Hop on hop off with family. Do or don’t

Depends on your goals. Do you simply want to get around - get from point A to point B? If so, the hop on bus is a don't. It goes one way, so if point A is 2 stops past point B you'd have to ride the whole long way around. It doesn't run all that often or all that late. And it's expensive, especially for 4. Better to take the metro, walk, bus, or cab.

If you actually want a tour of the city - see the highlights from the bus, listen to the audio tour, etc, then sure. The HOHO bus can be ok for this.

To me, it would matter the age of the children. Paris has an excellent public transportation system. RS has lots of wonderful suggestions for Paris and he provides bus numbers for certain trips. Hotels are generally able to provide excellent help for new Paris bus/metro users. With hop on/hop off as a source of your transportation (as opposed to a tour) you might end up spending a significant time waiting for a bus to return each time you jump off. Additionally, Paris is very walkable and many attractions are within walking distance.

We did this the first day of our trip. I would not do it if you are considering it as a way of getting from one attraction to another. That is, getting off, making a visit, and then getting back on. I think you'll find that the traffic slows everything down making the "schedule" moot, and you will spend an awful lot of your time at the bus stop (with many others) waiting for the next bus to get there. You won't be able to fit in many stops in a day. I would use the Metro, even with kids. However, it was a good way to just ride around the city and get oriented, without getting worn out the first day.

That was just one experience.

Thank you for the advice
I think we’ll stick to walking and the metro.
We’ll be staying in le halles, so pretty central.
I’ll have an 11 yo and a two yo. I’m not sure how difficult the metro would be with a stroller.

Many metro stations do not have elevators. If your stroller is one that folds up easily and is light, you won’t have too much trouble (and FYI you’d need to fold the stroller for the bus, too). One person holds the child, one folds and carries the stroller, all walk down the stairs. That’s what we did way back when my 9 year old was under 2. Also, he was small, so my husband also wore him in a back carrier sometimes. Wouldn’t work as well for an older/bigger toddler but was super helpful that trip with an 18 month old and a 4 year old!

The HOHOs are terrible transportation and not much good for 'getting the lay of the land' either as they involve endless waiting and are sooooo slooooowwwww. If you want an overview from the top of a bus then do the Foxity 2 hour bus tour and be off to the metro. Metro does involve lots of stairs; buses tend to be slow and I find that I rarely get a seat on one. Metros are very speedy and you rarely wait long for one; underground exchanges involve long walks and lots of stairs.

Here is a way to spend a couple of hours doing a bus tour of part of Paris. Go behind the Gare du Nord (take a cab there) to the bus terminal and board the No. 42 bus. It is the beginning of the route so lots of seats and room for the stroller. Stay on the bus to the end of its route. You will go through Champs de Mars where you can see the Eiffel Tower, then onward along typical Parisian streets, with their cafes and shops to the end of the line. Disembark and the reboard when the driver gives the OK.

On the return route get off at Champs de Mars, so you can take pictures of the Eiffel Tower. Then get on the bus No. 69, (look for the sign indicating its stop close to where you got off the 42, you can just transfer) and take it to the end of its route. You will enjoy this scenic route, it passes many landmark sites. The Pere LaChaise cemetery is close to the last stop on the No.69 route, if that interests you, but I guess little kids may not be enthralled by a cemetery.

I like city buses and metros, even with kids. Buses give you the street views, metros are quicker. Getting the 5 day ticket works great. As mentioned the 42,69 and I use the 80 too.

hey roditron
couple sites to check out:
withlocals.com has some kid friendly things to do.
foxity.com kids are free if booked on internet, if you're sure of date, not sure of cancellation fee. stay on the bus the whole tour.
tuktukinparis.com different tours for length of time and what you see.
retro-tour.com may be off the wall, but dad or mom and 11yo may like it.
2CVparistour.com a fun car tour thru the city day and night you can email them to ask any questions.
hope this gives you other options to think about so all can have a great trip.
aloha