 | Paris Long Lines (Queues) Reviews | 1 - 10 of 18 |  |
 Le queue at the Lourve by bpacker
1)Choose to go to the Louvre early in the mornings on a weekday . Bear in mind that it opens at 9 a.m and closes it doors on Tuesdays.
2)Avoid the Lourve like the plague on the first Sunday of each month, even though it is free. It is so NOT worth losing your sanity and turning into Dr. Hannibal Lecter over the entry fee of 13, trust me!
3) Honestly, what is so great about the glass pyramid? You don't have to enter the Lourve through this ugly bit of architecture like everyone else, but sneak in via the ticket office through the Louvre mall (access on rue de Rivoli) underneath the museum.
4)Sigh, if you insist on entering the glass pyramid like everyone else, bring along a husband who walks with a cane like me. The security guards will immediately usher you to the front . The only danger in this tactic is that you'll earn evil glares from other folks in the queue. Alternatively, if you partner is not disabled, do not clobber him with a queue stand as you wait, just grab a walking stick and try your luck. Leave a Comment
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Most of what I do in Paris involves little or no queuing, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I have recently come to realize that for some people the queuing situation in Paris can be a huge problem.
Imagine an unprepared tourist coming to Paris in the summer for a two-day visit in hopes of visiting five or six of the most popular tourist attractions. That person could easily spend five or six hours (or more?) doing nothing but standing in lines to get into the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the towers of Notre-Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Orsay Museum, the Orangerie and a boat ride on the Seine.
Of course there may people who enjoy queuing. If you are one of these, please don't let me spoil your fun. But if you are a queuephobe* like me, I do suggest that you take precautions to reduce queuing time, so as not to completely spoil your Paris visit.
If you are an early riser, you might try arriving at some of these places first thing in the morning. I have never tried this (not being an early riser) but I'm told it can help.
For the Eiffel Tower you might want to wait until they start their promised online booking system, though I don't know when that's going to be.
For the Sainte-Chapelle you could go to an evening concert instead of lining up for a long wait during the day.
For the museums you might consider getting a two-, four- or six-day Museum Pass. In August 2008 I went to the fnac store at Forum Les Halles and bought a four-day Museum Pass which I used from Wednesday through Saturday. It didn't save me much money, because I also had other things on my agenda besides museums, but it did save me hours of queuing time, so I can highly recommend it.
Since most of the museums are closed on Mondays, a six-day Museum Pass would only make sense if you could use it from Tuesday through Sunday.
For more details on the Museum Passes, please have a look at breughel's tip about them, or tiabunna's.
*Queuephobe I think is a word I made up myself, but I haven't quite decided on the spelling. Queuephobe or Queuophobe? But not Queueophobe, that looks silly.
Second photo: With my Museum Pass I didn't have to join the long queue at Door A of the Orsay Museum, but walked right in here through Door C, Reserved Access.
Third photo: Waiting in line at Sainte-Chapelle.
Fourth photo: Four-day Museum Pass. Leave a Comment
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 The Eiffel Tower seen
from the Tour
Montparnasse by Pieter11
Much better is to go to the Tour Montparnasse. Itīs closeby, itīs almost just as tall as the Eiffel Tower, itīs cheaper, it doesnīt have such insane queues and: FROM THE TOP OF THE TOUR MONTPARNASSE YOU CAN SEE THE EIFFEL TOWER TOO!
Of course, when you have the time for it, itīs really nice to climb it to the top, but if you only have time for a quick tour around the city, just do it the easy way! Leave a Comment
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 Palace of Versailles by sourbugger
Even with it piddling with rain, the queues were about 90 minutes long to gain entry when we visited on a Sunday in May.
Talking to one of the attendants, the best bet is to visit in Jan /Feb or August (no French then, you see). If you can't manage that, then consider spending the night before your visit at a hotel in the town of Versailles, or at least get to the palace bang-on opening time.
That way you might just be able to see the place without the world and it's father, sister, daughter, uncle, nanny and cleaner seeing it with you. Leave a Comment
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I waited in line for over an hour to get into Notre Dame which I felt was worth it. But when I was almost to the window to pay I noticed a sign that said $7 euros--Exact Change only. Now I DID have exact change but would have been quite upset if I did not and I waited in that line only to be told I could not go in because I did not have exact change. Leave a Comment
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The ONLY way to save time when visiting the Eiffel Tower is to get there before it opens at 9AM daily, year round. At 9AM in season there are only about 100 people in line (about 3 elevator cars full ). Be sure you get in the line that fulfills your desire: walk-up, lower level. upper (they are separate). Off season at 10AM the line is about 300 (1/2 hr wait). This is only the first delay if you are going to the top. The second car from the 1st level will have a growing line and there will be the two waits going down. At best if you are to take in the views, figure on 2 hours and add 2 hour for each hour later than 9 for arrival. Our comments for alternate Paris Views isin our Eiffel Tour Tips of 11/19/06. Leave a Comment
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The warning and only negative thing about going to Disneyland Paris, was the transport from the parks to the disney hotels. There were 200 people approx to about 50 seats on the bus to the hotels. It was packed with poeple, all trying to get home to their hotel, pushing and shoving. So if you had children, it was very difficult but no real solution if you came to Paris by Eurostar as we did so did not have own transport. We stayed at Santa Fe and was quite happy with the accommodation and service when we got to the hotel. Leave a Comment
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Be prepared to queue for entry to major attractions. I had never come across anything like the queues I saw in Paris, but then it is the most visited city in the world apparently.
Going early to the attractions you want to see, seems to be standard advice and it makes sense to me. From my observations queues seem worse about the middle of the day.
Don't try and do too much in one day - you'll only get grumpy and stressed. Leave a Comment
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 Lines at Versailles Palace by marielexoteria
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This isn't really a danger unless you are dying for bread. Three times a day, before meals, you will find long lines outside any boulangerie. So if you want to eat bread go during the off hours. Leave a Comment
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