Is the Paris Museum Pass Worth It? The Arithmetic

Comparisons

Row of closed ticket booths in Baltimore city center, showcasing urban architecture.

In brief

The Paris Museum Pass is worth buying only if your itinerary is busy enough: on verified prices, a 2-day pass pays for itself once you cover roughly four to five paid sights such as the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe, but a visitor who sees one paid sight a day loses money at every pass length. It never covers transport or a skip-the-line guarantee.

  • Pass prices: 2 days €85, 4 days €105, 6 days €125, each running that many consecutive hours from first use1.
  • The pass’s official list of included sites names 55 museums and monuments in and around Paris, including the Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie, Rodin, Picasso, Cluny, the Army Museum, the Panthéon, the Conciergerie, Sainte-Chapelle, the towers of Notre-Dame and Versailles2.
  • The Eiffel Tower, the Catacombs, Palais Garnier, Seine cruises, Giverny and Disneyland Paris are not on that list2.
  • A busy 2-day itinerary of the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe costs €92 bought separately, €7 more than the 2-day pass351114.
  • A relaxed visitor who sees one paid sight a day comes out ahead buying single tickets, at every pass length67891113.
  • The Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, the Versailles Palace and Orsay still require a separately booked time slot, pass or no pass1411155.
  • Under-18s and EU residents under 26 already enter free at nearly every included site, so the pass adds nothing for them35111416.

This page works out, with the single-ticket prices this site has verified, how many sights you need to see before the Paris Museum Pass pays for itself. The pass’s own list of included sites settles a question earlier pages here could not: the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, Versailles and dozens more all take the pass. For how it compares at one specific pair of monuments, see Sainte-Chapelle or Conciergerie: Do You Need Both?; for the pass’s own value against individual museum tickets, see Paris Museums: Which Ones Are Worth Your Time

What the pass costs

Duration Price
2 days (48 hours) €85
4 days (96 hours) €105
6 days (144 hours) €125

Source:1.

The pass activates at first use and runs for the chosen number of consecutive hours from that moment, not from the calendar day. A 2-day pass first used on a Wednesday at 3 p.m. is valid until Friday at 3 p.m. Service fees may apply depending on where you buy it1.

What's included, and what isn't

The pass’s official list of included sites names 55 museums and monuments: 35 in Paris and 20 in the surrounding region. In Paris, that list includes the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Orangerie, the Musée Rodin, the Musée Picasso, the Musée de Cluny, the Musée de l’Armée at Les Invalides, the Panthéon, the Conciergerie, Sainte-Chapelle and the towers of Notre-Dame. In the region, it includes the Château de Versailles, Fontainebleau, Chantilly and the Basilique cathédrale Saint-Denis, among others2.

Visitors often assume the pass covers the Eiffel Tower, since it’s the single most-visited paid monument in the city. It doesn’t: the pass’s own list of included sites does not name the Eiffel Tower, and neither the Catacombs, Palais Garnier, any Seine cruise, Giverny nor Disneyland Paris appear on it either2. None of those operators sell or accept the pass.

Limits that apply everywhere

The pass does not cover public transport1. It does not guarantee a skip-the-line slot: at sites that run timed entry, a pass holder still books a slot like anyone else. The Louvre’s FAQ recommends a time-slot booking for every visitor without calling it strictly mandatory34; Sainte-Chapelle’s FAQ says pass holders “must book a time slot” and show the pass at check-in1112; only the Palace at Versailles requires a timed booking, and pass holders must first exchange the pass for a free Passport ticket online or at the ticket office1516; the Musée d’Orsay requires a booked slot even on its free first Sunday5. Budget the booking step into your plan at all four.

How many sights it takes to break even

Across the eleven included sites this page has verified single-ticket prices for — the Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie, Rodin, Picasso, Cluny, the Army Museum, Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Arc de Triomphe and the towers of Notre-Dame — a ticket averages €17.68 for a non-EEA adult3567891011131417. Dividing each pass price by that average gives a rough break-even count, which the table below checks against real itineraries:

  • 2-day pass (€85): 4 average tickets cost €70.72, still short; 5 cost €88.40, which clears it. Call it about 5 sights.
  • 4-day pass (€105): 5 average tickets cost €88.40, still short; 6 cost €106.08, which clears it. Call it about 6 sights.
  • 6-day pass (€125): 7 average tickets cost €123.76, still just short; 8 cost €141.44, which clears it. Call it about 7 to 8 sights.

That average blends a €32 Louvre ticket with €12.50-€14 tickets, so a real itinerary heavy on the pricier sights clears the pass sooner, and one heavy on the cheaper sights needs more of them. The three itineraries below use actual prices, for a non-EEA adult, the main audience for this site.

