Paris City Pass Review: Did It Save Our Family of Five Money?

When you’re traveling around Paris with five people, admission prices add up fast. Museums. Tours. Food. Experiences. Transportation. Did I mention the food? Before our…

When you’re traveling around Paris with five people, admission prices add up fast.

Museums. Tours. Food. Experiences. Transportation. Did I mention the food?

Before our trip, we knew we’d be doing a lot of sightseeing, so we decided to try the Paris Go City Pass. We purchased the two-day pass for our family of five for $606.98, which included the Paris Museum Pass.

That sounds like a lot of money… And it is.

So was it worth it?

We tracked what we did, what those activities would have cost us out of pocket, and how we felt about each experience. Here’s our honest Paris City Pass review, including what we’d absolutely do again, what we wouldn’t bother with, and whether we’d buy the pass again.

How Much Did We Pay for the Paris City Pass?

For our family of five, we paid $606.98 for a two-day Paris Go City Pass.

The pass also included the Paris Museum Pass, which allowed us to visit several of Paris’s major museums and attractions.

Having five people in our family made the potential savings especially important. Even small admission fees multiply quickly when you’re buying five tickets.

How We Calculated the Value

Because some of the prices we recorded were in euros and others were in U.S. dollars, I converted the euro prices using the average EUR/USD exchange rate for our two days in Paris.

That gave us a total value of approximately $929.96 for the experiences we used, compared with the $606.98 we paid for the pass.

That means we got at least $322.98 more in value than we paid!

Here’s how it broke down.

Everything We Used Our Paris City Pass For

ExperienceCost Without PassOur Take
Petit Train de Montmartre$49.00Would skip
Café Louise breakfast$50.00Worth it
Fragonard Perfumerie Workshop$178.13Huge highlight
Macarons in Montmartre$40.00Worth it
Croque Monsieur Lunch at Aux Vieux Châtelet$71.13Delicious
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus$229.52Kids’ favorite
Notre Dame Crypt Tour$25.25Glad we did it
Sainte-Chapelle$52.00Absolutely
Louvre$73.45A Paris must
Chill & Golf Breakfast$50.00Worth it if you’re nearby
Club Cochon Charcuterie$25.00Good snack for the meat eaters
Sacré-CœurFreeAlways worth seeing
Maison St. Honore$86.08Fun culinary experience
TOTAL$929.96+

Euro amounts were converted using an average EUR/USD exchange rate of approximately $1.1476 for March 17–18, 2026.

What Was Actually Worth It?

Here’s where our Paris City Pass experience gets interesting.

Not everything we did was something we would have paid for separately.

Some attractions were absolute must-dos; some were things we probably wouldn’t have splurged on.

And one was something we really didn’t enjoy at all.

Fragonard Perfumerie Workshop: A Huge YES

This was one of the highlights of our entire Paris trip. We learned about perfume, created our own scents, and had fun shopping afterward. My son loved his cologne so much that he’s already asking to go back to France for more (They don’t ship to the U.S.).

Hop-On Hop-Off Bus: A Kid Favorite

Would we normally spend €200 for five people to ride a sightseeing bus? Absolutely not. But because it was included, we gave it a try, and my kids still talk about it. It’s a fun way to see the highlights of Paris while giving everyone’s feet a break.

Macarons in Montmartre: Definitely Worth It

The macarons, coffee and hot chocolate were delicious, and this was definitely worth our time. We wouldn’t normally spend that much on snacks for five people, but because it was included, it was an easy yes.

Aux Vieux Châtelet: Come Hungry

Holy cow, there was so much food, and it was delicious. This place was packed, and I completely understand why. My Croque Madame was fantastic, and I’m hungry just thinking about it.

Petit Train de Montmartre: You Can Skip It

The train was cute, but we got off at the first stop. Montmartre itself is absolutely worth exploring, but we’d rather do it on foot. If we did this again, we’d skip the train.

Notre Dame Crypt: Glad We Did It

The kids found the crypt a little boring, and we probably wouldn’t have paid to visit it separately. But because it was included, we went, and I’m glad we did. With the crypt currently closed, I’m especially grateful we had the opportunity to see it.

Sainte-Chapelle: Just Go

Sainte-Chapelle is gorgeous. The stained glass alone makes it worth the visit, and this was absolutely one of the attractions we were happy to have included with our pass.

The Louvre: It’s the Louvre

Let’s be honest: if you’re visiting Paris for the first time, you’re probably going to the Louvre. We certainly were. It’s enormous, overwhelming and completely worth experiencing.

Café Louise: Delicious Breakfast

We had a delicious French breakfast here, and the service was excellent. Would I go out of my way to eat here again? Probably not. But as part of the pass, it was absolutely worth it.

Chill & Golf Breakfast: A Good Start to the Day

We probably wouldn’t have gone out of our way to eat here either, but if you’re nearby, it’s a great option. The food was plentiful and delicious, the drinks provided some much-needed caffeine, and again, the service was excellent.

Club Cochon: Better for the Meat Eaters

We had a small charcuterie board and sodas. It wasn’t particularly exciting for the vegetarians in our family, but it made a perfect snack for the meat eaters. Plus, the drinks were a nice afternoon pick-me-up.

Maison St. Honore: Try Something New

We tried escargot, along with French onion soup and sodas. The kids weren’t exactly converted to escargot fans, but they tried it! Having it included meant they could try something new without us worrying about wasting money on food they didn’t like.

So…Did We Actually Save Money?

This is the part I really wanted to know when we bought the pass.

We spent $606.98 on our Paris Go City Pass.

Based on the individual prices of the activities we used, we got approximately $929.96+ in value from the pass, which means our family of five received at least: $322.98 in additional value

That’s approximately 53% more value than we paid for the pass.

But here’s the thing: The savings isn’t the whole story.

Some of these activities were things we absolutely would have paid for anyway. Others were things we only did because they were included.

Family visits the Louvre with the Go City Pass: Review

And that matters when you’re deciding whether a City Pass is worth buying.

For example, I would have taken my family to the Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle regardless.

But would I have spent €200 on a hop-on hop-off bus? Nope.

Would I have bought $40 worth of macarons and drinks? Probably not.

Would I have booked a perfume-making workshop for five people? Maybe?? 

Those experiences were part of the reason we got so much value from the pass.

Would We Buy the Paris City Pass Again?

For our family of five, yes, I would consider buying it again. But I wouldn’t blindly buy it for every Paris trip.

The value depends heavily on how much sightseeing you plan to do and how willing you are to take advantage of the experiences included with the pass.

For us, the biggest benefit wasn’t just the money. It was being able to look at an experience and say, “Sure. It’s already included. Let’s try it.”

That led us to some of our favorite experiences of the trip: the Fragonard perfume workshop, the hop-on hop-off bus, macarons in Montmartre.

We also got meals and snacks we wouldn’t normally splurge on and experiences like the Notre Dame Crypt that we probably wouldn’t have prioritized otherwise.

That’s the real value of a city pass for our family.

Our Paris City Pass Verdict

Was everything included in the pass worth doing? No.

Would I recommend every experience we tried? Also no.

Did we get our money’s worth? For our family, the answer was yes.

We paid $606.98 for the Paris Go City Pass and got at least $929.96 in value from the experiences we used.

But more importantly, the pass encouraged us to try things we probably wouldn’t have paid for on our own.

And we got to experience a lot of Paris without constantly pulling out our wallets.

For our family, that’s a win.

Five people. Two days. A whole lot of Paris. And yes, we’d do it again.

One Important Warning: This Was NOT a Relaxing Paris Vacation

I want to be honest about one thing: using the Paris City Pass to its full potential required some serious strategizing.

Because many of the included experiences have limited hours and require advance reservations, we built a very detailed timeline for our two days. We were constantly watching the clock, figuring out how to get from one attraction to the next, and making sure we didn’t miss our reservation windows.

We saw a LOT of Paris in those two days, and we definitely got our money’s worth. But relaxing? Not exactly.

This was a go-go-go kind of vacation.

If your idea of a Paris trip involves lingering over a long lunch, wandering down side streets with no particular destination, or changing your plans on a whim, a city pass is likely not the best fit.

And if you’re considering one for your family, read the fine print before you buy. Many experiences require advance reservations, and some have specific hours or availability.

For us, the strategizing was worth it, but the pass is not a one-size-fits-all solution. And knowing that before you buy is just as important as knowing how much money you can save.


If you’re looking for more ideas for your own family trip, check out our 10 Bucket-List Experiences My Kids Want Your Kids to Experience. These are the kinds of experiences that have stuck with our kids long after we’ve come home. Traveling on a budget? Read budget-friendly tips here!


Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Always Take the Kids!

One comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *