Free is always good!

[Darcy]

FRANCE TO TEST FREE MUSEUMS

The Guimet Museum of Asian Art in Paris is among a handful of museums that will be free to the public starting in January 2008 under a new government test programme, a report said Wednesday.

The Cluny Museum of Mediaeval Art in Paris, the Archaeology Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, outside Paris, and several other museums and chateaux in the provinces are earmarked for free admission, Le Figaro newspaper reported.

But the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Pompidou centre and Versailles were not on the list of free museums that the government hopes could lead to a cultural revival.

The programme was annnonced by Prime Minister Francois Fillon in July to make France's cultural treasures more accessible to its citizens.

Culture Minister Christine Albanel has said she wants to make all museums free to French youth between the ages of 18 and 25.

The six-month test period will allow the government to measure the popularity of the programme and also consider ways to make up the cost of lost admission tickets.

[luckyluc]

I agree free is always good, but I think that tourists are still getting a great deal by only paying the current admission fee. French citizens are greatly taxed, and free admission for their youth, in all museums, would make sense. After all the museum pass is a remarkable deal. C'est mes deux centimes!

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Thanks, this is very helpful information - if it works out well, it also will have the nice side benefit of eliminating lines to get into those places!

[Darcy]

I agree, Luc, that museum prices are very reasonable in Paris and the museum pass is a great value. I just thought this new information was worth sharing.

Your two cents are always appreciated.

[Jody]

Actually , I think it's a pretty good idea. People might visit a new smaller museum that they might otherwise have passed up.


I know that I'm in the minority but I don't find the Museum pass good value, at least not for us. I often don't want to go to a museum on 2 consecutive days or I don't want to have sensory overload seeing too many in 1 day!

At the Louvre, we go in thru the shopping center entrance and have never had to wait. For other places , I often pre-order tickets from FNAC and pick them up any time I happen to pass a store. It's even better now, you can order, pay and print your tickets right online from their website , either from home or at an internet cafe.

[Ray(aka) tripnebraska]

I agree with Luc. I thought the prices for the museums were very reasonable. I enjoyed the Cluny especially.