How to Get the Most Out of the Paris Museum Pass

France has so many museums that art lovers could fill an entire trip with nothing else. Seeing the works properly takes plenty of time, and plenty of money too, since admission fees add up. So it pays to weigh time against ticket costs and plan efficiently. You've probably done your homework already, but here are a few tips you may not have come across.

One way to see Paris's attractions more cheaply and quickly is the Museum Pass. It covers the three big Paris art museums, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the modern-art Centre Pompidou (closed for renovation from 2025 until around 2030), as well as the Musée de l'Orangerie, home of Claude Monet's Water Lilies series, the Picasso Museum and the Rodin Museum. It also covers the Arc de Triomphe viewing deck, the Notre-Dame towers, Sainte-Chapelle with its gorgeous stained glass, the Palace of Versailles and the Palace of Fontainebleau. You could plan a whole week around the sites it includes. It isn't a one-time ticket you keep using forever; the price depends on the duration: €48 for 2 days, €62 for 4 days and €74 for 6 days. That may sound pricey, and you have to keep moving to get your money's worth. If you'd rather travel at a relaxed pace, skip the pass and buy individual tickets for just the places you most want to see. If you think, "I don't know when I'll be back, so I want to see everything," use the pass and spend a few busy days covering as much as you can. Entry typically costs €10 to €20, so you'd need to visit about four sites in two days to break even. At Versailles, the palace costs €26, and the Petit Trianon and Grand Trianon in the gardens charge extra, so the pass can save you around €40 at Versailles alone.

Note, though, that the Versailles gardens fee is separate from the pass. It's normally €8.50, or €9.50 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but the gardens are free on Mondays and Wednesdays. The palace is closed on Mondays, so if you only want the gardens, go on a Monday; if you want both, Wednesday is better. From my own experience, the palace line is also shorter on Wednesdays.

Factor in closing days for pass sites, too. Most museums close on Mondays or Tuesdays, so it's best to start using your pass on Wednesday or later. The Musée d'Orsay, Versailles and the Rodin Museum are closed on Mondays, and so is the Musée Marmottan Monet, though it isn't covered by the pass. The Louvre, the Orangerie and the Centre Pompidou are closed on Tuesdays. Check before you plan so you don't make a wasted trip.

Almost everything in Paris closes at night, so you have to use your pass quickly before sunset. To squeeze more out of your pass in the evening, know the late-opening days. The Notre-Dame towers close at 7:30 p.m., so in summer, when days are long, you can't see the night view from there. For a nighttime view from a viewing deck, head to the Arc de Triomphe, which stays open until 10:30 p.m. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing. The Louvre has late openings on Wednesdays and Fridays until 9:45 p.m., and every Friday evening visitors aged 25 and under get in free. The Musée d'Orsay stays open late on Thursdays, and the Orangerie on Fridays. Keep these in mind as you plan.