The Paris Museum Pass is worth it in 2026 if you will visit at least four major paid sites in the time it covers, and it is a much better deal if you live outside the EU. The 2-day pass costs EUR 85, while a non-EU adult now pays EUR 32 at the Louvre, EUR 35 for Versailles and EUR 22 at Sainte-Chapelle. Below is the full price table we built from the official sites in October 2026, the break-even math for six realistic plans, and the cases where you should skip the pass.
How much does the Paris Museum Pass cost in 2026?
The official Paris Museum Pass site lists three versions. Validity runs in hours from your first scan, not in calendar days.
| Pass | Price | Valid for | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days | EUR 85 | 48 hours | EUR 42.50 |
| 4 days | EUR 105 | 96 hours | EUR 26.25 |
| 6 days | EUR 125 | 144 hours | EUR 20.83 |
The pass covers the permanent collections of more than 50 museums and monuments in Paris and the Paris region, with one entry per site. Temporary exhibitions aren’t included, and the pass can’t be refunded or exchanged. You can buy it online as an e-ticket or at participating sites. Resellers sell the same pass too, including the Paris Museum Pass listing on GetYourGuide, but they usually charge more than EUR 85, so compare before you pay for convenience.
The 4-day pass costs only EUR 20 more than the 2-day pass. If the sites you’d add on days three and four cost more than EUR 20 together (Versailles alone is EUR 35), the longer pass is the cheaper choice.
What do Paris museums cost without the pass?
Since January 2026, several of the biggest sites charge visitors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) more than EU residents. The pass price is the same for everyone, so this change works in its favor if you live outside the EU. These are adult prices from each site’s official page, checked in October 2026.
| Site | Non-EEA visitor | EEA resident | Pass holders must book a slot? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louvre | EUR 32 | EUR 22 | Yes |
| Versailles Passport (palace, Trianon, gardens) | EUR 35 | about EUR 32* | Yes, for the palace |
| Musée d’Orsay | EUR 16 online (EUR 14 on site) | same | Yes |
| Musée de l’Orangerie | EUR 12.50 timed ticket (EUR 11 on site) | same | Yes |
| Sainte-Chapelle | EUR 22 | EUR 16 | Yes |
| Sainte-Chapelle + Conciergerie combined ticket | EUR 30 | EUR 23 | Yes |
| Arc de Triomphe rooftop | EUR 16 (Oct to Mar), EUR 22 (Apr to Sep) | same | No |
| Panthéon | EUR 13 (Oct to Mar), EUR 16 (Apr to Sep) | same | No |
| Notre-Dame towers | EUR 16 | same | Yes |
| Musée de l’Armée (Napoleon’s tomb) | EUR 17 | same | No |
*The Versailles site lists EUR 35 as the standard Passport price. French press reports say EEA residents keep the lower pre-2026 rate, so check the Versailles ticket page if you hold an EU passport or residence card.
Sources: the Louvre’s admission page, the Centre des monuments nationaux 2026 rate card for the Arc, Sainte-Chapelle and Panthéon, and Visit Paris Region for Orsay. At the Arc de Triomphe and the Panthéon, the low-season price also applies on Wednesdays in high season.
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it? The break-even table
We priced six common plans for one adult, using non-EEA prices and the October-to-March rates at the Arc and the Panthéon. A positive number means the pass saves you money.
| Your plan | Tickets bought separately | Pass you’d need | Saving with the pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louvre + Orsay + Arc de Triomphe | EUR 64 | 2 days, EUR 85 | -EUR 21 |
| Louvre + Orsay + Versailles | EUR 83 | 2 days, EUR 85 | -EUR 2 |
| Louvre + Orsay + Versailles + Arc | EUR 99 | 2 days, EUR 85 | +EUR 14 |
| Louvre + Orsay + Orangerie + Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie + Arc | EUR 106.50 | 2 days, EUR 85 | +EUR 21.50 |
| EEA resident: Louvre + Orsay + Sainte-Chapelle + Arc | EUR 70 | 2 days, EUR 85 | -EUR 15 |
| Four days: all nine sites in the price table | EUR 187.50 | 4 days, EUR 105 | +EUR 82.50 |
The pattern is clear. Three big museums don’t cover the 2-day pass, even with the new Louvre and Versailles prices. A fourth paid site tips it into profit, and the 4-day pass pays off easily for anyone who likes museums and has the time.
In summer the savings grow a little, because the Arc rooftop goes up to EUR 22 and the Panthéon to EUR 16 from April to September.
Who should buy the 2-day pass?
Buy it if you are a non-EU adult with a packed 48 hours that includes the Louvre and at least three other paid sites. The central Paris route in the table above, which never leaves the city, already saves EUR 21.50.
Who should buy the 4-day or 6-day pass?
Buy the 4-day pass if your trip is four or five days long and you want Versailles plus a museum or monument most days. For EUR 20 more than the 2-day version, it also removes the pressure of squeezing everything into 48 hours. The 6-day pass is for long stays and serious museum-goers who will add smaller sites like the Musée de Cluny or a day trip to the Château de Fontainebleau.
