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. Akshay says:

    Hi Roger
    Wonderful article..I am visiting Paris in Jan between 25 Jan to 2 Feb 2018 along with my wife. The information on the passes is good but does any of these passes include Big Bus or the L’Tour for all the days of the passes say I take a three or a four day pass. How do you recommend I plan my Paris visit to enjoy as well as cover the most of the attractions. I was planning 4 days in Paris and Three days in sant tropez/ cannes/ monaco….please suggest

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Ashkay,

      Thank you. The Paris Pass includes a one-day pass on the Big Bus Tour, which is essentially the same as the L’Tour version. Honestly, the Paris hop-on, hop-off tour is the best one I’ve ever taken out of about 30 I’ve done around the world, but you really wouldn’t want to ride it around as transportation. My recommendation is to do one loop all the way around, perhaps getting off once or twice at a popular attraction, but you don’t want to rely on it to go from stop to stop. They come around every 15 minutes or so, however the top deck is often full so people who get on at less popular stops were few people get off will often have to ride on the bottom deck for a stop or two. Also, the Metro is MUCH faster getting from attraction to attraction, and a Metro pass is included with the Paris Pass as well.

      My recommendation is to do the bus tour on the first morning of your first full day in Paris, so you can get oriented and know where all the main sights are. Then plan on doing the Seine boat cruise just a bit after sunset at any other time in your trip. The bridges are all beautifully lit and seeing Paris at night is magical.

      As for St Tropez, Cannes, and Monaco, I would recommend taking a train to Nice and using that as your base. It’s a really nice city with many more affordable hotels and good train connections to the smaller towns. Cannes and Monaco are each around 20 minutes by train from Nice. Saint Tropez doesn’t have a train station and I wouldn’t recommend going, but if you do you can take a train to St. Raphael in 55 minutes from Nice and then a bus from there. I hope this helps. -Roger

  2. Lisa says:

    Hi Roger,

    Thanks for writing such a clear, detailed article, and for updating it! One question, I was just on the parisinfo.dom looking at the Paris PassLib, and it doesn’t list the Big Bus Tour, but the L’Tour Open Tour bus… Do you know anything about that? Also, it says their ticket for the Eiffel Tour is a fast track ticket – I wondered if you truly do skip the line? And is it a legitimate ticket that you can use anytime? One of the comments someone said you couldn’t use it if their tickets were sold out for the day? Thank you!!!

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Lisa,

      The Big Bus Tour and the L’Tour Open Tour Bus both go on the same route and provide essentially the same tour. That tour is amazing, by the way, and it’s my favorite hop-on, hop-off bus tour in the world out of the 30 or so I’ve been on. Don’t miss it.

      It looks like they allow you to reserve a ticket for the Eiffel Tower between 10:30am and 4:30pm, and you only get to go to the Second Floor, which is about halfway up. Many people prefer to go closer to sunset, so you obviously can’t do that with this ticket. When going to the Eiffel Tower you first have to stand in security lines, which are often quite long and can’t be avoided no matter what ticket you have. Once past security you either stand in the general queue for ticket holders, or if you have a reserved timed entry you stand in what is usually a shorter queue to board a different elevator. You can reserve a timed ticket online two months in advance for a small fee, and you can go as late as 8pm that way. And to be honest, you get better photos from the Second Floor anyway. The top floor is so high that the city looks flat below you.

      As far as I know the Paris PassLib is legit, but it does have those restrictions that I mentioned. That comment might have been from someone who showed up too late for their reserved time. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  3. Frank says:

    Mr. Wade, my wife and I are spending 7 days in Paris and it is our first visit. I am trying to have an itinerary but it is overwhelming. We are staying in the 6th arrondissement and it seems like a lot of things we want to see are within walking distance. Also, we are non-drinkers so the wine tasting is a wasted cost to us in the pass. I need your help 🙂 we also plan on a day in Versailles. Thank you!!

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Frank,

      I’m not sure what help you are looking for, or if you are thinking about getting a Paris Pass. My tips for a first visit are to do the hop-on, hop-off bus on your first morning, whether you get the Pass or not. It’s an excellent bus tour that will show you all of the most famous buildings in a few hours, so you can go back to the ones you want to later. And plan on doing the Seine Cruise after dark one evening. The way the city is lit up at night, and particularly the many bridges you pass under, is magical.

      You might be walking distance from many things, which is great, but the Paris Metro is very easy to use and there are stops everywhere, so plan on using it often. It’s cheap as well, whether you get the unlimited pass or you buy a carnet, which is a bundle of 10 individual tickets. Leave early to see Versailles and you’ll be back by mid afternoon.

