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Batobus vs. Big Bus Paris Day & Night Tours

Posted by (Lehigh Valley, PA) on

My 16 year old and I will be going to Paris next month. It's her first trip and I haven't been there in 20 years. We would benefit from a "Let's get acclimated" tour where we can soak it all in. We already have a 3 hour walking tour booked on our 3rd full day.
RS highlights Batobus and Big Bus Paris, but when I look at recent reviews-it appears to be a mixed bag. I'm leaning toward doing the Bateaus Mouche 1 hour cruise our first day and then 24 hours ticket of Big Bus another time. Thoughts?

Regarding a night tour, the Big Bus does a 9:15pm - 2 hour tour leaving from the Champ-Elyees. This feels really late to me to end at 11:15pm and then get back to the 2nd arr. where we are staying. Safety is important to us. Any suggestions?

We're looking for low stress. While it would be nice to have amazing commentary, helpful staff and easy to find is valued over commentary. Thanks for your help.

Posted by
968 posts

Regarding safety, you will have no problem at night walking or using metro or buses. 11pm is not late in Paris. Many people will be out and about.

Try to take a nighttime cruise on the Seine timed to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle just before the hour. I don't know that I would recommend it for your first night, assuming you have just arrived from a transatlantic flight. I find it a struggle to stay up past 10pm on arrival day. I have never taken Bateaux Mouches. I like Vedettes du Pont Neuf. They use smaller boats than the others with live commentary. However, I'm sure whichever is most convenient will be nice.

Posted by
2834 posts

I prefer the boats, mainly because traffic in Paris is really bad. You’ll spend a lot of time just sitting in traffic. I’ve taken the Vedettes du Pont Neuf a few times. You can buy tickets in advance that allow you to board at any time. I recommend a sunset cruise. The city is beautiful from the river.

Posted by
34 posts

Yes, Vedettes du Pont Neuf is a nice standard river cruise--my go-to. I'd avoid the Batobus and HOHO buses. Both are very slow means of transport (traffic for the bus, stops for picking up/dropping off passengers for the Batobus). Foxity does a 90 minute round-trip nighttime bus tour with no stops starting from behind the Louvre, so may be more convenient for you.

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