Cheapest Paris Travel Pass Guide Over 60 Attractions Entry For Free (Free Transportation)

This is our first time visiting the City of Love, Paris! We never expected to come here, as we've got a pair of free tickets to Paris, thanks to L'oreal Paris!

In this post, I'm just going to share some important points that might help you if you're travelling to Paris. 

For example:

1) The Cheapest Paris Pass Free Entrance to Over 60 Locations (Free Metro Train and Bus)

2) How to get around Paris using the Metro Train

3) Which Hotel to Stay At Paris?

4) Disneyland Paris

5) Eiffel Tower

6) Louvre Museum (The iconic Pyramid-shaped building)

7) The Love Bridge (Pont De Arts)

8) Other Great Attractions in Paris

9) Best Food in Paris

10) Cheapest Place to Get Souvenirs in Paris

11) Uber rides in Paris

12) The Darker Side of Paris

The Paris Pass

All right, let's talk about Paris Pass, the best one we've found so far (based on the cheapest price, most attractions and popularity) is The Paris Pass. We got our 6 day Paris Pass during the most peaked Summer season for €375. Keep an eye on their website, sometimes, there will be promotion where you can get as cheap as €200 for 6 days.

What's so good about The Paris Pass? The main thing is that you can enter over 60 main attraction locations (plus skip queue using the fast-track) for free just by showing your Paris Pass card! All the best attractions in Paris that you would have spent average around €20 entry fee per person is absolutely free which will save you a lot if you're planning to visit most of these exciting locations in Paris. From Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower, Aquarium De Paris, Arc De Triomphe, Palace of Versallies, a huge list of museums to river cruise, you are eligible to enter all of these for free (You can click individual attraction links above to see the prices). Imagine for a second, without the Paris Pass, if there are two of you, when you're entering 10 locations, you will need to already spend €20 (Average Entrance Fee) x 2 (Person) x 10 (Locations) = €400.

If you think that's not enough, you can save a lot on transportation cost with Paris Pass, you can take any Metro Train (From Zone 1 to 3 only) for free. On top of all public buses (RATP Bus) and Tramways within the same zone are free too (You just need to insert the same ticket upon entering a bus or tramways. For metro train, utilize it at the automated gate within a RER metro train station)

Here's how the single All-in-One ticket that you can use for all buses, Tramways and metro train will look like.

All right, all right, it's not just that! You can also get discounts and free gifts at certain places or restaurants as below. Enter a location and wave your Paris Pass and redeem them right away.

We got ourselves a pair of free gifts from Hard Rock Cafe Paris on top of a free starter when we order a meal at the cafe. It's just amazing and enjoyable experience when you can have The Paris Pass.

Once you've purchased The Paris Pass online, you can either get them to post it to you or collect it at The Paris Pass store which is located at Auber train station. Here's the exact location of The Paris Pass store, there's a big sign that says Big Bus Paris. Not to mention, you will also get a free one trip on a Big Bus Paris (worth €38) which tours around the attractions around Paris for free.

You can read more details on how to use the metro train as below.

How to Get Around Paris using Metro Train

All right, the next thing that I'm going to explain is how to use the Metro Train in Paris and here are some great tips to help you get started. If you don't know how to get around Paris, then it will be quite hard, so let's jump straight into it.

First off, once you've reached at any train station, you will need to know the direction where the trains are heading. Look up at the sign boards and you will see:

Quest = West (Left)

Nord = North (Up)

Est = East (Right)

Sud = South (Down)

All right, now let's have a look at the Metro map (which you can get from any ticket counters), the center point location of Paris is Chatelet Les Halles and if you're going North, get to a station where it's saying Nord (North) with Blue color code. In the other hand, if you're going south, follow the Blue sign towards Sud (South) station. If you're heading East, follow the Red Sign towards Est (East) and West, follow the Red Sign towards Ouest (West). Once you understand this basic directional rule, you can go anywhere without any issues.

Also take note, The Paris Pass only allows you to travel for free within Zone 1 - 3 as marked in the map above. 

