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Upper chapel of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris with tall stained glass windows

Which museums need a time slot despite the Paris Museum Pass

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At 6 places a time slot is mandatory even with the pass, including Versailles, Sainte-Chapelle and the Notre-Dame towers. At the Louvre it is practically necessary. Why this shifts the pass calculation.

In short: at 6 places in the Paris Museum Pass a time slot is mandatory even with the pass, according to the evidence. At the Louvre it is practically necessary, and at the Hôtel de la Marine the information is contradictory. These very places carry the calculation: in the 2-day example, €77 of the €108 individual price falls on places with a time slot. The 2-day pass costs €110 (EEA prices and pass price, as of 24 Sep 2026). Book the time slots first and then use the Paris Museum Pass calculator.

The overview

PlaceTime slot with passNote
Notre-Dame towersMandatory, even with the passNo ticket sales on site. Booking is free, but the quota of free tickets per time slot is limited. Only the tower tour is in the pass, the cathedral itself charges no admission.
Château de VersaillesMandatory: free Passeport ticket with time slotTime slot only for the palace, Trianon without reservation.
Musée d'OrsayMandatory, freeMandatory since 10 Mar 2026 according to the museum, during the construction work until summer 2028.
Musée de l'OrangerieMandatory, freeClosed on Tuesdays.
Sainte-ChapelleMandatory, freeShared booking system with the Conciergerie.
ConciergerieMandatory, freeShared booking system with the Sainte-Chapelle.
Musée du LouvrePractically necessary, freeIssuer: only a time slot guarantees entry. Louvre itself: recommended.
Hôtel de la MarineContradictoryIssuer: reservation with pass, free. Venue's own page: entry only on the same day without booking, subject to availability. With the pass only the tour of the Intendant's apartments.

At the Notre-Dame towers, pass holders count among the visitors with free admission. For them there is only a limited quota of free tickets per time slot. Once it is used up, only paid tickets for €16 can be booked. So book the towers early. At the other places with a requirement, booking is free.

Why this matters for the pass calculation

The pass runs to the exact hour from the first visit, so 48 hours for the 2-day pass. If you start on day 1 at 10:00, it ends on day 3 at 10:00. If you only get a time slot for the Louvre after it has expired, the biggest item drops out of the pass. Then the pass only covers admissions worth €86. With the pass and a Louvre ticket (€22) you pay €132, €24 more than everything individually. Even with the Louvre in the pass, the 2-day pass in this example is €2 above the single tickets.

In the 4-day example with the Louvre, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie, Notre-Dame towers, Crypte, Fontainebleau, Orsay, Armée and Rodin, €77 of the €151 individual price falls on places with a mandatory or practically mandatory time slot. The order is therefore: book the time slots first, then place your first visit so that all booked appointments fall within the validity period.

Places without reservation in our evidence

For these places we found no time-slot requirement with the pass: Arc de Triomphe, Panthéon, Musée de l'Armée, Musée Rodin, Musée de Cluny, Musée Guimet, Crypte archéologique, Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, Château de Vincennes, Basilique de Saint-Denis and Château de Fontainebleau.

At the Musée national Picasso-Paris and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs an online reservation is recommended but not required. The Picasso Museum is closed on Mondays, the Orangerie on Tuesdays. At the Musée du quai Branly all visitors need a time slot on the first Sunday of the month, but admission is free on that day anyway.

Only book through the venue or the issuer

The issuer itself warns about fake sites that imitate museum ticketing systems. You book the time slots for pass holders on the page of the respective venue or via the issuer's reservation page. Which places are in the pass and what they cost individually is listed under attractions in the Paris Museum Pass.

What is still open

  • Hôtel de la Marine: the issuer lists the place among the reservations, but according to the Hôtel de la Marine entry is only on the same day without booking, subject to availability. Allow a buffer there.
  • Louvre: the Louvre recommends a time slot, and the issuer writes that only a time slot guarantees entry with the pass.
  • Versailles and Orangerie: the time-slot requirement is documented. We do not include the individual prices (Versailles €22 until 31 Mar, Orangerie €12.50 online, as of 8 Nov 2026) in the examples.

Calculate my trip

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Paris Museum Pass cost?

At Tiqets the pass costs €110 for 2 days, €129 for 4 days and €159 for 6 days (as of 24 Sep 2026). There is no child pass, and under 18 admission is free at most places anyway. The time slots for pass holders are free.

Do I need to reserve at the Louvre with the Paris Museum Pass?

The Louvre recommends a time slot, and the issuer writes that only a time slot guarantees entry with the pass. Booking is free.

Can I visit the Notre-Dame towers with the pass without booking?

No. Booking a time slot is mandatory for pass holders too, and no tickets are sold on site. Booking is free as long as the quota of free tickets in the desired time slot lasts, after that only paid tickets for €16 are available (as of 1 Oct 2026).

Sources

Prices can change. Admission and card prices change, sometimes at short notice. We check admission prices at the official source and card prices with the ticket provider you book through. We show the date for every price and check all prices again once a month. The price shown to you at checkout is always the one that applies. If you spot an outdated price, let us know at info@citycardcheck.com.

Data source: Reservation rules from the issuer's reservation page and the venues' own pages, checked on 1 Oct 2026. Individual prices for EEA citizens from our price database (as of 24 Sep 2026), pass price from the ticket provider Tiqets, where you can book (as of 24 Sep 2026), combined ticket Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie from the Sainte-Chapelle page.

Photo: Bram Bakkers / Unsplash

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