Best Ways to See the Attractions of Paris France
L'Open Tour - Sightseeing in the French Capital on an Open Top Bus
Jul 11, 2008
Paris, part of a wider Ile-de-France region has an integrated transport network and a Paris Visitors Pass will allow people to hop on and off the Metro, local city buses, suburban trains, SNCF trains and even the wonderful Montmarte funicular which clunks up to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur.
The city is divided into zones and the price of tickets will depend on how many zones the visitor wants to travel within, and for how many days. It’s a great way of getting around the city but it does require lots of planning.
Paris Open Tour
If you want to take the strain out of sightseeing in Paris the answer is the Open Tour, an open top double decker bus that will stop at all the best sites in Paris.
There are a number of companies that operate a city tour bus; perhaps best know is the Paris L'Open Tour, its distinctive green and yellow open top buses are to be seen everywhere picking up and dropping off passengers who enjoy the luxury of sightseeing with the minimum of fuss. Although be warned there is always competition for upper deck seats, particularly on a sunny day.
Where to Buy Your Ticket for the Paris Open Tour?
You can buy one or two day tickets at a number of places including: Paris tourist offices, at La Boutique on Rue Auber, which is near the Paris Opera House or on any of the L'Open Tour buses. There are distinctive bus stops at all the major sites if you are going to buy on-board.
Paris Open Tour Route
There are four separate circuits of the city:
Paris Grand Tour
Montparnasse – Saint Germain
Montmarte – Grand Boulevards
Bastille – Bercy
Paris L'OpenTour
Remember the Grand Tour circuit can be accessed at any of 19 points, but taking the lovely church at La Madelaine as number one, the tour would take you to the magnificent Paris Opera House, on towards the Louvre Museum, then to Notre Dame Cathedral before crossing the busy River Seine.
The route now runs parallel with the river for a while, giving the visitor a glimpse of the glass covered Seine river cruise boats which, filled with tourists, plough up and down this lovely river.
Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe
The bus re-crosses the river and heads towards Place de la Concorde then on to the long and busy stretches of the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe.
Eiffel Tower
Next stops are the Trocadero, Eiffel Tower and Hotel des Invalides before re-crossing the river again and returning to your pick up point.
The complete Paris Grand Tour lasts about two hours, but the fun is getting on and off at your favourite sites and you should allow plenty of time for this.
For those visitors whose first language is not French there is running commentary available in a number of languages.
