Paris Pass
Which pass do you recommend for sightseeing and getting around Paris? One includes the Hop On Hop Off, and one includes
transportation.
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Which pass do you recommend for sightseeing and getting around Paris? One includes the Hop On Hop Off, and one includes
transportation.
Comments
In general I don't recommend any unless you have several days and the time to see enough sights that the pass either pays for itself or is cheaper than all the individual tickets added together. We took this tour last Sep and there isn't a lot of free time unless you're adding extra days post-tour. Part of the tour will include some driving past the main sites.
We always enjoyed taking the Hop-On-Hop-Off tours no matter what city we were in. We would choose the longest route and stay on until returning to the starting point where we would compare notes and take the tour again and get off where we wanted. Preferably two days or more are beneficial if you want to see certain areas, museums, markets, monuments, et al.
We have never purchased city passes, so I can't help you with those.
Thanks. We did add two days to the tour. Do you have any advice on seeing Moulin Rough? Is it worth it?
It’s Moulin Rouge
PeterJeffrey, we've never been to Moulin Rouge beyond seeing the exterior. Ive read mixed reviews. Some think it's tacky and some think it's entertaining. You might read the trip advisor reviews of it to get more input then decide for yourself.
You can purchase a book of subway tickets or a pass for some number of days. I recommend the book of tickets because they never expire. If you don't use all of them, you can use them next time you go - because Paris always calls you back.
At worse, you can gift them to a friend traveling to Paris.
If you purchase a pass, it's only good for a certain number of days, then it's dead. At least, that's the way it used to work.
There are a number of street scams that are run in Paris, including the "found" gold ring. I've also been asked to sign a petition that's in English. I'm pretty sure that's a scam becasue why would it be in English instead of French?
Thank you Mike. I was wondering about the pass because some of them have a skip the line feature to save time.
Sometimes skip the line just refers to buying tickets not entering the site. Most hotel concierge can get you tickets and often charge it to your room account. That's how we got our St Chapel tickets last year. Read the details for each site you want to visit and see what the pass does for you. Do you also need timed entry? That's very common in this covid world.
Passes can be a good deal of you have the time and energy to visit lots of sites. When ever I've added up the costs for tickets, factored in senior discounts if offered, etc it's always been cheaper to skip the pass. Everyone's trip is different.
I hope you enjoy your tour. We loved it and Brittany was a welcome surprise how much we enjoyed it.
I was told that on Sundays museums have free entry in Paris
Claudia, I’m considering this trip for 2024. Do you recommend any extra time in Versailles? I’ll go in a day early using my gift of time, but wondered if I should book an additional day-schedules are not released yet, so I know I have some time to decide. Thanks! Also, considering A May time frame. When did you go?
Fran, yes if you've never been to Versailles. There is so much more to it that the main chateau. This tour was our second time there and we still haven't seen everything. There's the main chateau, all the gardens and fountains, the Trianon palaces, the Queens Hamlet, the carriage house, etc. There are often special exhibits as well. The entire estate is huge so getting around from site to site can take a while unless you have a bike or golf cart.
The day of the week you book is also important. The fountains generally aren't on except on Sat/Sun. You have to pay to see the gardens then but worth it.
Here's the official website which has tons of information
https://en.chateauversailles.fr/
For reference, when you're looking at a map, the Waldorf Astoria is right outside the Queens gate.
We took this tour last Sep and I wrote a fairly detailed review you might want to read. Our first visit there was Jun and a bit too hot. May would probably be better.
Thanks Claudia. I was at Versailles in 2002, which was long enough ago that I feel like I’ll be seeing things for the first time. The hall of mirrors had just reopened and I’m looking forward to seeing that again.. There was a major tornado that destroyed the centuries old trees that were along the path from the chateau to the Petite Trianon, (somewhere around 1999) so seeing what’s changed will be interesting. I’ll definitely add more time before the tour starts. I will re-read your review of the trip before I book. Versailles is an amazing place-glad Tauck states this tour there!