Hello - just a quick question about the #69 bus. We plan on riding the bus for the entire route to get a good "feel" of where everything is. Can we get on and off as many times as we want? Is there a special ticket you need to purchase to do this? Oops - guess that's two questions.
Thanks for your help.
First off buy the book of ten tickets. They are real easy to use and handy. Once you "validate" a ticket on the bus it is good for 90 minutes in the same direction (bus to bus) If you take longer then you have to use a second ticket. Once you start the other direction a new ticket is also necessary. By all means go to the cemetery Pere Lachaise at the end of the line......
You can transfer from one bus line to another, but I don't think you can continue the journey in the same direction on the same line or on the same line in the opposite direction on a single validated ticket.
How long will you be in Paris, and what days of the week?
There is no hop on hop off on a bus ride in Paris. You cannot get off the 69 and then continue on on another 69. You can transfer going in the same direction if necessary to get to your destination but not in order to visit things or run errands along the way.
If you want to do this then get a Mobilis day pass which is about 6.50 for the day you want to use public buses to hop on and off.
The idea of 69 as a 'tour bus' is much overrated. Unless you board at the end of the line, chances of getting a seat and a window view are low and you won't see anything standing in the crowd in the aisles.
Thanks everyone for the info. It's very helpful. Especially the comment about not using it as a tour bus.
If you board the 69 near the Eiffel Tower or at Gambetta this can work -- because you can probably get a seat and the bus does go through many well known parts of Paris including through the Louvre, around Bastille etc. If you grab it midway somewhere, odds are you will be standing and not seeing much of anything.
To clarify the earlier statement on ticket use. You do not have 90 minutes of bus time; you have one ride. You can do a transfer if needed to get to your destination and that is one ride. But you cannot board the same bus during the 90 minute period.
We used to use the Strippenkart in Amsterdam and you could use it there for a time period. In Chicago you can use bus and El charges with a very small transfer fee within the time frame; I often run an errand and return on the same punch. But in Paris this is not so -- it is not a timed ticket; it is a one trip ticket.
If you are planning to stay in Paris for 9 days then I would buy the Pass Navigo for the subway it also works on all the busses. It allows you unlimited trips from Monday through Sunday. For just one day get the mobilis pass. It also allows unlimited trips on both the bus and metro until midnight.
Crystal - where do we purchase the mobilis pass?
Thanks for your input.
Sue,
This link will explain the Pass and where to purchase.
http://parisbytrain.com/paris-train-metro-week-pass-navigo-decouverte/
Sue,
The link above is for the Navigo Découverte, which is the weekly pass. If you mean that you want to get a Mobilis pass (i.e. the day pass) you go to a staffed ticket window or the automated ticket machines. Remember that before the first use, you must enter your name and the date of use. You can buy your pass in advance and simply enter the date on the day of use.
There is nothing complicated about the Navigo Decouverte. You buy it, put your picture on it and there you are. Any head shot roughly 25/30 mm works fine; it doesn't even have to be color. We just crop a head from a snapshot on our computer and print them; no photo paper needed. The card is 5 Euro and is good for at least 10 years; you charge it by the week or month for the number of zones you want. It is easiest for an American to just buy it at a manned vending window of the RER (almost no sales windows still exist at metros -- you can buy it on a machine there and then use the receipt to obtain it from the information clerk)
You can buy a Mobilis from a manned RER window or from a machine. Most machines take coins; a few take bills; US credit cards will not work in them.
We fell for the RS hype about bus #69 a few years ago. We boarded near the Eiffel Tower and were packed in like sardines and never did get a seat nor could we see out the windows. Marvelous.... It is cheap transportation but for seeing any of the sights along the way, well, you get what you pay for.... We walk, use Navigos for 5 days on the metro and RER, then carnets for additional days.
Hi Sue, I agree with the others that the #69 is just a bus, not a tour bus. I did the entire route beginning at the Eiffel Tower. It was an interesting experience to mingle with the locals but I didn't find it that informative. I got a window seat but the bus did get very crowded, very quickly. It does go right by Pere Lachaise if that's one of your "must do" sites.
Thanks to all for your input. Rick Steve's France book made it sound (to me anyway) like you could use bus #69 as a "tour bus". Love how much I learn by asking the experts on these forums.
The matter seems to have been settled but I will second or third or more those who were disappointed in the Bus 69 excursion. The time we tried it , the bus stayed stuck in traffic seemingly forever before breaking free north of the Seine. Of course, every vehicle had the same problem.
