Day trip from London to Paris

maybe some ideas here

https://www.eurostar.com/us-en/city-breaks-in-europe/france/paris/

Easy to do on your own. OR you can check out
http://www.paris-walks.com/index_m.html

I think dropping a Paris Walk into a self-directed day would be a great idea. I cannot imagine taking a package tour for a one-day visit to a city like Paris. What are the odds that the particular stops chosen by the tour align well with your interests? If it's a bus tour, how much time will be spent waiting for a busload of folks to get off the bus then back on at each stop?

I would just show up at one of the 1-2 hour Paris Walks options and pay then and there. That's what I plan to do. I can't imagine needing a tour company for a day trip to Paris.

Thanks all- the tour I was looking at is just has a tour guide on the train to talk to and get you started when you get to Paris. I think the only hard part will be getting from the train station to the Eiffel Tower, etc.

One day trip to Paris from London is way too much travel for the benefits.

Paris is a city that needs to be savored with several days. Why waste so much travel time for such a short visit?

What you are proposing can be done, but trying to experience it on a day trip from London is, in our opinion, not worth the time and effort. Don't mean to sound like Debbie Downer, but strongly suggest you save Paris for another time when you will have enough time to really appreciate all that it has to offer.

Their money, their time, their choice on how to spend it.

If you want to go to the Eiffel Tower from the Gare du Nord where the Eurostar terminates, it couldn’t be more simple.

Buy some Paris metro/bus tickets at St Pancras, where they can be had. Or at Gare du Nord if need be.

At the Gare du Nord, go to the bus terminal behind the train station. Look for the stand for Bus No. 42.

Get off the No. 42 bus at Champs de Mars. An electronic panel on the bus indicates the next stop so no worries as to where to get off.

Get off the bus and there it is, the Tour Eiffel, well in view and a short stroll away.

Thank you Norma! That's exactly what I needed to know. All I really want to do is get to the top of the Tower and see the Arch of Triumph. Will throw in a visit to Notre Dame or Napoleons Tomb if there's time. If I love it, I'll sign up and come back with the Rick Steves Paris tour.

Thank you everyone, for your advice!

Lots of obvious drawbacks with a one-day trip to Paris. But if you have never seen Paris and want a taste of it, why not. However, I would suggest hiring a private guide to get the most bang out of your limited time there.

Note that you can buy a carnet of metro tickets on the Eurostar . At a premium but it will save you time at the Gare du Nord not having to get them with the crowd there (queue can at a really bad time approach 1 hour). If you don't and it is bad, walk the short distance to Magenta or Gare de L'Est instead of waiting.

The Rick Steve's London book used to provide a recipe to do Paris in a day. My family did it in 2004 with great success, and returned for a more complete visit later. It is a great way to experience the city, to see if you are comfortable with the language barrier, and see if you have an appetite for more Paris. Go for it.

Hi Lori, tickets to the Eiffel Tower go on sale 90 days in advance at 8:30 a.m. Paris time. Get tickets online at the official website.

We did it.

But tickets directly from Eurostar, not Viator or other.

We got off the train, stood in the taxi queue. Taxiid over to the Eiffel Tower, where we ate lunch. We then went on a riverboat tour, that was amazing.
We had passes for HoHo bus so we did that. We had time to see Notre Dame which was incredibly moving. Then time for mor HoHo bus then we ate near Gare du Nord. Then it was time to go back.
Was it worthwhile? Yes as we had never been to Paris and wanted to get a feel for it.

Was it enough time? No. But it served its purpose and we can’t wait to go for a week to ten days. I say do it!

Oh and Arc de Triomphe is in the middle of a traffic circle. We saw it for 20 seconds on the HoHo bus.

Hello,
I used this website VisitLondon.com.
https://www.visitlondon.com/
Purchased Eurostar tickets that came with a all day Metro Card for buses, as well as a boat ride on the River Seine( walked straight down from Eiffel tower tp boats). Was a great way to see Paris for the first time. You book online, meet a rep from the company at St Pancras Station, pick up your packet? And off you go! We got off at Gare Du Nord, walked out of the station, hopped on a bus to the Eiffel tower, went up, had lunch, from there did the boat ride which is across the street- then wandered around Paris - saw the sights, shopping, stopping at cafes, it was a wonderful day! I sat with people on the Eurostar that were doing the tour with a guide- they felt rushed through the Louve, ect on and off the bus- I prefer being on my own clock.
Happy Travels✨💫