Which pass pays off?
Calculated in October 2026 at the full adult rate for visitors from outside the EEA, using the entry prices listed below (Louvre €32 (~$35), Orsay €16 (~$18), Sainte-Chapelle €22 (~$24), Conciergerie €15 (~$16), Arc de Triomphe €22 (~$24), Versailles Passport €35 (~$38)). Pass prices: parismuseumpass.fr / visitparisregion.com and gocity.com/paris.
| Trip | Example itinerary | Single tickets | Paris Museum Pass | Paris Pass / Go City | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days | Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, Conciergerie, Arc de Triomphe | €107 (~$118) | €85 (~$94) | €199 (~$219) (you would need €92 (~$101) of paid attractions on top of the museums) | Museum Pass: saves €22 (~$24) (only €6 for an EEA resident) |
| 4 days | The 5 sites above + Château de Versailles | €142 (~$156) | €105 (~$116) | €279 (~$307) (€137 (~$151) of extras to recoup) | Museum Pass: saves €37 (~$41) |
| 6 days | The same 6 sites (more sites = more savings) | €142 (~$156) | €125 (~$138) | €309 (~$340) (€167 (~$184) of extras to recoup) | Museum Pass: saves €17 (~$19), more if you add sites; Go City only if you string together cruises and experiences |
The three offers, in brief
The Paris Museum Pass (parismuseumpass.fr) gives access only to the entrance of some sixty museums and monuments in Paris and the Île-de-France region (the Louvre, Orsay, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Arc de Triomphe and the Château de Versailles among the best known). It includes neither transport, nor the Eiffel Tower, nor temporary exhibitions. Its validity is counted in consecutive hours (48h, 96h or 144h) from the first validated entry, not in calendar days from purchase.
The Paris Pass (parispass.com) is today operated by the company Go City (formerly Leisure Pass Group), which launched the brand in 2005 and continues to run it under this historic name. In practice, the offer sold on parispass.com ("Paris Pass Plus") corresponds to the same product as the "All-Inclusive Plus" pass sold on gocity.com/paris: access to more than 80 attractions, a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus and a Paris Museum Pass included in the package. At the time of checking, the two websites therefore sell an equivalent offer under two different commercial guises — something to bear in mind so as not to pay twice for the same service when comparing the websites rather than the actual content of the pass.
Go City Paris offers two distinct formats on gocity.com: the Explorer Pass, where you choose your own number of attractions (3 to 7 from 36), valid for 30 days from first use; and the All-Inclusive Pass Plus, which gives unlimited access to more than 80 attractions over 2 to 6 consecutive days, with the Paris Museum Pass and sightseeing bus included (this is the same product that is also sold under the Paris Pass brand).
Tourist pass comparison table
| Criterion | Paris Museum Pass | Paris Pass (Go City) | Go City Paris — Explorer Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is included | Entry to ~50-60 museums and monuments only | 80+ attractions + hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus + Paris Museum Pass included | 3 to 7 attractions of your choice from 36 |
| Public transport included | No | No (the private sightseeing bus is included, not the RATP/SNCF network) | No |
| Eiffel Tower included | No, never | Depending on availability/separate ticketing, to be checked at the time of purchase | Depending on the attraction chosen, to be checked |
| Validity period | 48h / 96h / 144h in consecutive hours from the 1st entry | 2, 4 or 6 consecutive days | 30 rolling days from 1st use |
| Booking still required with the pass | Compulsory time slot at some very busy sites, even with the pass | Same, depends on the site visited | Same, depends on the site visited |
| Indicative price (adult, price observed on 27/09/2026) | €85 (~$94) (2 days) · €105 (~$116) (4 days) · €125 (~$138) (6 days) | €199 (~$219) (2 days) · €279 (~$307) (4 days) · €309 (~$340) (6 days) — All-Inclusive, gocity.com/paris, 11/10/2026 | From €84 (~$92) for 3 attractions |
| Target audience | Visitors who go from museum to museum at a brisk pace | Visitors who combine museums, monuments and non-museum attractions (parks, experiences) over a stay of several days | Visitors who want 3 to 7 specific experiences without an unlimited package |
What really sets these passes apart
The Paris Museum Pass is a pure "museum pass": no transport, no park-type attractions or experiences, but a considerably lower price if your stay is centred on classic cultural heritage. The Go City passes (Paris Pass and Explorer Pass) widen the scope to non-museum attractions — cruises, experiences, theme parks depending on the period — at the price of a more expensive package, whose value depends heavily on the number of attractions actually visited.
