Would love advice on touring PARIS at NIGHT
 

We want to do do a driving tour of Paris on the night we arrive... figure we'll be tired from jet lag/flying.

I figure we have the following options. I would love advice from anyone who has done any of these:

1. Taking a hop-on/off bus tour: L'Open Tour or Les Cars Rouges (Is 1 better than the other?)

2. Taking Rick Steves public bus #69 tour.

3. Asking a cab driver to drive us around by perhaps giving him a specific itinerary. (Do most speak English?)

4. Hiring a private driver. (worried this would be too $$, but have no idea how much for an hour or 2)

5. Fat Tires Bike Tour-- sounds great, but I"m worried we'll be too tired having flown in from L.A. with a 2 hr stopover in London.

thanks,
Dina

You are not saying when you are coming to Paris, which is a crucial element in your choice: "night" now means 17h00 and freezing temperatures, but in June it won't be dark until 22h30 and it should be considerably warmer.

So, let's see:

1. This is the solution I would recommend... if you come between May and October. Otherwise, too cold. And not recommended if it rains

2. Forget it: bus 69, in spite of its erotic numbering, is extremely slow and clogged with old ladies. You won't see much, especially if it's rainy outside. A Cuban friend of mine, even though young and not jet lagged, fell asleep after 10 mn on it. And the last bus departs Champ de Mars at 21h15 only.

3. That's an option, it'll give you the advantage of being in control and able to tailor your ride to the weather and your actual physical fitness. Be sure to have your itinerary outlined on a map (and the meter on, don't accept any "lump sum" offer)

4. Irrelevant, more expensive than the taxi for the same result.

5. Unrealistic given the weather uncertainties listed above and, more importantly, your jet lag. The best way to break a leg on the first day of your stay!

But why not try:

6. Night bateau mouche ride (sans dinner, that's over the top), again, weather permitting of course. It's easy, quick (one hour + ), no dull moments to fall asleep, breezy enough to keep you awake, more romantic than the Open Tour.

Seconding the Seine cruise recommendation. Pont Neuf is romantic at sunset, and the river is beautiful by night.

Thanks, Art, for your thoughtful response.
We will be there in June.
I checked the websites for the tour busses, and it seems as though their last pick up is at 6, and sunset is at 8:30. What would be better, the tour in daylight (early evening) or the taxi at night (with city lit up). I don't think $$ is an option in that the bus will cost 100Euro for the 4 of us (we have 2 teens). Can't imagine a cab ride would cost that much?

Like the Seine cruise idea. Have alook at Vedettes du Pouint Neuf, smaller boats than bateaux Mouches at Place D'Alma, and better situated (Ile de la Cite)

Another option is Parisvision:

http://www.parisvision.com/fr/index....ik=selproduits

or Cityrama:

http://www.graylineparis.com/sightseeing.cfm

I'm not sure I would do any of those the night I arrived, if your main goal is to do touring at night in June. Some of your information is incorrect -- like sunset. The sun doesn't set until about 10 pm in June.

I definitely wouldn't do the 69 bus as any great tour of Paris. It doesn't cover the city, just goes from around Champ de Mars, down rue St Dominique, crosses the river, and then goes over to Bastille along the quai. I guess if you stay on, it goes down rue Rivoli and then past the Invalides on the way back. Still, that's not a lot of major Paris sights and you never know if you'll see anything or what kind of seat you'll get.

I also wouldn't hire a private driver due to cost (might as well just take a tour), or do a bike tour my day of arrival.

I think one of the hop-on/off buses could work, depending on weather. I think that ticket is good for two days (or you can get one that way for a few more euro), so if you want to use it a second day, the cost per person gets better. I don't know where you are staying, but their last pickup isn't 6 pm -- at least Cars Rouges is 6:51 at the Eiffel Tower and 8:41 at Trocadero.

The Seine cruise is a possibility. You could also take a Cityrama bus tour for about the price of that hopon/off bus ticket. They have an illuminations tour for 22 euro that is 1.5 hrs. They have a regular city tour of 2 hrs during day for a little less, I think.

As for the cab driver -- I wouldn't ever do that myself. I don't know how long you think you would have them with you, but I think that cost could easily be 100 euro or more. Their fare is about 30 euro per hour just standing, and that doesn't include an mileage. You would also have to make sure you had an itinerary all marked out, and this is sort of a complicated thing to explain perhaps if you do get one that doesn't speak English fluently. Most do not, at least not the ones I've had. You also have a lot of people.

Just be aware it isn't going to get dark until after 10.

Cityrama does a two-hour (or so) night tour that covers a lot of ground and lets you see most of what might interest you. Then of course a Seine cruise.

Wow, thanks for all the great advice.

Re: the Pont Neuf Veddettes, we were defintiely planning to do that the next night after dinner. Maybe that would make a bus tour the night before redundant??? If not, maybe I should consider the cityrama or parisvision tour.

Re: sunset time... I didn't realize the sun didn't set until 10! I tried to figure it out by checking this almanac-type website, and got 8:30 in June. Thanks so much. That helps with planning.

Christina- I got those times -- 6pm for last round trip tour on the hop-on-off busses on their websites. Where did you find that they leave at 8:41 at Trocadero? I thought that was the last drop off. Maybe I'm confused. We are staying in the 8th on George V.

Thanks for all the info everyone! I really appreciate it.

Christina is right about the taxi cost, I hadn't given it serious thought, it is actually true that it'll cost you a lot... plus there are four of you, and you'll be crammed as sardines!

