This is my second time to Paris...first with 2 teens and hubby. I remember spending loads of time getting lost on the Metro or on the wrong bus. I have my handy
"Streetwise Paris" Map. We are staying close to the Eiffel tour...we will arrive late afternoon Monday and do lots of walking that day. After that , we have 2 entire days. It was my experience that in New York, we spent 5 hours on the NYC Party Shuttle which took us in a small group to all the attractions in a very pleasant atmosphere. The next days, we went back and visited places in depth. I have been researching doing something like this in Paris. Anyone have any ideas or want to share experiences?

I really liked Paris Walks. There are also free Paris tours (can't recall the exact name), which I have taken, enjoyably, in other cities.

Some people have liked the hop-on, hop-off bus.

No need to apologize for wanting a tour!

Perhaps this.. a hop-on/hop-off bus toru?

http://www.grayline.com/Grayline/des...37&sid=488

No..not a toru...a tour

I also recommend Paris Walks. If you want a more detailed list of bus tours, Parisvision and Cityrama are the big ones.

www.pariscityrama.com

fr.parisvision.com

And for a Seine cruise...

www.vedettesdupontneuf.com

Hi Linda

I haven't done a shuttle or bus tour in Paris, but if you're willing to consider it there are walking and bike tours that you can also do, that help you become more familiar and comfortable with various neighborhoods. I've done both and they are fun.

In addition there is the option of a private guide who can design an itinerary according to your priorities. I don't know the cost for a small group shuttle tour, but a private guide might compare favorably in price to the shuttle for a family of 4.

The teens will probably like the bike tours better than a bus tour.

http://www.fattirebiketoursparis.com/

The Seine cruises are nice, too... about an hour.

We will be biking for about a week prior, since we'll be houseboating o the Burgundy Canal. I think the Gray Line looks really good....just hopping on and off at leisure. That also seems like a good deal; $50 for 2 days . Not so much a structured tour, but easy and easy to find ways to get from point A to BCDE, etc.

We just got back the end of last month and we enjoyed the Hop on/Hop Off bus. They have three different loops you can do and if you get a 2 day pass it includes the boat too. That gives you lots of ways, and various routes, to see the city.

If it were me I'd hire Michael Osmanfor a personalized tour..whereever you moight want to go or see or let him work it out.

We've nbeen to Paris over 20 times and always enjoy a day with Michael.

Don't forget the Batobus as well.

Geez Linda, I've never seen people "flamed" for taking a city tour (an entire trip tour, OK maybe)


The Batobus is what interests me, and I missed completely my first (and only so far) trip to Paris.

LLindaC: L'Open Tour is a hop-on-hop-off tour that will take you to all of the main sites in Paris. They have different routes and you can go from one to another on the same ticket. You get a map of the entire route system when you get on the first bus.

Grayline is not a H-o-H-o tour.

You might want to spend an hour on that first day at the Paristoric exhibit (film) at 11, bis rue Scribe at Opéra - it's a beautiful film about the main attractions of Paris that will help you winnow down your choices. You can then use the bus and métro systems and walking to get you to the places that most appeal to you.

We did batobus, open-top red bus and bike tours last time. The stand out winner was the fat bike tours. we did the one to Verseilles. Fantastic!

janisj....follow that link above. Grayline operates l'open tour and it does say hop on and off at your leisure.

I was really sweating bullets when I read your thread because I've already sent my money in, LOL!


Thank you for all your ideas and help. We will be in France June 1-13.

Thank you St Cirq for the suggestion. Rather than sitting down for an hour , I was able to order the Paristoric "Paris Story" DVD online! Before we leave, I'll fix some crepes and we'll sit down as a family and watch it from the comfort of the living room!

I highly recommend the Segway Tour with Fat Tire Bike Tours of Paris. Your teens will love it.

I found th "Paris Story" boring in the extreme, and a poor use of precious money and time in Paris.