We are visiting England for the first time and would like to take a day trip to Paris. Because none of us speak any french we have thought about having a full guided tour. Have any of you had any luck with one of these or do you know the best one for us to investigate.
thanks so much
Janet
Are you talking about picking up a day tour in London that takes you to Paris or about taking a bus tour of Paris once you get there?
However is best - we can meet a guide at the station in England or meet a guide when we arrive in Paris
There are hop-on/hop/off bus tours of Paris, some of which have a pick-up point at Gare du Nord, where you would arrive on the Eurostar. Unless you are itching to spend pots of money I don't see the point of a full guided tour. You can even take Bus No. 42 from the Gare du Nord, get a nice little tour, get off at Champ du Mars and walk over the Eiffel Tower. There is a kiosque in the Gare where you can buy bus tickets.
I assume that you'll be spending a few days in London. If so, having a copy of the Rick Steves London guidebook is a good idea. Bonus: Rick gives suggestions for a day trip to Paris. Read them and then decide if you want to do everything on your own or stick with a tour.
Here's a website of one company that does hop-on/hop-off tours in Paris:
http://www.pariscityrama.com/en/paris_open_tour
I've never done a tour like this so I can't comment on it. But they seem to be popular and you will get a good taste of Paris with commentary. You don't get commentary on the local bus.
Take the BOAT hop on/off tour....it is a 1/3 of the price of the bus and stops at all the obligatory stops.
Don't take a tour, what a waste of money and time, but, do consider the hop on and off bus, L'Open Tour. You do NOT need french to enjoy Paris. And a one day visit .. well if you can say Bonjour and Merci , you will survive fine.
L'Open Tour has a website, in english. It costs 26 euros for an all day pass, there are four routes the buses circle all day long, and a basic taped audio guide is provided on the bus. You will be able to hop off , take pictures , buy an ice cream and hop back on and keep going, where as on a fully guided bus tour YOU have no choices at all.
Don't be so nervous, Paris is FILLED with english speaking tourists, not just Americans, there are the Australians, the Brits, the Canadians,and the New Zealanders! They all manage fine, in most touristy central areas ( which is where you will be all day ) even the cafes have menus in english.
A day trip to Paris is do-able but you will need a long day! Very early Eurostar from St. Pancrfas Station to the Gare du Nord in Paris. Then take the Metro (line 4) to Chatelet and exit onto the rue de Rivoli. Walk down the rue de Rivoli towards the Louvre (not too far) and Paris will start to unfold herself. Be sure to walk through the Cour Carre of the Louvre and cross the Pont des Arts for a fabulous view (it's a pedestrian bridge). Then back to the Louvre. Just past the Louvre is the Tuileries Gardens...if you stand under the arch at the beginning (known as the Carousel) you will get a view right up the Champs D'Elysees to the Arc de Triompe. You will also get a view of the Eiffel Tower. Walk to the end of the Tuilieries and you are in the Place de la Concorde!!! Now you have just had Paris in a Nutshell!!!!!To hekp you figure all this out, go to the Louvre website for a map; you can also find a map of the Metro on the web. Print out everything!se Google!!Enjoy!!!
