows:
    Wednesday: hop on hop off tour, seine river cruise in evening
    Thursday: louvre, eiffel, champs d’elysees and arc triomphe.
    Friday: d’orsay, notre dame
    Saturday sacre cœur, wine tasting?
    Sunday free
    Monday day trip to london
    Tuesday free

    I was thinking a 4 day paris pass would be best for our plans, what do you think? And then the extra days we need to use the metro, we can buy tickets? We mostly want to eat and drink our way through paris!

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Gail,

      I think your plan looks very good, and definitely not too rushed. You’ll have at least half a day free each day to wander around and experience the neighborhoods and parks and such. I think your idea for the 4-day Paris Pass is a good one, and you’ll have time to do a few more things in those days with the pass.

      There are ticket windows in all of the central Paris Metro stations, and the person in the booth should speak enough English to sell you what you need. You might consider getting one carnet, which is a book of 10 Metro tickets for €14, as opposed to individual tickets at €1.90 each, I think. You’ll easily get the hang of it. I’m sure you’ll have a great trip. -Roger

      1. gail says:

        Yay! Thank you so much roger!

  7. Megha Jain says:

    Hi Roger,

    I will be visiting Paris in the second week of Sept with my husband for 2 full days. We want to see the major attractions and also to capture the beauty of the romantic city in our eyes. We are not very interested in seeing museums apart from Louvre or Arc de Triomphe.

    1. Can you please suggest us the places we should visit?
    2. Should we go for Night tour as well with HOHO day tour and River Seine?
    3. Paris pass would be beneficial for us or not in this case?

    Regards

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Megha,

      You’ll really want to get a guidebook to find the best things that interest you. You can go online to Lonelyplanet.com for Paris or Frommers.com for Paris or Wikitravel.org for Paris, and those sites will give you the best options.

      The night Seine cruise is really nice, so it could be good since you’ll do the HOHO in the day.

      A Paris Pass covers the HOHO and the Seine Cruise, as well as many other non-museum attractions. You’ll have to see which ones interest you to know if it’s good value for you or not. Bon voyage. -Roger

      1. Megha says:

        Thanks Roger.

        Also, Could you please let me know from where can I buy the Eiffel Tower tickets as they are sold out on the official website.
        And what would be the best time to visit Eiffel Tower?

        Regards,
        Megha

        1. Roger Wade says:

          Megha,

          You can buy tickets at the Eiffel Tower once you get there, although the queue is often an hour or more. The reserved tickets online allow you to skip that queue, but they still allow walk-up tickets.

          The queue would be shortest right after they open in the morning and probably late in the evening. The view from the top is fantastic day or night, so it’s your choice. Have a great trip. -Roger

  8. Eve says:

    Hi Roger,
    Im traveling alone with 2 kids and initial plan is to:
    -Saturday (arrival) airport at 10am, we need to get to hotel to Paris, and then ….exactly, any idea how to plan this day?
    -Sunday – disneyland for full day
    -Monday – disneyland 2nd day
    -Tuesday – flying back at 8pm so do you think we will be able to use hop in hop out bus?

    Mainly we want to see Eiffle tower, louvre, arch..what else would you recommend to make sure we will fit in a time frame?

    Also, if I buy 1-3 zone ticket for few days, how would it work then to get to Disneylan? Can I pay only for 4-5 zone?

    Geting from airport to City centre, what is the cheapes way?

    Many thanks,

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Eve,

      I generally try to keep these comments geared toward helping people decide on a Paris Pass or not, but I’ll help if I can even though you definitely don’t want one. For that Saturday you should just do the things on your list. They are all fairly close together and you’ll have time for all of them. If you want to go to the top level of the Eiffel Tower, you’ll want to reserve a spot from the official website at least a few weeks in advance, as it sells out early in high season.

      You’ll have plenty of time for the HOHO bus on the day you leave. I normally recommend just staying on the whole way around, but if you don’t have to leave for the airport until 5pm or so, you could hop off and back on a few times.

      I don’t believe you can pay just a supplement to get out into Zones 4 and 5. I suppose you could use your ticket to get to the last stop in Zone 3, and then pay for another ticket to your final stop. That would be cheaper than buying one from the city center, but it won’t be just an extra €1 or so. From the airport to the city center you’ll want to take the RER commuter train, which has different lines going to different stops in central Paris. If you hotel is close to one of those stops, it’ll be easy. If not you’ll have to switch to the Metro to reach your hotel. If you Google “CDG RER trains into Paris” you should find all the info you need. Bon voyage. -Roger

  9. JUDHAJIT says:

    Thanks again Roger,
    I do not want to book online a for the elevator up the Eiffel Tower. The online tickets have specific time and date slots. I want to keep things flexible. Would you recommend that?
    Can I expect shorter queue if I walk up the stairs?
    We are not particularly athletic. Will walking up the stairs be a good idea?
    Which is the best time to climb the tower? Just before dusk?
    Thanks

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Judhajit,

      I think you can do better than me on these questions by checking the TripAdvisor reviews for the Eiffel Tower. It’s been many years since I climbed those stairs to the 2nd level, and it’s definitely a bit of a workout. Also, the stairs are always crowded so if you go slow there will be people passing you all the time. See what the current reviews say and you’ll get better info. -Roger

  10. JUDHAJIT says:

    Hi Roger,

    Thanks for the feedback.

    Is it safe to move around in Paris at night (till 2300 hrs) by foot and metro. Are there any areas to avoid? I am staying at Hotel Du Chermin Vert near Voltaire metro station. Any idea that area is, especially at night?

    Regards

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Judhajit,

      Yes, Paris is a very safe city at night, and you are staying in a central location where the streets will be busy until at least midnight. Paris does have a few sketchy areas where tourists might not want to visit, but those are actually all way out into the suburbs, so you won’t be anywhere near them.

      The other thing to know about Paris and pretty much all of Western Europe is that personal crime is extremely rare compared to almost anywhere else on earth. Petty crimes like pickpocketing and camera theft are fairly common so you do have to be aware and careful. For example, sometimes thieves create a distraction in or near a crowd of tourists, and then steal a few wallets in the process. But as long as you are aware of these sorts of things, it’s very easy to stay safe. Also, don’t walk around with your camera or phone dangling off you, or don’t leave them sitting on your restaurant table while you go to the bathroom because someone might snatch them. But that is really the worst that might ever happen, and you’ll find Paris to feel very safe. Have a great trip. -Roger