7 Paris Passes & City Cards in Review & Comparison 2023

Description with Review & Verdict:

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All-Inclusive Pass    
Paris Pass    
Turbopass City Pass    
Paris Explorer Pass    
Museum Pass    
Paris Passlib'    
Seine Pass    

Go City All-Inclusive Pass Paris:

With the All-Inclusive Pass from Go City you have to choose between 2, 3, 4 or 6 days durations. Within the chosen period you can visit a large number of included attractions and participate also in many different tours free of charge. The 2-day and 3-day pass include around 30 attractions and tours like the Eiffel Tower via stairs, the observation deck at Tour Montparnasse, a hop-on hop-off bus tour, a Seine river cruise, a guided walk across Montmartre to the Sacré Coeur ... Together with the 4-day and 6-day pass you will get a Museum Pass. This package allows you to visit a total of about 80 attractions. Among the additional museums you will find the Louvre Museum, the Palace of Versailles, the Musée d'Orsay ... There is an upper limit for the total entrance fees* for each variant of the pass. But if you are a normal tourist this upper limit should not bother you as it is hardly achievable.

The 4-day and 6-day All-Inclusive Pass consists of 2 parts, a mobile part which you will receive by e-mail, and the Museum Pass, which you have to pick up on site in the city center of Paris. The mobile pass is valid for the tours and some attractions. The Museum Pass includes, of course, the museums, but also the Palace of Versailles and some monuments such as the Arc de Triomphe. On the following Go City website you will find a list of all museums and historical buildings* which you can visit for free with the Museums Pass. The 4-day and 6-day All-Inclusive Pass do not include a Museum Pass and are simply delivered via e-mail.

The All-Inclusive Pass from Go City is only available online. If you order the pass directly on the provider website, then you have the advantage of a 90-day cancellation option. After ordering, you will receive a part of the pass by email. This will allow you to use this part immediately if you want to. For example, you can ride the hop-on hop-off bus or visit the observation deck at the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper with that part. The Museum Pass for the 4-day and 6-day pass needs to be picked up in person at the city center of Paris*.

All-Inclusive ! VERDICT: With the All-Inclusive Pass from Go City, you purchase a wide range of possibilities for your Paris holiday. However, this all-inclusive sightseeing package does not include public transport. But you have the possibility to visit many top attractions and active tourists will obtain a huge price advantage. A small advantage is the partial mobile pass. If necessary, you can start with some activities immediately after placing the online order. The easiest way is to order the Pass directly from the provider Go City* with 90 days cancellation option.

Paris Pass:

The Paris Pass is almost identical to the All-Inclusive Pass. It gives you the opportunity to choose from up to 80 attractions, museums and sightseeing tours. The 2-day and 3-day Pass gives you an Attractions Paris Pass for about 30 attractions in electronic form. The 4 and 6 days version is made up of two units: Museum Pass, Attractions Paris Pass. The Museum Pass is valid for more than 50 museums, monuments and historic buildings such as the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles and the Arc de Triomphe. The Attractions Paris Pass includes additionally around 30 sightseeing tours and attractions like a hop-on hop-off bus tour, the Eiffel Tower via stairs, the waxworks museum Grévin, the Parc Astérix and the viewing platform at the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper.

Depending on the variant purchased, you may visit your favorites from the respective range of attractions free of charge within 2, 3, 4 or 6 days. Together with the 4 and 6-day variant you will receive a Museum Pass which is then also valid for either 4 or 6 days and you can choose from around 70 attractions in Paris.

You can simply buy the Paris Pass online. The Attractions Paris Pass will be emailed to you right after your order. The Museum Pass can be picked up directly in the center of Paris*. Sometimes there are online promotional prices for 2 to 3 days, which are up to 10 % cheaper at the following web page of the provider*. The 90-day cancellation policy gives you enough flexibility to use the online offers without any risk.

All-Inclusive ! VERDICT: The Paris Pass includes all the major attractions in the city, even the Eiffel Tower via stairs is included for sporty tourists. In addition, you have the opportunity to explore the city with a hop-on hop-off bus tour and a Seine river cruise. If you prefer to explore Paris by foot, you can take a guided walking tour to the artistic district of Montmartre with the Sacré-Coeur. All these possibilities are part of the Paris Pass offer. Thanks to the free cancellation option, you stay flexible with an online order*.

