Paris Hop on Hop off

Hi Mkarras,

There are 2 hop-on, hop-off bus companies in Paris - L'Open Tours (bright yellow buses) and Les Cars Rouges' (red buses). They are both pretty similar, offering several different routes, but of the two, I prefer L'Open tours, which has slightly better commentary. The Paris Grand Tour (green route) offers the best introduction. See their website for details: www.parislopentour.com

The only thing to add to what Rich said is l'Open Tours has 3 routes to choose from and Les Cars Rouges only has one (unless they've added more recently). Also, the red one is less expensive.

I suggest checking them both out on Google before you go so you can decide which is best for you.

I have always used L'open Tour. They are yellow and green and if you are fit (and the weather cooperates) go on up to the second story, you will see more. I especially like L'open Tour bus, because at one time I believe they had a combination ticket where you could use the L'open Tour (bus) along with the batoboat that goes down the Seine and back---I found both to be fun to see different parts of the city (I have also purchased the boat tickets separately. I have to say I really do like that batobus: http://europeforvisitors.com/paris/articles/paris-sightseeing-buses.htm). Most people recommend a 2 day pass for L'Open Tour because they have 4 routes--here is info from TripAdvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187147-d585912-Reviews-L_Open_Bus_Tour-Paris_Ile_de_France.html.
Here is a map that shows the routes and what sights are on each L'Open Tour route: http://www.paris.opentour.com/en/lines/

Also, I googled "comparison of hop on hop off buses in Paris" and found an article that I think will be helpful to you:
http://europeforvisitors.com/paris/articles/paris-sightseeing-buses.htm
I hope those links work!
Have fun.
Suzanne

I have observed a lot more of the yellow buses. One I saw today said "20€" for a day. There used to be a two-day deal. Except In the rain, lots of riders use the upper deck. If there are frequent buses, it's not a bad way to get around the central, tourist-oriented parts of Paris.

My husband and I were in Paris in August and used the Big Bus hop on hop off bus. They used to be called L'Rouges or something like that. Two years before we used the green one and decided to try the red one this time. I don't remember if we were satisfied with the green one or not, just wanted to try something different. We bought a two day pass that included a night tour and a river cruise. On the Big Bus tour buses there were some seats where the headphones didn't work but we just switched seats then. Overall the narration was good and the buses got us where we wanted to go. It helped that they had a stop very close to our hotel right by the Arc. We used them for transportation as well as the tour. We were very happy with the actual night tour which made sure we were at the Eiffel Tower when the extra lights came on. The river cruise was also good but you have to remember to trade in your voucher for a ticket at the dock as the cruise company is not the same as the bus company. I would recommend the hop on hop off buses and probably either company would be fine. (We are in our late sixties so you won't have any problem.) Our only complaint was with the less than friendly or helpful staff at the Big Bus main office but you can get your ticket at the bus stops and by pass them entirely. The other complaint will be obvious no matter who you use and that is they don't line up in Paris (or most of Europe) so you may start out "first in line" right by the bus stop and still be the last people on the bus. You just have to hold your ground and not get pushed back too much. Something that is hard for anyone who is used to saying, "After you, please." and taking turns. We bought our tickets over the internet just to have that out of the way but as I said you can get them at the bus stops. Also the Big Bus tours have an app you can download to a smartphone which shows their route and describes what you are seeing. I found that very useful. I reread the other replies to your post and I guess L'Open has yellow buses. I remembered them as green but it is the same company others have mentioned.