We will be in Paris in September (Thurs-Sun). I%26#39;ve read differing accounts about how bad the museum lines can be. I%26#39;m considering buying the museum pass to %26quot;skip the lines%26quot;. I%26#39;ve done the math with the museums we%26#39;d likely visit and it wouldn%26#39;t really save us much money - just the lines. Thoughts?
Also, we plan to go to Versailles - which day (friday, saturday, or sunday) would be best to go? what time?
|||
Depends on the museums you plan to visit.
If it%26#39;s the Louvre or the D%26#39;Orsay, you%26#39;ll be glad you don%26#39;t have to wait in line.
|||
D%26#39;Orsay is always busy...if you dont get the pass make sure you go early. We waited for an hour once but it%26#39;s worth it!
Versailles I%26#39;d say go Saturday or Sunday as Friday could be busy with regard to rush hour etc...go in the morning as it is a day long trip.
|||
Hi
An option if you do not want to get the museum pass is to go to Virgin Megastores and buy advance tickets.
There is a 1.10 euro surcharge but certainly worth it for a museum like the Orsay.
I%26#39;m in the Louvre 3-4 times a week at either 9:30am, 1pm. or 6pm.
It is rare indeed if it takes longer than 10 minutes to get into the museum and another 10 to get your tickets from the machines...
|||
If you like spending your valuable vacation time standing in line waiting to get into museums, avoid the Museum Pass.
For instance, it isn%26#39;t unusual for the lines at popular attractions (Versailles, Orsay, Orangerie, etc.) to be in excess of one hour. I can%26#39;t imagine saving a few dollars in exchange for waiting hours in line.
|||
Ditto Pixfield%26#39;s comments. Our 4-day pass paid for itself with mental peace of mind. The lines looked horrid for d%26#39;Orsay, Versailles, and l%26#39;Orangerie. I say %26quot;looked%26quot; because we went to the second, much shorter security line (everyone has to go through bag checks) and just waved our Museum Pass. Did not think lines looked very long for Louvre but we went several times, afternoons or evenings. Never figured out if we saved money or not with the pass, and couldn%26#39;t have cared less. Also, another nice thing about the pass, when you see all it covers, is checking out museums you normally would not go to see, such as the Cluny. (Note, Notre Dame is free, line moves quickly, but the line for the towers, included on the pass, is not that long, but very slow, as only so many can go up at once. Pass gets you in free for towers, but you still have a wait, but climb to top is worth it.)
|||
I really think it depends on what time you hit some of the museums, I didn%26#39;t see a line at all at the Orsay but it was a Thursday evening (the museum though was VERY crowded, maybe they all got there earlier). We also didn%26#39;t see a line at the Orangerie mid day on a Thursday.
The line for the tower at Notre Dame was very long, you don%26#39;t bypass the line with the pass though so if you want to go up, go very early before it opens.
What I like about the pass it that I can see some smaller museums without fretting that I%26#39;m not spending enough time to get my money%26#39;s worth. I only saved a few € on our last trip but definitely worth it.
Check the Versailles website, on the weekends the fountains are running, at least in the summer they are, I think tickets are slightly higher. The line for Versailles to buy tickets was ridiculously long, if you opt not to get the pass, you can also get a combined train/admission ticket at the RER station (we bought our at Invalides RER) that bypasses the general ticket line.
|||
You need to go to at least 2 museums a day to make your 2 day pass worth while.
Orsay and Rodin have the longest lines,
If you do your research, it is easy to go into Louvre using one of their %26quot;other%26quot; entrances.
Lines seem to be at security check points and you cannot escape that, pass or no pass.
Lines are actually not THAT long and I am always amazed that people do not blink at queing at Berthillon ice cream (even if they buy vanilla!) but then whine about waiting at museums.
|||
We were just in Paris Aug. arriving Sat. Aug. 2 (eve)2008 and left Aug. 5. The first Sunday of each month you can get into the Louvre free. We got there later in the afternoon and decided not to go in because the line was way to long, but it was free. We went the next day, purchased our tickets from a machine and walked right in. It was around 10:00 a.m. Had no problem with the line. The problem was that the place was just way too packed to enjoy it. It is huge and you need to allow a lot of time. Crowds inside were unbelievable. Everyone wanted to see the Mona Lisa. Went to another wing of the museum and it was much less crowed and more enjoyable. Have fun and take lots of money. Paris was very expensive.
|||
Kalamaki,
Paris expensive? I don%26#39;t think so.
The Paris public transportation system is a bargain - and it%26#39;s a good one at about 65% of the cost in many cities in the U.S., even with the weak dollar.
Clean, comfortable, quiet and well-located 2-star hotels are available in Paris for about 100 euro ($150 U.S.). The cheapest decent hotel I could find in New York City last week (a city I would compare to Paris) was $300.
Museum admission to top museums in NYC range from about $12-$20 (The Museum of Modern Art is $20). That is much more expensive than museums in Paris.
I can get a GOOD meal in a Paris restaurant for about 40 euro (i.e., Le Pre Verre). When I went to an average restaurant here in New York last week, it cost me $180.
However, a Starbucks coffee will cost me about 40% more in Paris than it does in the states.
All in all, even considering the weak dollar, Paris is a very good value.
|||
We went to Versailles last Friday... Luckily, our French friends bought the tickets for us so we didn%26#39;t have to queue.
The queque at the ticket office was long, i mean long!!! At least, 500 people waiting...
We have been told that going on Sat and Sun is much worse! It gets really crowded!
We arrived around 1.30pm and stayed till 6pm.
Have a nice trip!
No comments:
Post a Comment