Museum or metro tickets can be purchased and activities booked without paying full price during your Paris trip, especially when it comes to young visitors. Here are some tricks to help you get the most out of your stay in the capital with the kids for a fraction of the price.
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The RATP transport network has discounted fares for children and families, which means you can enjoy unlimited travel on all the metro, tram and bus lines in Île-de-France, the RER express trains in Paris and the Montmartre funicular railway either free of cost or at reduced prices.
Children under 4 years of age can travel free of charge on all public transport as long as they do not occupy a seat.
Children under 10 years of age get a 50% discount on the purchase of a single train ticket or carnet (book) of 10 tickets.
Large families (with 3 children or more) in possession of a Carte Avantage Famille SNCF family discount card can buy half-price tickets to travel on the public transport network in the entire Île-de-France region. You will have to show the card if there is a ticket check.
© Elodie GUtbrod Creatividie
French nationals and European Union citizens under the age of 26 are given free admission to the permanent collections of national museums. Admission is free in 30-odd museums in Paris and Île-de-France, including the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Pompidou Centre, the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, the Musée national de l'Orangerie, the Musée national Picasso-Paris, the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, Les Arts Décoratifs, the Musée des Arts et Métiers, the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Musée national de la Marine, the Musée Rodin and the Grand Palais.
Some other museums are free to visit for children depending on their age:
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Like the national museums, 20-odd national monuments in Paris and the Île-de-France region offer free admission to French nationals and EU citizens under 26 years old. The list includes the Château de Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe, the Panthéon, the Royal basilica of Saint-Denis, the Château de Vincennes, the Conciergerie, the Chapelle expiatoire, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Villa Savoye and the Château de Rambouillet.
Full list of free-entry monuments for under-26-year-olds
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The big amusement parks in the Île-de-France region all offer family discounts:
La Villette
Little Villette is a 1,000-m² venue dedicated to children and families with a varied programme of activities and workshops. It offers free entry on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Children aged 3 to 6 accompanied by their parents are given free entry to the children’s fiction section of the BnF François-Mitterrand at story time (4pm on Sundays) for a one-hour storytelling session. They are free to browse the books afterwards.
The opera
There are many ways to get access to discounted tickets at the Opéra Garnier and Opéra Bastille so that the whole family can enjoy an outing to the opera.
Ma Première Fois à l’Opéra enables families who have never attended a performance at the Opéra national de Paris to purchase tickets at very affordable prices for up to 4 productions each season.
Last-minute seats are sold at preferential rates to under-28s at the box offices of the Paris opera houses, no later than 30 minutes before curtain-up.
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Paris Passlib’ is the ideal way to enjoy a Paris trip with the family at reduced rates. Available from the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau in Mini, City, Explore and Explore + versions, the Paris Pass’lib adapts to what you want to do and lets you choose from a wide selection of attractions and activities.
