The Paris Pass®: 40+ Attractions Including Eiffel Tower

The Paris Pass is less a tour than a sightseeing toolkit. You choose from more than 40 attractions over one to six days, from an Eiffel Tower guided climb and Seine cruise to wine tasting, neighborhood walks, food stops, and major landmarks.

I like the freedom to mix famous sights with smaller activities. I also like the Go City app, which puts opening hours, reservation links, and an itinerary planner on your phone. The catch is that the pass only pays off if you keep moving, and some popular attractions need reservations before you activate it.

The Eiffel Tower option is a climb, not a lift ride. If stairs are a problem, you will need to arrange the lift separately, as one pass holder had to do.

Key Points to Know Before You Buy

• The Eiffel Tower entry is a guided climb: Expect stairs rather than a lift, so check this carefully before counting it as a main benefit.
• The Paris Museum Pass is an upgrade: The basic pass does not automatically include the Louvre, Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, and other major museums.
• You can build your own sightseeing day: Combine a river cruise, food stop, walking tour, and museum or landmark instead of following a fixed route.
• The pass runs on calendar days: A two-day pass is valid for two consecutive calendar days, not 48 hours from the first scan.
• Reservations matter: Some activities use fixed time slots, and popular places can fill before you are ready to visit.
• Value depends on pace: Three or four activities a day can make the pass worthwhile, but a slow Paris holiday may not.

What the Paris Pass Actually Gives You

The basic Paris Pass includes digital admission to 40 or more attractions, tours, and activities. You choose a one, two, three, four, or six-day version, then activate it when you visit your first included attraction.

The pass is valid for one year from the purchase date before activation. Once activated, it runs for the number of consecutive calendar days you bought. Start a two-day pass at 4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday is your final day, not Wednesday afternoon.

At $91 per person, the pass can be good value for an active itinerary. The advertised savings reach up to 50 percent compared with buying individual admission, but that figure depends on the attractions you select and how many you fit into each day.

You can use each included attraction once. That matters if you are tempted to treat the pass as a flexible return ticket. It is designed for variety, not repeated museum visits.

The digital format is convenient. After booking, you receive instructions to download the pass, and you can store it in the Go City app. Bring a charged smartphone, since your phone is your ticket and planning tool.

The Eiffel Tower Climb Is Not the Usual Tower Visit

The Eiffel Tower guided climb is one of the biggest reasons people notice this pass. It offers a more active way to see the tower, with stairs taking the place of a standard lift entry.

That distinction is easy to miss in a quick comparison. If you have bad knees, limited mobility, or simply do not want a stair climb, do not assume the pass covers the lift. You may need to buy a separate lift option.

For fit visitors who like an active visit, the climb can be a memorable use of the pass. For everyone else, count it as an optional extra rather than the foundation of your Paris plan.

The pass also includes Tour Montparnasse, which gives you a different view of Paris. Since the Eiffel Tower itself is absent from that view, it can be a useful pairing: climb one landmark, then look back at it from another.

Seine Cruise and Big Bus Tour

The one-day Big Bus Paris Hop-On Hop-Off Tour gives you a broad introduction to the city without asking you to study a transit map on your first morning. It can help you connect far-apart districts and decide where you want to return on foot.

The Seine River Cruise with Bateaux Parisiens offers a gentler break. You see Paris from the water and pass under its bridges while giving your feet a rest. I would pair the cruise with a museum or walking tour, rather than stacking it beside several other seated activities.

Transportation to and from attractions is not included unless an attraction specifically says otherwise. The Big Bus tour and river cruise are included activities, but you still need to reach their departure points.

The pass does not cover your general Metro, bus, or taxi costs. Keep that in your daily budget, especially if you choose attractions scattered around Paris.

Museums, Versailles, and the Paris Museum Pass Upgrade

The basic Paris Pass is not the same as an all-inclusive museum pass. For the Louvre, Palace of Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Orsay Museum, Sainte-Chapelle, Orangerie Museum, Picasso Museum, Rodin Museum, and other listed museums, you need the Paris Pass Plus upgrade.

The upgrade adds the Paris Museum Pass for two to six-day Paris Pass Plus options. A two-day or three-day Paris Pass Plus includes a two-day Paris Museum Pass, so follow the separate download instructions before your sightseeing begins.

That extra step is important. You need both your Go City attraction ticket and the museum pass available for scanning at the appropriate museums. Downloading only the main pass can leave you at the entrance without the document you need.

The museum pass can be the strongest part of the upgrade. It may provide access past the ticket line at included museums and monuments, which matters at places where buying admission on the spot can eat up a large part of your morning.

Still, do not treat line skipping as a promise of instant entry. Security checks, timed reservations, and crowd controls can still apply. Check the app and reservation instructions for each museum.

The Louvre alone can justify careful planning, but it can also consume half a day or more. If you want a long, unhurried visit, do not schedule too many other stops around it. Versailles also needs travel time and attention, so it fits best into a day built around the palace rather than as a quick add-on.

Food and Drink Stops That Add Local Flavor

The pass is not limited to monuments. You can use it for a Parisian breakfast at Café Louise, a croque monsieur with a Champagne cocktail by the Seine, French wine tasting at Les Caves du Louvre, and French sweet crepes near the Arc de Triomphe.

These stops can make the pass feel less like a checklist. I like using one food activity as a natural pause between major sights. You get a meal or tasting, a neighborhood setting, and a chance to experience a smaller slice of Paris without paying another admission fee.

Les Caves du Louvre was especially popular with pass holders because it offers something different from a standard museum visit. It gives you a reason to slow down and enjoy the city through French wine rather than racing from one famous doorway to the next.

Other food options include Champagne Gourmand in Montmartre, a French apéro in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and another listed Montmartre Champagne Gourmand experience. Check the exact activity name, location, inclusions, and reservation rules in the app before setting out, since similarly named experiences can be easy to confuse.

Food and drinks are not generally included unless the attraction specifically says they are. For the included breakfast, tasting, or set item, read what is covered before you arrive.

Walking Tours in Montmartre, Le Marais, and Saint-Germain

The walking tours are useful if you want context without committing to a full-day guided excursion. Options include Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Latin Quarter, Parisian women, covered passages, the Marais, Montparnasse, the Seine bridges, and Père Lachaise scandals and love affairs.

I would not try to do several walking tours in one day. Pick the area that matches your plans and use the tour to give structure to a neighborhood you might otherwise wander through without knowing what you are seeing.

Montmartre pairs naturally with a Champagne stop or Sacré-Coeur visit. Saint-Germain-des-Prés works well with the French apéro. The Marais and covered passages can fit around central sightseeing, while Père Lachaise is better treated as its own outing.

The Notre Dame and Archaeological Crypt Experience needs careful reading, too. The pass includes an experience connected with Île de la Cité that ends at Notre Dame, rather than a simple Notre Dame interior tour. That difference matters if you are buying the pass mainly for cathedral entry.

Plenty of Choices Beyond the Main Sights

The long attraction list is useful for repeat visitors and families who do not want every day to revolve around museums. You can choose the Aquarium de Paris, Grevin Paris wax museum, Paradox Museum Paris, the Gourmet Chocolate Museum Choco-Story, or the Perfume Mini Workshop by Fragonard.

There is also a self-guided tour of the Opéra National de Paris, a Galeries Lafayette fashion show, a How to Become Parisian in One Hour show, Rex Studios with afternoon popcorn, and a Stade de France tour.

For a family day, options include Parc Astérix, PanoraMagique at Disney Village, the aquarium, and the museums with interactive displays. These choices can help if rain, tired children, or a second visit to Paris changes your plans.

The Emily in Paris unofficial tour is aimed at fans of the television series. It may not be a priority for a first-time visitor with limited time, but it gives you a themed way to see parts of the city.

The selection also includes Ballon de Paris Generali, a Montparnasse neighborhood walk, and other activities that are easy to overlook when you focus only on the Louvre and Eiffel Tower. This is where the pass can send you to parts of Paris you might not otherwise plan to visit.

Planning a Two-Day or Three-Day Pass

A one-day pass is difficult to use well unless you begin early and choose attractions close together. You might combine a morning Big Bus route, an afternoon landmark or museum, a Seine cruise, and one food or evening activity, but fixed time slots can limit your choices.

