My sister and I will be going in February to London. During our stay we have tickets on the Eurostar for a day trip to Paris. What on/off tour bus trip should we go on? We only have a day there so we thought taking one of those hop on/hop off tours would be best. What company? Should we buy tickets now over the internet or wait until we are there? I thought it might be easier to get them now and not have to locate them there. Any advice would be great!

L'Opentour and the other bus tours are readily found all over Paris. There is absolutely no need to buy the tickets ahead of time. Simply pay the fare when you board the bus at any of their stops. It is best to have exact chnage.

We did the red bus tour the first time we went to Paris and it was fine. We purchased the tickets on the bus. You see the bus stops along the streets, they are very well signed.

On a day trip to Paris from London I used the L'Openbus and it was perfect. Upon arrival we took RER B and C directly to the Eiffel Tower (the "furthest" point from Gare du Nord)and afterwards hopped on the bus at the stop directly next to the Tower on the river side. Simply buy ticket on board. It couldn't have been easier. In one day we were able to go up the Eiffel Tower and the Arc d'Triomphe, inside Notre Dame and Sainte-Chappelle, walk around the Luxembourg and Tuileres gardens and the Latin Quarter. In hindsight, we could have gone into the Louvre but we were overly cautious about time. Study the bus route map to plan your time so you end up nearest an easy transfer to Gare du Nord at the end of the day (i.e. Luxembourg Gardens or Notre Dame are good since the RER B is there).


http://www.paris-opentour.com/index_eng.htm

the essential route finder: http://www.ratp.fr/

We used L'Open Tour also. We caught the Metro to the Bir Hakeim station, exited the station, turned right and walked approximately two blocks to the L'Open Tour bus stop....our pleasant surprise (being Parisien newbies and all) was that we were right at the Eiffel Tower!! Do not buy in advance...you can simply pay the driver as you board.

I really enjoyed the freedom of getting off at the different historical sites like the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and then casually hopping back on when I was ready to move on to something different.

You will have a wonderful time, especially since you only have one day to visit...you will make the most of it by taking this tour. I've made it a habit to take these types of tours in every new city that I visit. It allows you to get a feel of your environment and gives you the courage to strike out on your own because you are now somewhat familiar with the city.

Do make sure that you spend some time on the top of the bus to get the best views of the city. We had to seek refuge a couple of times due to the rain.