first time in paris-need advice
 

Hi all,

This is our first trip to paris. We are going to be there for 2.5 days from Oct 9-11, 2008. We are interested in taking hop on/off bus/boat tours? Any advice on good reputable companies? I also looked at segway day tours at fattirebiketours. Are they any good?

I also wanted to know if any one knows if buddha bar is worth going? I had heard lot of good things about it. Is it still good? how about dinner over there?

Thanks a lot.

Hi

I believe the Batobus gives you the option of buying a pass; I have never done so.

We have never used a hop on/hop off bus in any city, and we find that Paris is a city where it is extremely easy to use public transportation. Have you a guidebook? Or check the Fodors Destination page for Paris. I believe there are descriptions there of transportation options.

I recently had some clients who took the Segway tour and loved it. Many folks here on Fodors have done it, too. Seems to be universally popular, but I can't give you a first hand rec. My husband is afraid I'll get hurt if he lets me on one.

No experience with Buddha Bar.

I don't know specifics about the Segway tour, but we did the Fat Tire Bike Tour and it was wonderful. I think it covers more ground than the Segway tour. You could go at night (6-10 p.m.), which frees up your day for other sightseeing, museums, etc. The bike tour also includes a Bateaux Mouches hour-long boat trip on the Seine.

Where are you staying, when do you arrive and depart, and what are your interests/priorities as far as sightseeing goes?

We went to Paris a couple of years ago in December. Due to the extreme cold, we chose to use the L'Open Tour which worked really well for us. If I recall, there were 3-4 routes that circled. We stayed on the bus touring the city for all the tours (about 3-4 hours) and made notes about destinations that looked really interesting. We had purchased 2 day passes. We utilized the afternoon of the first day and the entire second day to visit our desired sites in more depth. Hope this is helpful.

Our family of four purchased the unlimited hop-on-hop-off daily passes for the Batobus. I don't remember the exact price, but it was inexpensive. We enjoyed it as a relaxing way to see the city, from the Seine. Be sure to ride it at night. Check the schedule, as it stops running around 9 p.m., depending on the time of year.

I have done the Fat Tire bike tours. I have done the Night tour,, which was so much fun ,, that we then booked to go to Versailles with them. Totally recommend, I also suggest trying their day tour.

I have also done the L'Open Tour hop on and off buses. They are an easy way to see all main tourist sites, but not very fast.I have done them twice, both times when I travelled alone with one of my kids( I have taken two of them, but seperately) Kids love the double decker buses, but the metro is of course faster. The problem with the metro is it is nice to see where you are, rather then just emerge in area. I still love the metro, but still recommend the HoHOs for first timers to Paris.

I have also done the Fat Tire Bike Tour and it was superb. The only way to see Paris.

With 2.5 days--probably less by the time you settle into the hotel--I don't think you have much time for Segway or Bike tours.
The hop on hop off buses give you a nice overview of the city. The Batobus is on the water and for that length of time, may not be as good--you can at least see streets as you are on a bus.
Buy the bus for one day, take the 3 tours, and then find a part of the city you want to "know" and enjoy seeing what is there. There isn't much time for much more.

I did the Segway and loved every minute. Fat Tire are friendly people and do as they promise

Have a wonderful time, alseniore.

Hub and I took that hop on/off bus in June and we enjoyed it except one day got held up near Notre Dame because of the crowds. One bus was full so we waited about an hour for another, then just walked.

I agree with advice to do one circuit and return to area which interests you the most.

We always do an open top tour when we go to a city we've never been to before - we find that they give us a quick look at all the tourist spots and we can then pick which look interesting. The commentary is also usually quite good and gives us little snippits of interesting information.
Have fun in Paris! It's a magical city.

We were in Paris last week and did a repeat of the Segway tour and also did an electric bike tour.

The Segway is a HUGE amount of fun... the tour is worth it just for the ride!

The route is from near the Eiffel Tower, past les Invalides, over the Alexander the Third
bridge and along the river to Place de la Concorde. You then have to push the Segways into the middle of the Tuileries where there is a lunch stop. For some reason you can't ride them there.

Then on to the Obelisk near the Louvre, cross the Seine near the Musee D'Orsay and back past les Invalides and beyond the Eiffel tower to return to the Fat Tire offices. Figure on 4 - 4 1/2
hours.

The Electric Bike tour by Paris Charmes and Secrets was wonderful. Their site is
here: http://tinyurl.com/66tb64

Now I really dislike bicycles. Pedaling is not my thing. But the electric bikes
scoot you right along with a minimum amount of pedaling.

The tour starts in Place Vendome where my daughter and I descended to the parking garage below to mount our bikes. There was only one other person on the tour. (Thanks for the coffee Elvira!)

From there it's back to the surface and the Palais Royale, Louvre, Pont Neuf, the Left Bank, les Arenes de Lutece, Place de la Contrescarpe, les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower are just the main points along the way. There are also some interesting 'secret' places our delightful guide Delphine took us to as well but I don't want to spoil anyone else's fun of discovering just what. I've been to Paris several times and thought I knew my way around pretty well but I discovered I was wrong!

The tour covers a LOT of ground yet even a non bicycle
friendly person like me managed it easily.

With just the 2.5 days you have in Paris you might not have time for both the above... do the Segway tour for the fun aspect and a light overview of part of Paris or the Electric Bike to delve a bit deeper into Paris and see more. Either way you can't go wrong.

Rob

As far as I know, there are only two hopon-hopoff bus tours:

Open Tour
http://paris-opentour.com/

and Cars Rouges
http://www.carsrouges.com

They both have double-decker buses and have commentary. I believe both are perfectly reputable, just depends what you want. Cars Rouges is cheaper, so I'd choose that if it suits you. Open Tour has several routes (their main route is similar to Cars Rouges, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Trocadero, etc.), so if you wanted to use it several days, that would give you a variety of places with routes.

Hi all.... First let me say that I prayed so hard and am so thankful Gustav was not any worse for our wonderful neighbors in Louisiana. You are all in our thoughts.

Now, please tell this newbie about a "Buddha Bar".

anitajane,
buddha bar is the coolest asian fusion restaurant/bar/lounge originally from paris.
they also have the greatest eclectic world music dvds. i actually heard one a few years ago in morocco!
i have not been to the one in paris, but for those of us in north america, we can experience it in manhattan. it opened a couple of years ago in the meat-packing district. it is a great place to people watch, have fun drinks and asian/fusion small plates.