A while ago my wife and I were in Paris for a month, and we had a wonderful time. We strolled the avenues, rode busses and subways, dined at bistros, visited friends—even played tennis at Jardin du Luxembourg. We vacationed. We enjoyed. But with ten days left, we realized that we had not been conscientious tourists. We had been derelict in our duties. We had not been to the museums. No more tennis. We had work to do.

A war council was convened. We got out our guide books and made plans. The first order of business was to procure passes to the museums. La Carte Musées et Monuments is a bargain. The five-day version is 240FF. It allows you to visit a host of museums and monuments, including Versailles—without standing in line. The only catch: They must be visited within a five day period. On...

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