I understand Dina's will to "hit the ground running" and having a wow factor as soon as they are in Paris. But I think our friends slightly underestimate the tiredness/jet lag factor, hence my reco for a quick, symbolic contact, such as the Bateau Mouche. I just had dear friends of mine from California at home; they are experienced and intrepid travelers, but spent most of their first day dozing away. I think it would be useless to make grand plans for that first night (especially so far ahead! ) when the very down to earth likelihood is that you'll just want to hit the sack ASAP. Sorry for breaking your dream!

As one who flies from SFO, I agree with Art.

However, in regards to a river cruise, I think Bateaux Parisiens might be a better choice. Departures from the Eiffel Tower which is closer, plus taxis are always there for getting back to the hotel.

..unless you take an afternoon nap you will be exhausted..dont plan anything your last night that cant be cancelled.

Come to think of it, Bateaux Mouches are the closest...right down George V to the Pont de Alma.

One other item to consider is dinner time and the cruise. Since restos start around 8PM, plan your relaxed meal and boat departure time well. That's one reason I chose Vedettes, since there are a multitude of restos in the 6th ...leasurely meal, easy walk to the departure location. June makes that a lot easier to coordinate.

Art is right. We like to hit the ground running when we arrive. Partly for the fun of it, but partly because we find that if we have a snack/ coffee and plow through without a nap, we adjust to the time difference much faster. Not sure if we can last past 9pm though....
So back to the plan... I've been very easily convinced to dump the private tourguide, taxi, and bus #69 ideas. I think I will also skip the hop-on-off tour, as well, and opt for the Siene River cruise after a relaxing dinner.
I've read on this site that the Vedettes from Pont Neuf are preferred because they are the smallest ("most intimate") and have a live guide. That was appealing to me, but is there that big of a difference between the 3? The other 2 that depart at the Eiffel Tower and Pont de Alma are more convenient starting points.

Dina, I too recommend the Vedettes du Pont neuf for the usual stated reasons (more intimate, more discreet, live commentary in only two languages, cute docking place, sligthly shorter ride, not on the bus tour programs, etc. ). I suppose that like many people on this board you'll be staying in the 7th, in which case the Tour Eiffel boats will be closer. But Paris is very compact, and the Pont Neuf is a 10mn, 8 euro taxi ride from the 7th. Plus, as Michel said,by going to the western tip of Ile de la Cité you'll get acquainted with a real, lively, charming neighborhood of Paris, whereas they roll up the sidewalks at night in the 7th.

This site (www.mindspring.com/~cavu/sunset.html) lists the sunset time for June as about 10:00 pm, but the end of "civil twilight" (I assume that means when it actually gets dark) as around 10:30. I remember being in Paris on Bastile Day (July 14th) one year and waiting for the fireworks which didn't start till 11 pm becuase it wasn't really dark till then. The lights on most of the monuments don't go on until it's really quite dark so there is a period when it's not bright and sunny but the lights aren't on either. Best to be eating dinner during that time.

I've done both the boat trips you are considering. The one from Pont Neuf is smaller and more "intimate" as the others said, but you'll be on the river with all the big ones at the same time so I don't think it makes that much difference. (The big boats tend to shoot this incredibly bright, annoying spot light onto all the monuments as you pass - don't know why they do that, it really lessens the experience). The ones by the Eiffel Tower are closer to your hotel, and also, after the tour you can walk around the Eiffel Tower itself which is very lively on a summer night. I'd go for that one for your first night. As someone else said, walking around the Ile de la Cite at night is wonderful but I'd save that for some other night.

Paris at night is wonderful, and one of the "problems" with going in the summer is that it get dark so late. I've been several times in March and several times in June/July and I actually prefer March for this very reason. You have nice long evenings. In the summer I try to take a nap in the afternoon so I can stay awake till very late so I have time to enjoy Paris after dark. And by the way, Paris at sunRISE is also spectacular.

You didn't mention what time of the day you're arriving. In any case, if I were you I wouldn't venture too far on that first day/night. If you're staying near the Champs Elysees, there's plenty to do, including going atop the Arc de Triomphe, walking on the Champs, buying your metro and/or museum passes, finding your nearest ATM and generally just getting your bearings. If you're still up for it, a stroll down to the Eiffel might be in order. After that, and a nice dinner, the thing you'll be most looking forward to is a good night's sleep!

dina4 - if you visit the vedettes de pont neuf website, you can print yourself a 2 Euro discount for as many people as you will have going with you.
www.vedettesdupontneuf.com

Our flight arrives in Paris at 2:30 on a Tues afternoon. I thought we could take a cab into Paris, get settled into our hotel, and be ready to go by 6.

Is that reasonable?

After all your good advice, and after finding out it gets dark SO late, I think our new plan will be as follows...

Walk along Champs Elysee, climb Arc de Triomphe

take metro from there to Anvers metro stop, take funicular up to Sacre Coure for view, walk around and down hill. take cab back to hotel area (8e) for dinner, and then crash....

I doubt we'll be able to stay awake until dark, and I really want to do the Siene Cruise at night, so I think we'll do it our second night. (I will definitely print that coupon!)

A short nap every afternoon sounds like a good idea.

Thank you, everyone, for such valuable advice. What would I do without you?!?!?

Hi Dina,

You might want to consider a set of multi day passes for the Batobus.

It's a hop on/off boat.

www.batobus.com

((I))