Itinerary Sights Single tickets, added up Pass price Result
Busy 2-day city visit Louvre €32 + Orsay €16 + Sainte-Chapelle €22 + Arc de Triomphe €22 = €92 €92 €85 (2-day) Pass cheaper by €7
4-day visit adding a day trip Louvre €32 + Orsay €16 + Sainte-Chapelle €22 + Arc de Triomphe €22 + Versailles €35 + Orangerie €12.50 = €139.50 €139.50 €105 (4-day) Pass cheaper by €34.50
Relaxed, one paid sight a day Sainte-Chapelle €22 + Cluny €14 + Picasso €16 + Rodin €14 + Orangerie €12.50 + Conciergerie €13 = €91.50 €91.50 €125 (6-day) Single tickets cheaper by €33.50

Sources for the table:35678911131416.

The pattern holds across all three: the pass wins once a trip is dense enough to hit four or more mid-to-large sights, and loses once a visitor spreads the same number of sights across more days at a slower pace. Six days at one paid sight a day is exactly the trip the pass is worst suited to, because the daily rate of the 6-day pass (about €20.83) still has to beat whatever that day’s single ticket costs, and several of the cheaper included sites, such as the Orangerie at €12.50 or Cluny at €14, don’t clear that bar.

Free categories that make the pass pointless

Under-18s enter free at the Louvre, Orsay, the Orangerie, Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Arc de Triomphe and Versailles, among other included sites, and EU nationals or legal residents aged 18 to 25 get the same at most of them35611131416. For travelers in either group, buying the pass adds nothing at those sites; only sites outside those free categories would justify it.

Several included sites also run their own free days regardless of the pass: the Louvre waives admission the first Friday evening of the month after 6 p.m., except in July and August3; the Musée d’Orsay, the Orangerie, the Musée Picasso and the Musée de Cluny are free the first Sunday of the month, though Orsay and the Orangerie still require a booked slot even then5689; Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie are free on the first Sunday of January, February, March and November, with Sainte-Chapelle adding December1113; the Arc de Triomphe follows the same first-Sunday pattern for those same months plus December14. A visit timed around one of these days needs the pass even less.

Who should buy it, and who shouldn't

Buy it if you… Skip it if you…
Have a busy 2-day (or longer) trip covering four or more paid sights such as the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe351114 Are under 18, or an EU national or resident aged 18 to 25 — most included sites are already free for you35111416
Are adding Versailles or another regional château to a city itinerary16 Plan to see one paid sight a day or fewer, since single tickets beat the pass at that pace67891113
Want fewer ticket-window transactions, even though the pass guarantees no priority entry1 Are counting on it for the Eiffel Tower, the Catacombs, Palais Garnier, a Seine cruise, Giverny or Disneyland Paris — none of them accept it2

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Paris Museum Pass include the Louvre?

Yes. The Louvre appears on the pass’s official list of included sites2.

Does the Paris Museum Pass include the Eiffel Tower?

No. The Eiffel Tower is not on the pass’s official list of included sites, and the tower does not sell or accept it2.

How much does the Paris Museum Pass cost?

As of September 2026: €85 for 2 days, €105 for 4 days and €125 for 6 days1.

Do I still need to book a time slot if I have the pass?

Yes, at any site that runs timed entry. Sainte-Chapelle, the Versailles Palace and the Musée d’Orsay all require pass holders to book a slot like any other visitor11155.

How many sights do I need to visit for the pass to be worth it?

On this page’s verified prices, roughly four to five sights in 2 days, six in 4 days, or seven to eight in 6 days, depending on which sights you pick35678911131417.

Who should not buy the Paris Museum Pass?

Under-18s and EU nationals or residents aged 18 to 25, since they already enter free at most included sites, and any visitor planning to see only one paid sight a day35111416.

Sources

  1. Paris Museum Pass — Centre des monuments nationaux and partners. Accessed 2026-09-18.
  2. List of all sites — Paris Museum Pass, official website. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  3. Hours & Admission — Musée du Louvre. Accessed 2026-09-19.
  4. FAQ — Musée du Louvre. Accessed 2026-09-19.
  5. Visit — Musée d’Orsay. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  6. Visit the Orangerie — Musée de l’Orangerie. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  7. Plan Your Visit — Musée Rodin. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  8. Visit — Musée Picasso Paris. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  9. Practical Information — Musée de Cluny. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  10. Opening Times and Prices — Musée de l’Armée. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  11. Practical Information — Sainte-Chapelle, Centre des monuments nationaux. Accessed 2026-09-18.
  12. Frequently Asked Questions — Sainte-Chapelle, Centre des monuments nationaux. Accessed 2026-09-18.
  13. Practical Information — Conciergerie, Centre des monuments nationaux. Accessed 2026-09-18.
  14. Practical Information — Arc de Triomphe, Centre des monuments nationaux. Accessed 2026-09-19.
  15. Practical Information — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-19.
  16. Tickets and Prices — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-19.
  17. Practical Information — Towers of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, Centre des monuments nationaux. Accessed 2026-09-20.