Here's a very important tip, let's say you're at Chatlete Les Halles (as circled below), and you wanted to go to Disneyland Paris at Marne-la-Vallée (Zone 5), you have to buy tickets at Chatlet Les Halles. You can't stop at the edge of zone 3 for example, Neuilly Plasance and buy tickets there, it won't work and you'll have issue to pass the metro automated gate as your Paris Pass ticket won't be valid there. Once you got the ticket, from Chatlet Les Halles, take the Est (East) Red station towards Marne-la-Vallée until you reached Disneyland. The theme park is just outside of the metro station there.

In the other hand, if you're going to Auber (To collect your Paris Pass), you can take the train towards Ouest (West) on the red station. 

Another tip to ensure that you're on the correct train is to look at the lights inside the train before you board in. The lights indicated that the locations have been visited by the train. So pay attention to the dim location next to the light. For example below, The train has visited Richard-Lenoir, next destination is Breguet-Sabin.

So when you look at the overall map and popular attractions listed in the map below, you will have an idea which direction you're going and whether you're in the correct train or not. All the popular attractions are marked with a circle orange icon in below map for your convenience.

Finally, instead of just going top-down and left-right, you can take metro trains on diagonal directions, for instance, train routes marked with green and yellow color on the map. A pretty good example here, let's say you're at the south which is Bagneux and wish to go to the Eiffel Tower. The fastest way to get there, is to take a metro train towards North and stop at Denfert Rochereau. Once you've reached, take a train towards West (Green Color coded) towards Champs de Mars Tour Eiffel or Bir-Hakeim. The Eiffel Tower is just a walking distance from the metro station.

There are also Tramways routes marked with purple color on the map. Tramways are above on the surface roads instead of underground subways. Some locations might need you to take the Tramways to reach another subway or your designated location.

Which Hotel To Stay At Paris?

If you're going to Paris and wish to visit most of the attraction places, best to stay nearby Chatlet Les Halles as it's right in the middle and the attractions are mostly nearby. You can do a quick Google Search for Hotels At Chatlet Les Halles and you can choose the one suitable for you based on price and ratings.

We've marked the center point which is Chatlet Les Halles Metro station. As you can see there a lot of great hotels nearby this area.

Disneyland Paris

We've already given you some info on how to get to Disneyland Paris from above (How to Get Around Paris using Metro Train). This place is so huge, magical and being rated in the Top 10 Best Disneyland in the World.

Before purchasing tickets via their website, be sure to check their calendar for either Mini, MAGIC or SUPER MAGIC. MAGIC and SUPER MAGIC will have move events and parade going on for visitors to see their favorite Disney Characters.

We went to Disneyland on a White Monday which is a MAGIC season, we got the chance to see Disney Characters parading including Rapunzel & Eugene, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Frozen Princesses, Aladdin, Genie & Princess Jasmine and many more.

The rides (land and water) here are so magical, we had such an enjoyable time here in Disneyland Paris. Most of the rides here are family friendly, but be sure to check the brochure for theme park info because some of the rides are not suitable for pregnant woman and people with health complications.

Exploring Disneyland will take you hours and hours that will guarantee excitement of a lifetime. From the picture below, top right photo is showing the Majestic Sleeping Beauty Castle (Tallest building in Disneyland) and top left is showing the entrance of Disneyland Park with Mickey Mouse Clock Tower.

Sometimes while exploring your favorite Disney characters' lair or domain such as Sleeping Beauty Castle or Mickey Mouse home, you might be able to meet and take pictures with your favorite Disney characters (there will usually be long queue on peak seasons).

Food is amazing here you can find local French cuisine, western food, snacks and fast food. You can also bring your own food and water if you wish if you would like to save more. 

There are also a lot of souvenirs shops which you can grab your favorite Disney merchandise and bring back home. 

For the rest of the places in Disneyland Paris, we'll let you explore and find out yourself. We'll leave you a map down below.

Map image courtesy of Disneyland Paris

All right, it's not over yet, there are a total of 2 parks and just at the opposite side of Disneyland Paris is Walt Disney Studios Paris (This is a place for Thrill-seekers). You can get 2-in-1 ticket from the booking page at Disneyland Paris site here. Also, if you're a big fan of Avengers, here's the place to find live shows and your favorite Avengers characters which will be around depending on season. 

Although, it is very important that you should check the theme park brochure first for the rides, as most of the rides here in Walt Disney Studios Paris are not suitable for pregnant woman and people with health complications. We tried the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith and it's the scariest experience we had in our entire lives.

For the rest of the places within Walt Disney Studio Paris, we'll leave it up to you to explore and you can check out the map below for more info.

Map image courtesy of Disneyland Paris

Eiffel Tower

If you're in Paris, you don't want to miss Eiffel Tower, the most iconic building structure in the entire city! You can check our guide above on how to get around in Paris using metro, we've provided info on how to get to the Eiffel Tower which is located in Champs de Mars.

This place is packed with tourists, getting into the area to ascend the tower itself, you will see very long queue, however, it will be worth it to get on top of the tower to experience it for yourself.

Here's a map below showing the routes that we took while we're at Eiffel Tower which might be able to help you navigate around and know what's available nearby.

We started off from the metro station down south, we had a walk until we've reached Eiffel Tower. Later on we took the route across the bridge (blue route) towards the Boat area, with Paris Pass, you can ride the boat for free, more info available here. If you're wondering where are the public toilets, you follow the red route above the stairs towards Palais de Chaillot which has a beautiful fountain and you can take good photos in this area as it's at a higher ground + facing the Eiffel Tower.

Then, just about 5 minutes walk, there's the Aquarium de Paris which you can enter for free using The Paris Pass. This is one of the best Aquarium Center in the world with many species of exotic sea animals including Giant Octopus, Sharks and Jellyfish.

Those are the places we're able to visit nearby Eiffel Tower, if you have visited more locations, you can share them in the comments down below.

Louvre Museum (The iconic Pyramid-shaped building)

The second most iconic building in Paris is the Louvre Museum, it's a glass pyramid shaped structure which attracts a lot of tourist from all over the world. From the outside, it's just a small looking pyramid, but this place is Super Huge! It's a place that has multiple floors with antiquities from Greek, Egyption, European and many world civilizaations all in one museum. Even the original Monalisa  painting by Leornado Da Vinci is kept inside this museum!

You can visit this museum for free on multiple days depending on number of days on your Paris Pass. We definitely did not have the chance to explore the entire museum, but we're able to snap some great pictures from Louvre Museum for you down below.

The Love Bridge (Pont De Arts)

There's a saying that if you visit Paris, don't forget to visit the love bridge and do the lock with your name and your love one. That famous bridge is called Pont De Arts, even though you can't put big locks along the bridge anymore like the old days, but there are specific places near the bridge poles where you can still put small locks. Nevertheless, snap a picture which you can keep and upload on the Internet which will be frozen in time for many generations to see.

This is one of the most romantic place in the entire Paris especially if you come and visit during the sunset, excellent view where you can see the Eiffel Tower as well as there'll be many love boats cruising under the bridge.

Other Great Attractions in Paris

You will definitely not able to count how many great places in this great city, let me just name a couple more places which most of them you can enter for free using The Paris Pass. If you have more time in the city, it will definitely be worthwhile to pay them a visit.

• Arc De Triomphe
• Paris Opera House
• Palace of Versailles
• Grevin Wax Museum
• Stade de France
• Picasso Museum
• Notre Dame Cathedral
• National Museum of the Middle Ages
• Montparnasse Tower.
• Moulin Rouge
• Paris Science Museum

You can view all attractions here via The Paris Pass Official Website.

Best Food in Paris

All right if you're exhausted of hustling and bustling around Paris, let's talk about the good food in Paris! What do they have to satisfy your savory appetite in the city of love.

French most iconic food is the Croissant and it tastes really really good. The taste is just different from any other places, that you just have to try it for yourself. In addition, Bread and Pastries are their specialty and they just tasted so good here as I indulged my sweet tooth cravings.

We went into a nice fine & dine restaurant called Cafe RUC and the food and environment are just amazing. Even the food portion is quite small, but the taste is quite should I say Magnifique (Magnificent in French)!

Another European food that we tried was Chez Maria which serve traditional Portuguese food. The cooking is just excellent, we had grilled fish with local gravy with some French bread as well as good dessert to top it all off.

There are a lot of places you can find Japanese Food in Paris, but the best one we tried so far with the best sushi and sashimi is available in Muki Sushi which serves authentic Japanese food.

Last but not least, if you're craving for great Western Food, you will want to try Hard Rock Cafe Paris, amazing western food (must try is the Legendary Burger) plus you will get a free appetizer with the Paris Pass as well as a mystery free gift! The hospitality is just great here, you will have a waiter assign to your table and they will chat with you while you're eating, one legendary waiter helped us snap some professional photography of us in the cafe. A very lovely and wonderful cafe in Paris!

Cheapest Place to Get Souvenirs in Paris

If you're looking for the cheapest price souvenirs in Paris, we've explored most of the places and done the homework for you. The cheapest souvenirs are located near Louvre Museum at the shop lots highlighted in below map.

Common Paris souvenirs include the Eiffel Towers, Fridge Magnets, T-shirts, mugs, frames, key chains, postcards and many others for you to bring back home and share with family and friends. (We got the love locks in one of the souvenir shops in Paris)

Uber rides in Paris

If you're taking Uber rides in Paris, it's advisable to take it within Central Paris (Zone 1). This is because majority of Uber drivers here don't speak English, they only speak French. Sometimes, the driver might have trouble to get to your location, if you're in the outskirts of town and communicating with them either via text or voice might be problematic in this situation.

Also, from local sources, Uber drivers in Paris are mostly Arabian and Black people, you will hardly see local French people driving Uber rides. From our experienced, the Uber drivers here are friendly and we chit chat with them a lot.

The Darker Side of Paris

All right, it's not just all shiny, there's also the other darker side of Paris, which I think everyone should know before visiting or while you're in Paris. 

a. Pick pockets

Make sure you keep your personal belongings safe especially phone, wallet and money. Sometimes even you put your belongings in the bag, you won't notice that it's missing until you realize it. Just to share a personal story, we were wearing vacation shirts and carrying travel bags and that's when we got targeted. They will come to you and distract you with something like for example ask for a signature and out of a sudden they will start snatching your pocket. It happened to us but lucky we were fast enough to evade the snatch and went to a nearby store to seek for help just to scare them away.

b. Public Toilets

We understand big city, highly populated, and packed with tourist, public toilets will not be available easily like other cities in the world. Even at McDonald's and Metro Train Station, you have to put coins in order to use the toilet. Some metro stations don't even have public toilets. There are public toilets available but it looks like this one below (not in buildings and mostly they are not clean). We've included a link to a map to locate public toilets in Paris just in case.

c. Avoid Going Out Past Midnight

It's best to stay indoors past midnight, because there are a lot of snatch and robbery cases reported by the locals in Paris.  

We're stuck past mid night at Bourg-la-Reine and there's no Uber willing to pick us up, it could be due to they were scared and most of them, they can't speak English. The Uber ride will be cancelled and you will be charged €6 each cancellation, which will waste your time and money. Lucky at the end there's a cab driver passed by which was able to send us back to our hotel. 

Just some additional info, at metro stations past mid night, you will encounter some people (some will be drunk) avoid paying tickets by jumping over the metro automated gate. Some drunk people will start to vandalize the bicycle or public transport especially during these hours.

We talked to someone and they said Paris is quite safe, a lot of police officers will be patrolling around at all times in undercover civilian attire.

d. Is French people less Friendly?

Most of the friends and family members I talked to will say French people are quite snobbish (Arrogant), they will not talk to you or bother to help you. Most will say that French people are less friendly compared to other people they talked to in other countries. Some will say French people will not speak in English even if they know English.

I would say not all French are like this, could be minorities but most of them we're able to communicate with them well. We're able to communicate with shop and restaurant owners which are French and they are polite and nice. The French receptionist at the hotels were friendly as well, they helped us explain how to take the bus and guide us to know nearby attractions. Some French even helped returned our Passports when we accidentally left them at the counter in a shop. We were so grateful and thanked him.

Just to sum it up, The French capital Paris has been drawing visitors for centuries and still remain famous until this moment. Wonderful historical monuments, exceptional cuisine. Wander around in and out of museums, cafe, flea markets, flower gardens, boat cruise rides and enjoy the romance of the city. We hope you can learn a thing or two from this article which will help you plan a memorable trip! 

~The End