Good day everyone,
I have a day and 2 nights to visit Paris.
My wife and I have been there before, my 2 children wish to see a few highlights.
Night 1 is a dinner cruise.
Day 1, Thoughts were to walk from Notre Dame - Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel - Eiffel Tower, to see these sights plus a few in between.
Afternoon, visit Le Marais / Place des Vosges area (afternoon).
Night 2, Montmartre / Sacré-Cœur area (evening).
What would be best for family if 4 to get around by tax or metro?
Thanks,
Nate
we always use the metro because it is fast. Traffic can be VERY slow in Paris -- we have had it take 45 minutes to get from Fondation Louis Vuitton to an apartment across town. Note also that many cabs will not take 4 passengers -- the front seat is the cabbi's 'office'. And cabs are not always easy to find. We have stayed near cab stands many times where we have never seen a cab waiting.
for the airport -- definitely a cab, but around town I think metro is more efficient as well as being more interesting and fun for the kids.
Hi!
janetravels44 is right about cabs. It can be YIKES. Not enough cabs + apocalyptic traffic = yikes.
I’d just add that since you have little time, maybe try using buses. I know - “the Metro is faster!” - but hear me out. Since the Metro is mostly underground, usually crowded, and often just nasty, the bus can be a super alternative. You’re above ground, for one thing! You can see sights! I consider the bus a great way to see stuff on the fly as you get from one itinerary destination to another. Yeah, the Metro might (MIGHT) be 15 minutes faster, but you see nothing and it often smells of urine.
Bus 69 : route that passes by many major sights, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Père Lachaise cemetery
Bus 42 : route that goes from the Eiffel Tower to the Champs-Élysées, past the Opera Garnier, and to Gare du Nord
Bus 89 : explores the Rive Gauche (the Left Bank), passing by the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Panthéon, and the Arènes de Lutèce
Bus 67 : takes you to lesser-known spots, including the Bibliothèque Nationale, the Comédie Française, and the Grand Mosque of Paris
Nate,
Your morning walk is IMO a long one. How old are the children? Allow a lot of time for this morning walk, or maybe take the hop-on hop-off boat "Batobus" on your way to the Eiffel Tower to see things along the way. Your nighttime dinner cruise will have a different perspective than a daytime boat ride. Check out a Paris map for distances, etc. to allow enough time for this leg. Plan time to stop and check out things that catch your eye. (By the way, I am assuming you are just planning to see the EiffelTower from the ground, and not going up. To ascend, allow lots more time.)
Take the metro from the Eiffel Tower area to Le Marais. Schedule enough time for lunch and a sit-down sometime in there, after a morning of walking. For that night, take the metro or taxi to Montmartre. Note that in Montmartre most metro stops are long flights of stairs below ground, so if the children are small, allow time to get up top to street level.
Just fyi, if you decide on a taxi, get the G7 app on your phone to "call" one. Be sure to tell them 4 passengers. We have had 4 adults in one taxi with the driver having one of us in the front seat. But not all will do so. Taxis can travel in the bus lanes so are faster than Uber and from what I hear, don't cost much more (Uber surge pricing). Of course, the metro is cheaper than taxis, by far. It is up to your tolerance for steps and for crowds on the metro. Also, the age of your children (Five, ten, fifteen years old?) will be a factor.
Your one day sounds VERY busy with the long walk, but you all may be happy to bustle along. Have a fun day in the City of Light!
Nate,
Volva's advice about the bus is great. Wish I had thought of it!
