When my wife and I started planning a family trip to Paris, the first thing that came to mind was not the Eiffel Tower, not croissants, and not even Disneyland. It was the question: “How much will all this cost?”
Our family is not small — two children, each with their own desires, energy, and, of course, interests. And Paris, no matter how you look at it, is not a cheap city. So, while I was sitting between plane tickets and booking accommodation, I accidentally came across the website https://tourist.com/ — a service that offers digital tourist cards with discounts and free entrances. I decided to take a chance. And I did not regret it.
I bought the card without getting up from the couch and immediately put it to use
The purchase took less than 5 minutes. Everything is online, everything is clear, no delivery, queues or papers. After payment, the card was immediately activated in the application. It is completely digital, you just show the QR code at the entrance - and go.
This is especially convenient when you have two excited children on your hands who can't wait to go to a museum or on a river cruise. No need to look for a ticket office, stand in line, explain something in broken French. Just open your phone and go in.
Where did you really save money?
At the end of the week, I figured: more than 120 euros remained in our pocket. And that's just for the tickets. And if you count the nerves we saved, it's priceless.
The first place we went with the map was the science museum Cité des Sciences. And these are not boring exhibits behind glass, but a whole city of science with a bunch of interactive things. Children ran, touched, launched robots, played with holograms. Honestly, we adults also found it interesting.
We also got a discount on the Seine walk. In the evening, at sunset, with a view of the bridges and illuminated facades of Paris - the atmosphere is magical, even though the youngest fell asleep on my shoulder at some point.
What about Disneyland?
Yes, I'll say it right away: the card doesn't work in Disneyland. There was some slight disappointment here - the kids had high hopes. But I knew about it in advance (everything is honestly written on the website), so I just planned this day separately. We bought tickets to the park in advance at the standard price.
But you know what? Thanks to the fact that we spent almost nothing on admission tickets the rest of the week, Disneyland wasn't such a big hit to the budget. In fact, without this card, we probably wouldn't have been able to afford so many interesting places for the same money.
The main thing is convenience
"Tourist" has saved us from a lot of unnecessary fuss. With a map you feel more confident. You already know in advance what you can afford - and these are not "checkmarks for the sake of a photo on Instagram", but really interesting places where you would go even without a discount... if it did not bite in price.
The kids liked that we discovered something new almost every day: today - a museum, tomorrow - a zoo, then - a walk along the river. And there was no feeling that we were "saving on vacation." On the contrary, we vacationed smarter, without overspending and running around.
Is it worth getting a "Tourist" card?
In short, yes. Especially if you are going to Paris with children. It helps not only to save money, but also to make your vacation more logical and calmer. No rush, chaos or fear of spending too much on every corner.
When you travel with your family, it's especially important that everything works without a hitch. And in this regard, the card worked perfectly. Now, if we go to Rome, Barcelona or London, the first thing I'll do is look for a similar card there.
It wasn't just a vacation - it was a truly vibrant, eventful and, most importantly, smart trip.
P.S. If someone had told me a couple of years ago that I would write an enthusiastic review about a tourist card, I wouldn't have believed them. But here I am, sitting at home, looking through photos and realizing: this thing really made our vacation easier, brighter and cheaper. And this is not an advertisement - just a piece of advice for those who also want to see Paris and not go broke.
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