Who should skip it?
- Under-18s. Most museums and monuments on the pass are free for them.
- EU residents under 26. National museums are free for you, and the EEA prices make the math weaker anyway.
- Light museum-goers. If your list is the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and a Seine cruise, buy single tickets.
Which sites need a reservation with the pass?
The pass doesn’t replace bookings. According to the official reservation page, pass holders must reserve a free time slot at these sites:
- Musée du Louvre: only a reserved slot guarantees entry with the pass.
- Musée d’Orsay.
- Palace of Versailles: the palace needs a slot (book a free Passport ticket); the Trianon doesn’t.
- Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle: choose the “I already have a ticket” option.
- Notre-Dame towers: choose the Paris Museum Pass ticket type.
- Musée de l’Orangerie.
- Hôtel de la Marine.
Slots are allocated from a quota. Book the Louvre as soon as you know your dates, especially for school holidays. The Louvre made reservations compulsory for every visitor from 17 October to 1 November 2026, pass or no pass. Everywhere else, you walk to the entrance, show the pass and go through security.
The pass skips the ticket line, not the security line. At the Louvre and Versailles the security queue can be the slow part, so an early slot matters more than the pass.
What the Paris Museum Pass doesn’t include
- The Eiffel Tower. It isn’t on the list. If it’s on your plan, book the second-floor and summit elevator ticket separately and early.
- Temporary exhibitions. The pass covers permanent collections only.
- Guided tours and audio guides. If you want a guide at the Louvre, a skip-the-line Louvre tour with the Mona Lisa handles the entry booking for you. Check whether the museum fee is included in the option you choose before counting the Louvre toward your pass.
- The Centre Pompidou, for now. It still appears on the pass’s list of sites, but the building closed in September 2025 for renovation and is due to reopen in 2030.
- The Notre-Dame cathedral floor. Entry to the cathedral is free. Only the towers are a paid visit, and those are covered.
How to get the most out of a 2-day pass
Because validity runs in hours, the start time matters. Activate the pass after lunch on day one and you get the morning of day three as well.
Pick your days around closures. The Louvre and the Orangerie close on Tuesdays. Orsay and Versailles close on Mondays. A Wednesday-to-Friday window avoids all four closures, and it adds late openings: the Louvre stays open until 9 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, and Orsay until 9:45 pm on Thursdays.
A route that saves EUR 21.50 for a non-EU adult:
- Day 1, 1 pm: Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie on the Île de la Cité (book both slots), then walk to the Notre-Dame towers if you have a slot.
- Day 2, morning: the Louvre from opening (9 am). Afternoon: the Orangerie in the Tuileries. Evening: climb the Arc de Triomphe for sunset; no booking is needed with the pass.
- Day 3, before 1 pm: the Musée d’Orsay, which opens at 9:30 am.
Do Versailles on a separate day. Versailles takes most of a day, and the palace opens at 9 am with a timed slot. Fitting it into a 2-day pass usually means rushing the Louvre. That’s another reason the 4-day pass is the better buy for a first visit. If you’d rather have someone handle the logistics, the Versailles guided palace tour with full estate access includes the gardens and the Trianon.
Paris Museum Pass vs single tickets bought online
Single tickets have two advantages: you pay only for what you visit, and you lock in a time slot with the purchase. If you are visiting three sites or fewer, book them directly or through a reseller that adds something useful:
- The Musée d’Orsay reserved-access day ticket if you’d like everything in one app.
- The Versailles Passport ticket with palace, Trianon and gardens for a self-guided day.
- Sainte-Chapelle tickets and tours on Viator, several of which pair the chapel with the Conciergerie.
- Panthéon tickets and tours on Viator if you’d rather visit with a guide.
Resellers often charge more than the official price, so their value is flexibility and free cancellation rather than a lower price. We compared the two biggest platforms in Viator vs GetYourGuide.
Practical tips before you buy
- Check strike notices. The pass’s website warned of possible strike closures on 5 November 2026. On strike days, individual sites may close or open late, so check each site’s own page the night before.
- Use the free evenings. The Louvre is free for everyone after 6 pm on the first Friday of the month, except in July and August. If your dates line up, that changes the math.
- Bring ID. With separate EEA and non-EEA prices, sites can ask for proof of residence before giving you the lower rate or free entry.
- Keep data on your phone. You’ll need the pass, the booking confirmations and maps on the go. A Europe eSIM from Airalo avoids roaming charges; our Airalo vs local SIM vs roaming comparison explains when it’s the cheapest option.
The same logic applies to other big-ticket cities. Our skip-the-line hacks for Europe’s busiest sights covers timed tickets from the Vatican to the Sagrada Família, and Colosseum tickets explained does the same math for Rome.
For where to eat and sleep between museums, open Maya Barkan’s Paris map or Traveliri’s Paris map on Guidez. Both are in Hebrew, and every place is pinned so you can plan your museum days by neighborhood.