      Once you get there I think you’ll find it far easier to figure out than it seems from guidebooks and websites. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  4. Sten says:

    Hi Roger, your post is very helpful! I was thinking of purchasing the Paris Pass but after reading your article, it made me realise some might not work for me and my partner. I hope you don’t mind if I ask your opinion about our travel plans? We wil be in Paris on Sept 27 til Oct 3.. my plan is instead of purchasing the Paris Pass and with budget a consideration, will it be sensible if we purchase a 4-day Museum Pass and a 3-day Travelcard? We are thinking of doing a river cruise as well and Bus HOHO but probably as a pay-as-we-go. We thought of buying just 3 days worth of travel card because on our 4th day, we have set the day for Versailles which is not within Zone1-3 and the 5th days is for Disyneyland (of course! :D) which is on Zone 5. Do you think it’s sounds good or should we just rather purchase the Paris Pass? Thank you 🙂

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Sten,

      I think your plan sounds good as long as those are the only two Paris Pass things you want to do. The HOHO bus and Seine Cruise are around €50 total, and that plus a Museum Pass and a transit pass might be cheaper. Actually, depending on where you stay, you might not even want a transit pass. You can buy what they call a Carnet, which is a little bundle of 10 Metro tickets, for €14.50. They are individual paper tickets so you and your partner can each use one from the same carnet. Unless you are staying in a remote neighborhood, you can probably get by with two books of 10 tickets, which are cheaper and more flexible than the Visite Pass. Either way it’s only a few euro more or less. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  5. Joan says:

    Roger: Thanks very much for your insight and recommendations. This will definitely help us lean toward the 3-day Paris Pass. Quick question. If we purchase the 3-day pass for each of us, do I still need to make a reservation in advance for a specific day/time to visit the Louvre or Versailles, for example? Or can we just show up any day/time at the Louvre and other museums and attractions, show our passes and be able to get right in?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Joan,

      With the Paris Museum Pass, which is part of the main Paris Pass, you can just show up at any museum and get in the special queue for passes. It’s usually quite a bit shorter than the main queue. At the Louvre pass holders enter on the left, and that’s actually just the security line on the main level by the pyramid. Once you go through the quick security check you go down the escalators and you can walk straight into any of the entry lines. There are usually no queues for those because there are several of them and they just quickly scan or pass (or collect your ticket) as you walk through. There are many ticket queues in that same area the the lines there can be long at times. There is a separate Museum Pass queue at all of the attractions that are popular enough to have long lines at times of the day. Bon voyage! -Roger

  6. Joan says:

    Hi Roger. We’ll be in Paris for 5 1/2 days in mid-September. This will be our first trip to Paris (3 adults) and we’d like to see the major museums and attractions, including a visit to Versailles. We definitely want to see the Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Versaille, Musee d’Orsay, Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, Musée Rodin, etc. The Seine boat ride also sounds nice. We usually avoid the HOHO bus crowds, but maybe that would be the best way to get around Paris for many of the places we want to see, depending on how late the buses run each night. We’ll be there from Sept 14 and leaving Sept 20. What would be the best way to see everything, including which pass or passes to buy?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Joan,

      September is perhaps the best month to visit Paris, so I’m jealous of you. I used to avoid HOHO buses as well, until I started earning a living as a travel writer and discovered how good they are for seeing a lot in a short time. Since you aren’t travel writers you might still skip it, but honestly the Paris HOHO bus is my favorite in the world, and I’ve done close to 50 of them all over the planet. The thing is that the route takes you right past nearly every top sight in only about 3 hours, and the entire route is stunningly beautiful (because central Paris is stunningly beautiful). If you get a seat when you get on in front of the Eiffel Tower, you’ll enjoy the whole route. You can hop off at the Louvre or the longer stop in front of the bus company’s office and get a good seat as well. The buses don’t run after dark, but honestly that Seine one-hour cruise is better after dark.

      As mentioned, you can hop off the bus once or twice and get back on and get a good seat up top, but I wouldn’t plan on using it as transportation. The Paris Pass comes with an unlimited Metro pass, and that is by far the best way of getting around. The Paris Metro has stops that are fairly close together by underground standards, which means there is a stop only a block or two from almost anywhere you are in the central districts. If you are going to do the HOHO bus and the Seine cruise then a Paris Pass is your best bet. If you are going to skip the HOHO bus then you should probably just get a Paris Museum Pass. I’d get a 3-day Paris Pass if I were you, although you could get a 2-day pass and it would work.

      One unusual thing about the Paris Pass is that it’s 3 separate components and they aren’t tied together by computer. You get a Paris Attractions Pass, a Paris Museum Pass, and the transit card. If you get a 2-day Paris Pass you can activate the Attractions Pass for two days and then activate the Museum Pass for two different days. It’s a pretty cool hack for visits as long as yours. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  7. Jacqui Owen says:

    Any chance you’d like to be our tour guide 🙂
    My daughter and I arrive in Paris next week and I am soooo confused about everything!!!! But reading your article has definitely helped to clear things up a little….. Think my biggest fear is getting lost
    Suppose I could get lost in worse places

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Jacqui,

      That is flattering, but I’m sure you’ll be okay. The Metro system seems a bit confusing until you ride it for the first time and then it usually makes sense. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  8. Christine Diem says:

    Hello Roger,
    Thanks for the helpful article. Will be Paris from Tues-Wednesday in early August with 3 children: 18, 16 & 12 years for their first visit. Not certain if we should purchase a 3 or 4 day pass for everyone. We will be staying in a hotel near Gare Montparnasse area . The kids will not do more than 2 museums a day. Will follow your recommendation on some of the main sights with favorites: Musee D’Orsay & Rodin. Question: is the wax museum in Paris have similar figures to the one in Los Angeles, CA. Are there many European actors that the kids may not recognize being from the US. We will try the the HOHO bus for the first time after picking up the tickets and the Seine night boat. Aside note, really wanted to take a day tour to St. Mont Michel or Normandy (husband’s choice) for family of 5, have not found reasonable tours. Thank you for all the good insights and tips.

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Christine,

      I haven’t been to the Grevin Wax Museum yet myself, but I do know that they have many international celebrities and sports stars in addition to the French ones. For example, Katie Perry was added most recently according to their website. Still, I think at least half of the collection are French people that may not be internationally famous.

      I know what you mean about finding affordable tours to those places. Neither are too close to Paris so it doesn’t surprise me that the prices are high. You can take a train to the station nearest St. Mont Michel, which is Pontorson, in about 3 hours. But then you have to take a bus to the cathedral from there. However you do it you would need around 4 hours each way to go by public transport, although it would be cheaper than the organized tours. As for Normandy it obviously depends on where you want to go. Last year I took a train from Paris to Deauville in a bit over 2 hours. But if you want to see the WWII beaches and monuments it would take much longer. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  9. pat stanson says:

    Hi,
    This is a great article. I am confused though whether the the paris pass worth it if we are eu citizens (passports) and have a 14 year old and a 20 year old). We will be in paris for 7 days and rather than the pass is there something else we should consider.
    thank you

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Pat,

      This is an interesting question. On one hand, you obviously don’t need the Museum Pass for your children because they can get in free to most things already. However, the Paris Pass also included the Paris Attraction Pass and the Paris Visite Card (unlimited public transport). The Attractions card covers the hop-on, hop-off bus, the wine tasting experience (including a free bottle of wine for each person), the highly recommended Seine River Cruise and a few more notable things that are NOT covered by the Museum Card.

      So really it comes down to how many of the things that are covered by the Attractions Pass that interest you? I’ve taken hop-on, hop-off bus tours in at least 40 or 50 cities around the world and the one in Paris is easily my favorite. It goes by nearly every major sight and provides great photo opportunities of most of them. It also stops in front of most of the famous and included museums and such. I also recommend that Seine Cruise in the evening because the bridges and many famous buildings are all illuminated in a way that makes the city feel even more magical. If you are doing those two things and a few others on the list, then a 2-day or 3-day Paris Pass could be worth it, at least for the adults. I don’t think you need a 6-day pass because you’ll be able to see all of the things you want in 4 days at the most.

      If you aren’t interested in the HOHO bus and the river cruise and some of those other things then perhaps just buying a Paris Museum Pass for the adults would work. They are fairly cheap and will save you money if you are going to at least a few of the famous ones. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  10. Arun Kumar says:

    Good Day Roger!

    I plan to travel in September, I am sceptical if I should get a 4 day or a 6 day pass, I wish to cover most off the attractions, I also would like to visit Disney Land & the hot air balloon place,
    Please advice on what would I be getting extra on the 6 day pass when compared to the 4 day pass?
    Also I would like to know if the Paris pass includes the free travel in metros and buses? or I have to purchase a separate travel pass ?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Arun,

      I think it’s probably better for you to get a 4-day pass. Four days is plenty of time to see all of the included Paris Pass attractions that truly interest you, and you’ll even have time on those four days to do other things. Really the only benefit of the 6-day pass would be that you could see those same things spread out over two more days.

      And yes, the Paris Pass includes what they call a Visite Card, which is good for unlimited travel on the Metro, buses, and even the funicular in Montmartre, for the duration of your pass. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger