I am lucky enough to say I have been to Paris several times – to be more precise, three at the moment I write this post, and longing for a forth one. Yes, they were all short trips – 2 full days the first time, 3 on the second, 2 on the third – that I lived in the most intense touristy mode. And yes, Paris is actually a big busy city that might not live up to your romantic expectations.
But there’s one group of people that will be happy to come back here every time (the one I certainly belong to): the museum addicts. Although Berlim is a close competitor when it comes to offers of exhibitions, in my opinion Paris still holds the first place. It’s the destination to go to look at pretty things and get lost in historical wonders.
One of my best travel memories is definitely the one of having my legs hurting from walking so much in Paris after I acquired a Museum Pass – you just want to get the best value for the price, after all! It allowed me to visit places I haven’t thought of, among other reasons because I could skip the line in most attractions. Besides, if I ended up not liking a place I could just leave it, without feeling guilty for wasting my money.
I completely understand if museums are not your thing, and you would prefer to spend your trip enjoying the outside. On the other hand, a trip to Paris will be a lot about its culture – so I imagine you will wanna to sip a bit of it anyway!
In any case, having a museum pass can be a great advantage if you have the intense traveler mode. Besides, if you can squeeze several attractions in a few days, you can still leave more time for wandering and spontaneity. And believe me: you will want to skip the line and save some euros for more gelato.
One warning is duo though: some attractions, especially the most in demand ones like the Louvre, do not have the benefit of skipping the line, and even require a pre-booking. So, you will need to do some good planning to make it all happen in the days you will use the pass.
What is the Museum Pass
The Paris Museum Pass is a pass that gives you unlimited entry to over 50 attractions in the city.
It comes in three formulas:
- 2-day pass, for €70,00 – €35,00/day
- 4-day pass, for €90,00 – €22,00/day
- 6-day pass, for €110,00 – €18,33/day
The math is clear: if you think you will spend more than those values per day on your trip, specifically on the attractions included in the pass, it is definitely worthy from a monetary perspective.
Additionally, pass holders can skip the regular ticket lines at many attractions, making it ideal for those eager to maximize their time in the city.
For the 4 or 6-day passes, visiting 2 attractions a day already pays it off. But if you have less time or feel like a braver budgeting traveler, the 2-day pass is still a great advantage.
Check my suggested itinerary for the best use of your museum pass in your first visit to Paris!
First Timers 2-day Itinerary with the Museum Pass
Day One
Musée de l’Orangerie – €12.50
House of Claude Monet’s beautiful Water Lilies, you will want the place for yourself for contemplating and capturing a nice pic for memory – so start your day here. You can then check the other 146 works of Impressionism and take a morning stroll in the Tuileries garden, where the museum is located. Do not forget that you need to book a reservation! The reservation window opens 60 days in advance.
Musée D’Orsay – € 16
A beautiful building with the story of impressionism inside it, the Musée D’Orsay is one of the most Parisian experiences to have. You can visit it after a cup of coffee and enjoy your early afternoon.
Louvre – €17
I know, it is a bold move to leave the most in demand museum for last. The reason I am suggesting this is that everybody will have the same idea to arrive early. Around 3pm, the movement has declined significatively and your visit will be more enjoyable.
As now it is necessary to schedule in advance, my suggestion is that you schedule your visit for the last 3-4 hours – it is open until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, so choose one of those to maximize your day! Book it up to 90 days before your visit, and at least one month before – the earlier the better! In fact, you might want to see which slots are available and plan the rest of your day around it.
Arc de Triomphe – €16
To be honest, climbing monuments is the kind of activity I am usually not very excited about – but, well, it’s included! As it is open until late night, you might as well visit it for some beautiful views of the city lights.
Day Two
Versailles – €24-32 (varies with the season)
If you made it here, you are already saving on the tickets price, so congratulations!!! The Museum Pass gives you Passport access to Versailles, which includes the Palace, the Domaine de Trianon, and the Gardens – an excellent deal, especially during the high season.
Reservation is mandatory and it is available 90 days in advance – try to book the first hours so you can enjoy the gardens.
The trains from Paris to Versailles run from midnight until 11h30 pm, and take around 40 min at a cost between €3 and €7.
The ideal scenario is to arrive early in the morning, take 2 hours to visit the gardens, another 2 hours for the Palace, and one hour for the Trianon. That can be pretty exhausting, but if you are in the turbo traveler mode and highly motivated to save, there will still be enough time to come back to Paris and include a few more attractions using your Museum Pass.
From now on, any visit you add will be totally “free”! You can find something you are specifically interested in on the Museum Pass website. When it was my first time, I went to literally 6 spots in one day that I hadn’t even planned before, just because they were close by and I COULD – the Concierge, the Cluny, the Pantheon… My recommendations are:
Saint-Chapelle + Concierge + Pantheon
Musée Rodin + Musée de l’Armé
Centre Pompidou: one of my favorites, it is open until at least 9pm each day, so a good option to use your last Museum Pass hours. Even if you are not into contemporary art, the building is worth a visit! Unfortunately it will be gradually closed for renovations from March 2025 until 2030.
Another tip is to filter the list of attractions using the “Nocturnal” option, so you can maximize the number of activities in your day by going to some of them in the evening.
And if budgeting is your second name, you can also try to fit as many visits into the first Sunday of the Monday, as many museums are free on those days, and buy the pass if it still makes sense for the remaining attractions. It will require a lot of planning in advance though, including reservations – hard, but not impossible!
I hope this guide was helpful, and that you enjoy your trip to Paris!