Paris City Pass from Turbopass:

This offer will give you free admission to more than 60 attractions, museums and sightseeing tours in Paris. Beside the City Pass, you will receive a Museum Pass, which is needed for about 50 museums and historic buildings and a Paris Visite Pass, which allows you to use the public transport from zone 1 to 3. Unfortunately, this offer does not include a hop-on hop-off bus and the entry to the Eiffel Tower is only available for an additional fee. But there are a number of guided tours:* Montmartre artistic district with Sacré-Coeur, Stade de France football stadium, Les Caves du Louvre with wine tasting, Opéra Garnier ...

The period of validity for this sightseeing pass is freely selectable between 2 to 6 days. Each variant includes a Museum Pass, which is at least valid for the selected time period. The Museum Pass, which you receive with the 3 and 5-day variant, is even valid for an additional day. If you adjust your sightseeing plan accordingly, you can gain an extra day.

The City Pass can only be ordered online. Unfortunately, there is no mobile or e-mail ticket available. During the online order, you can choose between the shipment of the pass and the documents or the collection at the Galeries Lafayette* in the center of Paris. After the online purchase you have a cancellation option. However, a fee of 30 Euro will be charged for each pass in the case of cancellation. You can simply activate the City Pass within 12 months by filling in the start date. Afterwards you can use it for the selected period.

Active Tip ! VERDICT: The Paris City Pass is the right decision if you like to visit a lot of sights and additionally also want to explore the city by some guided tours. It does not include a hop-on hop-off bus tour, but there is a good selection for guided tours like: Montmartre artistic district with Sacré-Coeur Basilica*

Paris Explorer Pass:

If you make your decision for the Explorer Pass then you have the choice of around 45 attractions in Paris. Among the highlights you will find the Disneyland Paris, a hop-on hop-off bus tour, the Eiffel Tower, the Astérix Park, the Louvre Museum, the Musée d'Orsay, the Grévin Wax Museum and the Montparnasse Tower viewing platform. Unfortunately, the popular excursion destination Palace of Versailles is not covered by the selection of attractions.

When purchasing, you have to choose between 3, 4, 5 or 7 attractions but not a certain time period. The first time you visit or make a reservation for an attraction, the Explorer Pass is activated and is then valid for 60 days. Therefore, this offer is particularly suitable for tourists who like to visit the sights in peace and quiet.

A big advantage of the Explorer Pass is the mobile e-ticket*. When you place an online order, you will receive a digital pass by e-mail with a QR code. Afterwards you can print this code or save it directly on your smartphone. This code will simply be scanned at the respective entrances. That is why this variant is perfect for spontaneous people. And if your plans change, you may cancel any unused pass free of charge* within 90 days after purchase. But please consider the required reservation for some attractions*.

Price-Tip ! VERDICT: The Explorer Pass is especially suitable for tourists who like to visit Disneyland Paris and some top attractions like the Eiffel Tower. The famous museums Louvre and Musée d'Orsay are offered in combination with a guided tour. It is perfect suitable for last-minute bookers because of the mobile e-ticket. Especially attractive are some special offers with up to 10% discount directly at the provider. Sometimes you can find these special prices on following website* for a few days.

Paris Museum Pass:

The Museum Pass has about 50 museums and historical buildings in its program. It is often an element of the other city passes in this overview, but can also be purchased separately as a single offer. Among the top free destinations* are the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Musée d'Orsay, Palace of Versailles, Panthéon ...

You can buy the pass for 48, 96 and 144 hours. As soon as you visit the first museum, the time frame starts and you can visit as many destinations from the offer as you like until the end of the time frame. Please take into account the opening hours of the museums when you make your travel planning. Many museums are closed on Monday or Tuesday. The Louvre Museum, for example, is closed on Tuesday and the Palace of Versailles on Monday. On the following web page you can find an overview of the closing days*.

The Museum Pass can be ordered online directly on the website of the Paris Museum Pass*.. After ordering, the pass will be sent to you by email as a PDF document. If you want you can also buy the pass in one of the many participating museums in Paris.

Price-Tip ! VERDICT: This solution is ideal for museum fans. You will get a cheap solution for your city trip if you are not interested in a bus tour, Seine river cruise or visiting other attractions. If you want to visit popular museums like the Louvre, it may be advantageous to order your pass online. This will give you plenty of time for an online reservation of a time slot for the Louvre Museum visit.

Paris Passlib':

The Paris Passlib' is the official offer for visitors from the Paris Tourist Office and the city. You have the choice between 4 variants: the Mini, the City, the Explore and the Explore+ Passlib'. Depending on the variant, you can choose 3, 5, 6 or 7 attractions in total. But not only the selectable number changes, also the range of attractions and activities. With the Mini you can only choose from 32 offers, while with the Explore+ Passlib' you can choose from a total of 74 offers. Unfortunately, you cannot just choose freely, you have to select 1-3 attractions from different blocks. An overview of all included attractions and activities for the respective pass can be found on the following website*.

