Day Tour

The Pantheon sits in the Latin Quarter and serves as the burial site for many of France’s most significant historical figures. The names on the tombs carry more meaning with context behind them. The visit starts at 9:00 on Day 1 and lasts 1 hour with admission included in your pass.

What you can learn?

The crypt carries the inscription “Aux Grands Hommes La Patrie Reconnaissante,” meaning “To the great men, the grateful homeland.” Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola and Marie Curie are buried here. Marie Curie was the first woman interred in the Pantheon on her own merit, recognized for her research in radioactivity. The Pantheon interior also contains Foucault’s Pendulum, first shown here in 1851 to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation. The neoclassical dome and ceiling frescoes are visible from the floor below.

Beneath the square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral lies the largest archaeological crypt in Europe. Most visitors to the Ile de la Cite walk past the entrance without knowing the site is there. The visit is included in your pass and lasts 45 minutes.

What you can learn?

Excavations between 1965 and 1972 beneath the Parvis uncovered evidence of continuous settlement going back over 2,000 years. The underground museum opened in 1980 and contains the physical remains of the Gallo Roman city of Lutetia including a docking port, public baths and a section of the 4th century city wall. Medieval foundations, Renaissance street levels and traces of 19th century Haussmann era sewers are also on display. The crypt gives a layered view of how Paris developed from Roman times to the modern city above.

Notre Dame de Paris has stood for over 860 years and is one of the most visited monuments in Europe. After the 2019 fire and five years of restoration work, the cathedral reopened to visitors. A guided visit gives you the full historical and architectural story rather than a surface level look at the exterior.

What you can learn?

This is a 30 minute self paced exterior visit. You see the Gothic facade, the three carved portals and the Gallery of Kings. The stonework and the cathedral’s position at the center of Ile de la Cite make it one of the most photographed landmarks in Paris. The Notre Dame restoration has brought the structure back in full and the exterior detail is worth taking time to study.

Sainte-Chapelle sits on the Ile de la Cite near the Conciergerie and is one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in Paris. Entry queues here are consistently long. Skipping the line at Sainte-Chapelle with your included admission ticket gives you more time inside. The visit lasts 1 hour.

What you can learn?

King Louis IX commissioned the chapel in the 13th century to house the Crown of Thorns and other relics. The upper chapel has 15 stained glass windows, each 15 meters high, showing 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments in reds, blues and gold. The rose window shows scenes from the Book of Revelation. Sainte-Chapelle is considered one of the finest surviving examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture and came through the French Revolution without major damage.

The Conciergerie on the Ile de la Cite served as a royal palace, a judicial seat and a Revolution era prison at different points in its history. Walking through without background knowledge means missing most of what the building represents. Admission is covered by your Paris Pass and 1 hour is set aside for the visit. 

What you can learn?

The Hall of Men-at-Arms covers 1,785 square meters and is one of the largest surviving medieval halls in Europe, built under King Philippe IV. During the French Revolution, 2,781 prisoners were held, tried and sent to the guillotine from this building. Marie Antoinette spent her final 76 days in a cell here, now preserved as a memorial chapel. The Women’s Courtyard and the Revolutionary Tribunal chambers are part of the Conciergerie visit.

The Musee de l’Orangerie holds Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series alongside a collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. Knowing the background of the paintings before you walk in changes how you experience them. Admission is included with your Paris Pass and 1 hour is set aside on Day 1.

What you can learn?

Monet donated the Water Lilies cycle to the French State on 11 November 1918, the day after the Armistice. The eight large panels, each two metres high, are arranged across two oval rooms and were installed in 1927 shortly after Monet’s death. The rooms were built to display them in natural light. The Walter-Guillaume Collection on the lower floor includes works by Renoir, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani.

The Louvre is the largest museum in the world with over 400 rooms and 35,000 artworks. Visiting without a plan means walking past major works without knowing what you are looking at. Your Paris Pass includes timed entry to the Louvre and a guided route that takes you directly to the most visited pieces.

What you can learn?

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci sits behind bulletproof glass in the Denon Wing. Your guide covers the history and context behind one of the most recognised paintings in the world. The Venus de Milo, a marble statue from ancient Greece dating to around 190 BC and the Winged Victory of Samothrace are both on the route. French 19th-century paintings including Gericault’s The Raft of the Medusa, Ingres’ La Grande Odalisque and major works by David and Delacroix are also covered on this Louvre guided tour.

The Arc de Triomphe stands at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle with twelve avenues extending outward including the Champs Elysees. The rooftop gives a direct view across all twelve avenues and the wider Paris skyline. Your pass includes entry and 1 hour is scheduled on the evening of Day 1.

What you can learn?

The Arc was commissioned to honour soldiers who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. The names of French military victories and generals are carved across the exterior surfaces. At the base, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier marks France’s 1.4 million fallen from World War I. The eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe has been relit every evening at 6:30pm since 1923. The rooftop terrace view over Paris and the Champs-Elysees is one of the most recognized in the city.

The Seine runs through the center of Paris with over 30 bridges and the city’s most recognized buildings along both banks. A river cruise gives you a view of Paris that street-level visits do not offer. The Seine River cruise is an optional add on and is not included in the base Paris Pass. Tickets must be purchased separately in advance. The cruise runs for 1 hour in the evening .

What you can learn?

From the water you pass Notre Dame Cathedral on the Ile de la Cite, the riverside front of the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, the gilded arches of Pont Alexandre III, the medieval towers of the Conciergerie, Ile Saint-Louis and the Hotel de Ville. An audio guide narrates each landmark as it comes into view during the evening Seine cruise.

The Chateau de Versailles is one of the most visited royal palaces in the world and sits outside Paris. The size of the palace and grounds makes it easy to spend hours in the wrong areas. Your Paris Pass covers entry to the palace interiors and the gardens. A 4 hour visit is scheduled on Day 2 giving you enough time to cover the main areas properly.

What you can learn?

The Hall of Mirrors is a 73 meter gallery with 357 mirrors set across seventeen arched bays. The Treaty of Versailles ending World War I was signed here on 28 June 1919. The King and Queen’s State Apartments contain gilded furnishings and painted ceilings throughout. Outside the Versailles gardens  designed by Andre Le Notre, include fountains, water features and over 300 statues spread across the formal landscape