Paris Card Discounts

Visitors to Paris can get a new pass that provides unlimited admissions to 61 museums, monuments and sightseeing attractions in or near the French capital.

The wallet-size La Carte pass is sold for one, three or five days. Prices are 60 francs (about $10 U.S.), 100 and 150 francs. Rates are valid until the end of 1989.

The card saves having to buy separate tickets and waiting in line at sightseeing attractions. It can be bought at any of the museums and at some Metro stations.

Locations where sightseeing tickets are sold include the Louvre, Rodin, Pompidou, Orangerie and Picasso museums; Notre Dame Cathedral; Arc de Triomphe, and the Paris catacombs.

Other attractions include the Chateaux of Versailles and Fontainebleau, Pantheon, houses of Victor Hugo and Balzac, Fashion Museum and Antique Furniture Museum.

Getting around the French metropolis may be eased by buying the Paris Sesame Card. Sold at any Metro station, the card is good on the subway’s 16 lines as well as 50 bus routes. You can also use it on the Montmartre Funicular Railway.

It’s available for two, four or seven days. Rates are 57, 85 and 141 francs.

This card also offers major discounts on some sightseeing attractions and merchandise at participating stores.

While both cards are normally sold only in Paris, some airlines now sell the cards at fixed rates to customers flying transatlantic with them. By prepaying in the United States, you’re protected against any slide in the dollar.

British Airways is offering the Sesame pass (four- and seven-day versions) at $13 and $24. These fixed rates are effective until Oct. 31.

Similarly, UTA French Airlines is offering its transatlantic passengers the La Carte pass at $9.50 for one day, $19 for three days and $28.50 for five days. The rates are guaranteed until Dec. 31.

For more information, contact travel agents, British Airways at (800) AIRWAYS or UTA at (800) 2-FRANCE. Information is also available from the French Government Tourist Office, 9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 303, Beverly Hills 90212, phone (213) 271-6665.