My wife & I & teenage grandson, on a tour, mostly rural, of France will be taking train into Paris from suburbs for a one-day visit in Paris in late April. Plan to use hop on/off bus tour. Definite stops we want to make are Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe & Notre Dame Cathedral. Will that about take the day by time bus circles around the downtown area? Other "Must See's"?
Posted by
Corsicana, Texas, USA
354 posts
With just a few clicks on this very website, you can determine your own must-see sites for Paris. At the top of your browser screen (under Rick Steves' face), click "Plan Your Trip", then click on "France". I count 23 articles outlining Rick's Paris recommendations. Some will interest you more than others, and these will become your must-see list. For even more info, type "Paris, must see" into a Google search engine - lots of opinions there as well. As to your Hop On-Hop Off question, I don't believe it would take up an entire day - plan on maybe a couple of hours.
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
But then Tom says "Go ask on the Rick Steves Helpline". And the circle never ends...
Posted by
Paris, France but American
2 posts
I hope it isn't too late but I just saw your post while I was preparing a list for some friend who are their way over. You have the top 3 correct and the bus is great idea. I have two more suggestions if time allows, do visit the Musee d'Orsay and be sure and walk across the Louvre's courtyard, particularly if your grandson watches movies. You don't need to go in the Louvre but the courtyard with the pyramid is in so many movies and you can catch a glimpse of the eiffel, as well as all the arches that are aligned from the Louvre through to La Defense, running through Concorde and the arc de Triophe.
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
Your grandson may like visiting the Catacombes--takes about an hour. Quite interesting.
Posted by
Indianapolis, Indiana, usa
360 posts
This is walkable although the bus will be nice. Either way, you'll have time leftover unless you want to go up the Eiffel tower & have long lines. I stay in the area of the Eiffel tower & have walked most of it at night after a day of sightseeing.
Posted by
Richmond, VA, United States
2 posts
The hop-on hop-off is a great idea. I think the round-trip only takes about an hour total, so you'll certainly have time to get off and explore some important sights. Notre Dame and the St. Chapelle, right next door, are top of my list! (The color of the stained glass in St. Chapelle is absolutely stunning) While you're off the bus, I suggest you try some Berthillion Ice cream!! It's available in many locations on the Ile St. Louis (where Notre Dame is), and it's so good, it's a major reason I'm going back to Paris!
Do you like Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir? The Musee D'Orsay is my favorite museum in Paris. It is MUCH smaller than the Louvre, and if you love impressionist art, you could manage that portion in under two hours. But I would never attempt the Louvre in a one-day jaunt.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
You only have one day,, you will spend it on the Hop on and Off bus and it will pass almost all the great sites, this allows you to jump on and off at serveral of them . Don't bother going up the ET,, lines take too long . Try going up the Arc De Triomphe ,, the view from top is great and lines alot shorter.
L"open Tour Bus had some good routes, the "Green Line" was the best one I thought, the L"Open tour buses are yellow and green and you can just pay as you board.
Posted by
OP
Alabama, USA
42 posts
Thank You to all of you for your replies! Several suggestions were posted today that we are so interested in that we printed out this page so that we can recall them when we get there - particularly needed to make note of recommended bus routes - but that was only one of several very appealing suggestions.
Thanks again,
Jerry