Two days can work if you map your route in advance. Group central sights together, then use a separate day for Montmartre, Montparnasse, or attractions outside the center.

Three days offer a more workable balance. You can visit several paid attractions each day without turning every hour into a race. One pass holder found three or four activities per day enough to make the purchase feel worthwhile, while another found it hard to fit everything into three days.

That is the central calculation. Count the individual prices of the exact attractions you want, then compare that total with the pass. Do not count an attraction merely because it sounds appealing. If you would not pay to visit it, it does not add real value to your calculation.

A four-day or six-day pass suits an energetic itinerary with a mix of museums, tours, food activities, and landmarks. It also gives you room to change plans when a museum is full or a timed activity does not fit.

Reservations, App Problems, and Practical Planning

The Go City app is meant to handle attraction details, opening hours, itinerary planning, and reservations. Use it before your trip, not only after you arrive.

Some activities have very specific time slots. Popular attractions can also fill before you activate the pass, which creates a tricky problem: certain reservations may need planning before your first scan, but your pass may not activate until that first visit.

The safest approach is to map out your preferred attractions in advance and check each reservation rule. Do not assume every attraction accepts a simple walk-up scan.

The app and reservation links may not always be easy to use. Have the PDF guide available as a backup, and save the required museum pass separately when you buy Paris Pass Plus.

Carry your phone fully charged and keep both digital passes easy to open. At museums, you may need to show both the attraction ticket and the Paris Museum Pass. A screenshot may not replace whatever the attraction requires, so follow the download instructions provided.

Who Gets the Best Value

This pass suits you if you enjoy full sightseeing days and want to combine major sights with activities you might not buy separately. It is also useful if you want the option of a wine tasting, neighborhood walk, food stop, or show when you are tired of museums.

It works particularly well for first-time visitors who want a ready-made menu of choices. The app can reduce planning work, though it does not remove the need to plan.

The pass is less useful for a slow Paris break. If your ideal day includes one museum, a long lunch, and aimless walking, individual tickets may cost less and give you more breathing room.

It may also be a poor fit if the Eiffel Tower lift is essential, since the included option is a guided stair climb. Families and older visitors should check the physical demands of each activity before counting it toward the pass value.

Should You Buy the Paris Pass?

Buy it if you can name several included attractions you genuinely want and you are ready to schedule three or four activities on most pass days. The Paris Pass Plus is the better choice if the Louvre, Versailles, Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, or several other museums are central to your plans.

Skip it if you want a loose schedule, plan to spend long stretches in one museum, or dislike booking fixed time slots. At $91, the pass can save money, but only through active use.

My practical choice would be a two or three-day pass for a compact first visit, with the route planned before activation. Add the museum upgrade when the Louvre and Versailles are priorities. Treat the Eiffel Tower climb as a bonus, not a substitute for lift access.

FAQ

How long is the Paris Pass valid?

You can buy a pass valid for one, two, three, four, or six days. After activation, it remains valid for the number of consecutive calendar days purchased, not 24-hour periods.

When does the pass activate?

The pass activates when you visit your first included attraction. It remains unused before that first visit and is valid for one year from the purchase date.

Does the Paris Pass include the Louvre?

The basic Paris Pass does not include the Louvre. The Paris Pass Plus upgrade adds the Paris Museum Pass, which includes the Louvre and other listed museums.

Does the pass include the Palace of Versailles?

Versailles is included through the Paris Museum Pass upgrade, not the basic Paris Pass.

Is the Eiffel Tower lift included?

The listed Eiffel Tower option is a guided climb. The lift is not included in that activity, so you may need to arrange lift access separately.

Do I need reservations?

Some attractions and tours require reservations, often for specific time slots. Use the Go City app to check requirements and make reservations where needed.

Can I visit an attraction more than once?

No. Each included attraction can be visited once during the pass validity period.

Is transportation included?

Transportation to and from attractions is not included unless specifically stated. The pass does include certain transport-based activities, such as the Big Bus tour and Seine river cruise.

Can I cancel the booking?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.