A point to watch that applies to all three offers: the pass does not always exempt you from booking a time slot. At high-traffic sites (the Sainte-Chapelle, Orsay at peak times for timed ticketing), booking a slot remains compulsory for all visitors, pass or no pass — check this constraint site by site before setting off.
Three worked examples of value
The entry prices below are those observed on the official websites on 27/09/2026, full adult rate without discounts.
Example 1 — A 2-day stay, 4 sites (Louvre, Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle)
Combined entry prices (visitor resident outside the European Economic Area, full rate, high season): Louvre €32 + Orsay €16 + Arc de Triomphe €22 (high-season rate) + Sainte-Chapelle €22 = €92, against a 2-day Paris Museum Pass at €85. The pass saves €7, a marginal gain.
For a resident of the European Economic Area, the Louvre drops to €22 and the Sainte-Chapelle to €16: the total falls to €76, less than the price of the pass (€85). In this specific case, the pass does not pay off for just these four sites — individual tickets work out cheaper.
Practical conclusion: with only 4 sites in 2 days, whether the Museum Pass pays off depends heavily on your residence status (differentiated EU/non-EU rates in force since 2026 at several sites) and easily tips one way or the other. Adding a fifth site (the Conciergerie, €15) tips the balance in favour of the pass in both scenarios.
Example 2 — A 4-day stay, 6 sites including Versailles
Louvre €32 + Orsay €16 + Sainte-Chapelle €22 + Conciergerie €15 + Arc de Triomphe €22 + Château de Versailles (Passport ticket, full estate access) €35 = €142, against a 4-day Paris Museum Pass at €105. The pass saves €37, which makes it a sound choice for an intensive, heritage-focused stay.
Example 3 — A Paris Pass (Go City) over 2 days, with varied attractions
For a Paris Pass at €199 over 2 days (sightseeing bus + Museum Pass + attractions included), breaking even means visiting a large number of high-value attractions (cruise, monuments, paid experiences) on top of the classic museums — a very intensive pace, hardly compatible with a relaxed voyage of discovery. This type of pass only becomes worthwhile for visitors who genuinely plan to string together numerous paid activities every day; prices of the extras vary, so check them against your own list of attractions before buying.
An important clarification: the Centre Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou, usually included in the Paris Museum Pass, is closed for renovation from late 2025 until 2030. It is therefore not among the sites that can currently be visited with any of these passes, which slightly reduces the value of the package for modern art lovers for the duration of the works.
Go City Explorer Pass vs Paris Pass vs Paris Museum Pass: which is which?
The names are confusing, so here is the short version. As checked on the official sites in October 2026, the Paris Pass site (parispass.com) carries Go City branding and sells the same two products as gocity.com/paris: the "Paris Pass Explorer" is the Go City Explorer Pass, and the "Paris Pass" is the Go City All-Inclusive Pass. The Paris Museum Pass (parismuseumpass.fr) is a separate product. These landing pages show no price until you choose a pass and dates, so compare the final total at checkout; short promotions exist.
- Go City Explorer Pass: choose 3 to 7 attractions as you go. The official page lists the Eiffel Tower and a Seine river cruise among 30+ options. Best for a first visit with a few big paid sights; it pays off only if the single tickets you would really buy add up to more than the pass.
- Paris Pass / Go City All-Inclusive Pass: 2 to 6 days of unlimited attractions, with a Paris Museum Pass and about 50 extra museums, attractions and food and drink experiences. Best for visitors planning three or more full days of back-to-back visits; a slow-paced trip rarely recoups it.
- Paris Museum Pass: museums and monuments only (the Louvre, Versailles and more), no Eiffel Tower. Best for culture-focused trips, and the cheapest of the three per site visited.
Looking for a "Paris sightseeing pass"? Start with the numbers in the table at the top, then buy only from the official sites above: resellers show conflicting prices and add their own fees.
Our selection method
This comparison covers the three tourist pass offers whose existence and content could be verified on their respective official websites at the time of writing. It does not claim to name an "objectively better" pass: value depends entirely on the number and type of sites you intend to visit, as the worked examples above show. Always add up the individual tickets for your own itinerary before deciding.