The selection at the Mini Passlib' essentially includes a boat trip on the Seine and some museums. Unfortunately, the top museums such as the Louvre Museum and the Musée d'Orsay are only included from the City Passlib'. This also applies to the Eiffel Tower, the observation deck at the Montparnasse Tower and a hop-on hop-off bus tour. With the Paris Passlib’ Explore and Explore + you can choose additionally activities and use the hop-on hop-off bus for 2 days.

The Paris Passlib' is online available, directly on the official Paris Tourism website*. After ordering, you will receive an email with a link for the app installation. With the help of this app, you can easily choose your attractions and organize your visit.

VERDICT: This is the official package deal on the topic sightseeing from the tourist information office Paris. The most important sights such as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre Museum are included from the Paris Passlib' City. The Palace of Versailles is unfortunately not included in any variant. Advantages are the quick availability of the pass in the form of an app and the long validity period of one year. Unfortunately, the layout and the possible selection are a bit complicated. However, under the following link you will get the answers to most questions*.

Seine Pass:

With the Seine Pass, you do not have any choices. The pass is a simple combination of an entrance ticket to the Musée d'Orsay, the entrance to the Sainte-Chapelle Chapel on the Ile de la Cité and a boat tour on the Seine with a drink. You are flexible with the time frame as there are no guidelines, but you have to check the availability when you place your order.

The Seine Pass can only be ordered online. The provider is the ticket portal Tiqets. At the time of ordering, you have to specify all the dates for the entrance tickets and the Seine boat tour. After ordering, you will receive all tickets by e-mail. A change afterwards or a cancellation is unfortunately not possible.

VERDICT: If the selection of the Seine Pass fits to your interests, then you will receive a convenient sightseeing solution with fast ticket delivery via email. Unfortunately you will receive only a small price advantage. Alternatively, you can find also some combo tickets and a lot of single tickets at the provider web page:

Up to 10% discount with Tiqets Promo Code!

Common Questions and Answers:

Which Paris Pass is worthwhile for the Eiffel Tower?

Only four of the Paris Passes tested offer the possibility to visit the Eiffel Tower. The Paris Explorer Pass includes a guided visit with an elevator. The sporty tourists can use the All-Inclusive Pass or the Paris Pass to climb about 700 steps on the Eiffel Tower at a guided tour. From the City version of the Paris Passlib' you get the option for a simple visit of the Eiffel Tower. If you only want to visit the Eiffel Tower, you can also buy cheap tickets directly on the Eiffel Tower website. The visit with elevator to the second level costs about 18.10 €.
So if you just want to visit the Eiffel Tower and no other attractions, a Paris city card is not worthwhile in terms of price. However, if it is more pleasant for you to visit the Eiffel Tower with a guide or if you want also to visit other attractions, then the above mentioned Paris passes can be interesting. At the beginning of the guided visit, you will meet the guide nearby the Eiffel Tower and then you do not need to take care of something else than to enjoy the unforgettable experience. You can also book a guided visit individually: Eiffel Tower Tickets Overview*.

Is a reservation necessary for certain attractions in Paris?

Yes. Currently, a pre-reservation is necessary for a lot of attractions and activities, even if you have a city pass for Paris. Reservations are usually made by e-mail or online directly on the website. Top attractions with a need for reservation are the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and the Arc de Triomphe. Especially in the high season, you should make a reservation of a time slot for these popular attractions early enough. However, please check the specific visit instructions for all attractions, which you want to visit, at the pass provider.
When making your plans, please keep in mind that the Louvre is closed every Tuesday. A lot of museums and historic buildings in France are closed on Monday or Tuesday.

Is the public transportation in Paris included with the city passes?

Some of the city pass offers do include free public transportation. A detailed list with this information can be found in the overview table. If the transportation is included, you will normally receive a Paris Visite travel pass for the zones 1 to 3. Within these zones you may use the metro, trams, buses and trains of RER and SNCF Transilien in Paris. Most of the famous attractions are located in these 3 zones. An exception is the Palace of Versailles, which is located in the zones 4 to 5.

Which Paris Pass includes a free airport transfer?

Even if the public transport is included in the offer, you may only travel in the area of the zone 1 to 3. Charles de Gaulle and Orly Airports are located in Zone 4 to 5. Therefore, Paris Passes do not usually include an airport transfer.