Viewing the Paris monuments at night

One of the hop-on-hop-off bus companies, Big Bus, offers a nighttime tour, but it doesn't look like it stops any place for very long, and it starts at 9:30 from the Champs Elysees. I think that timetable would shorten your Eiffel Tower visit too much. Another company, Paris City Vision, offers a bus tour and a customized small-group minibus tour, but both start earlier than I'd think you'd want given your ET timetable.

The RS France guide recommends hiring a taxi for an hour, for up to 4 people, cheaper than two tickets to the buses, and stopping when and where you want. Your hotel could probably arrange that for you, though a pickup at the ET might be difficult to coordinate. Maybe easier to meet the taxi at your hotel at a fixed time. If you know which monuments you want to see, you can plan a route or perhaps give the driver your list and let him do it.

You can just walk along the seine river for spectacular night views. other option is to take the boat cruise along the seine river, it is not too expensive very romantic and a memory that will stay with u forever.

If you plan out a route using normal buses, which will still be running at that time, you will probably only have to pay one bus fare. You can change from bus to bus with no extra charge as long as you don't retrace your journey at any point.

I agree with JS! Walking along the Seine is one of the most relaxing and wonderful ways to see Paris lit up in all its splendor in the evening!

I vaguely remember reading about a taxi tour that RS recommended for Paris after dark. If you want to see most of Paris, that's the best way.

Vedettes du Pont Neuf has evening cruises every 1/2 hour, last one at 10.30. It leaves from the Ile de la Cite. I think there are cruises from the Eiffel Tower too, but they may be covered boats (not the best way to see the city). After the cruise, walk until the lights go out, around midnight.

Thank you for your responses! Very helpful!

I agree that with one night, a Seine cruise is great. I prefer the Vedettes du Pont Neuf to the Bateaux Mouches, and someone else on this board said that the Bateaux Parisiens were better than either one (I haven't been on this last one). Note that the Vedettes du Pont Neuf has discount offers on their website: http://vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

Another vote for a Seine cruise at night. it's magical going along the river and seeing Notre Dame, etc. lit up.

We've done a Seine cruise with both Vedettes du Pont Neuf and Bateaux Mouches and think the Vedettes du Pont Neuf is much better.

One of our favorite Paris things is to walk around Notre Dame at night and along the Seine. Now that we always stay in outer arrondissements we try to work it in when we have occasion to be in the center at night e.g. this fall we will attend an opera at the Bastille house and will then walk from there to Notre Dame before getting a train to the apartment.

Another wonderful night walk is to start at Concord and walk up the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe (you can do it the opposite way but it is picturesque to head towards the Arc) and then turn left at the Grand Palais (Clemenceau metro) and walk across Pont Alexandre. If you time it for the top of the hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles and you have a great view from the bridge. Good place for your Christmas card photo -- use flash and your group will be lit but of course the background will be dark with the Tower sparkling. This is the ornate bridge featured in Midnight in Paris. There is a lovely view forward to Invalides which is illuminated and back to the Grand and Petit Palais which have lit up glass roofs and then of course the view to the Eiffel Tower. It is a magical walk. You can retrace your steps back to the Champs Elysees and walk on up to the Arc and visit the top if you like. This is a far lovelier walk at night than during the day and you can get some good night photos from the top of the Arc.

It is also fun to retrace the steps of Gil in Midnight In Paris and visit the side steps of Etienne du Mont where the car from the past picked him up. I have a couple of snapshots of this spot near the end of this piece:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/interesting-paris-churches-off-the-beaten-track/
It is near the Pantheon and we walked up from the Luxembourg Gardens than past the Pantheon to the church of St Etienne du Mont and the site. But the Pantheon was not illuminated which was disappointing.

I would enjoy Paris at night on foot rather than trying to take a cab or bus tour -- it really is spectacular to walk along the Seine or any of these walks. And the Seine cruises are much nicer at night; in the daytime there you are down in the ditch -- not all that great. At night it is magical.

"Another wonderful night walk is to start at Concorde and walk up the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe (you can do it the opposite way but it is picturesque to head towards the Arc) and then turn left at the Grand Palais (Clemenceau metro) and walk across Pont Alexandre. If you time it for the top of the hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles and you have a great view from the bridge. Good place for your Christmas card photo -- use flash and your group will be lit but of course the background will be dark with the Tower sparkling. This is the ornate bridge featured in Midnight in Paris. There is a lovely view forward to Invalides which is illuminated and back to the Grand and Petit Palais which have lit up glass roofs and then of course the view to the Eiffel Tower. It is a magical walk."

This too is my favourite walk in Paris, but I would add ... Start at Opera and walk to Place de la Concorde via the Madeleine.