Visitors to Paris often only have a few days, many just one day, so time you do have in Paris has to be used efficiently.
Most first-time visitors want to see the classic icons of Paris, above all the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine.
There are half day and one day options to suit all, the latter including lunch at the Eiffel Tower.
If you are new to Paris that precious time can all too easily just slip by as you get your bearings and find out logistical lessons the hard way.
The most affordable and flexible way of getting orientated with the layout of Paris, seeing the main sights and getting some useful commentary on what you are witnessing are the hop on, hop off sightseeing buses.
There are two main competing hop on hop off sightseeing bus operators, the red Big Bus and red, white and blue Toot Bus, formerly known as Open Tour Paris buses.
There is little difference between the two, although the Big Bus service is cheaper but has only one main route which covers the centre of the city and a smaller route that covers the north of the city centre around Montmartre.
Big Bus still covers all the main sights, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Champs-Elysees and the Louvre though.
Tootbus Paris buses also have the city centre route but that is supplemented by three other routes to the inner suburbs.
Both services give the opportunity to see Paris from the river for a supplement to the core bus service offering.
River cruises in Paris are very popular, partly because a lot of the main sights like the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral (although this is covered in scaffolding currently due to the recent fire) and Eiffel Tower are located next to the river.
There is even a hop-on, hop off river boat service called Batobus.
See the Paris main attractions in a five-hour Paris city tour with a difference.
Your sightseeing tour of Paris includes a tour across the city by coach, views of Paris from the water as you cruise along the River Seine, and lofty panoramas from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.
You have a choice of tour departure times throughout the day so you can plan your day to suit yourself.
This comprehensive tour is a great way to get to know Paris if this is your first visit, and if you arrive in Paris in the morning the tour still enables you to take in the best of Paris before you sit down for an evening dinner.
Your coach tour across Paris takes in Place de la Concorde Square, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, the western districts of Paris, the Palais de Chatillon and the Palais Bourbon (National Assembly).
You'll then see Paris from a different viewpoint by taking a one-hour cruise on the Seine River, highlighting the rich 2,000-year history of the city.
And what better way to conclude your overview of Paris than by taking a trip up the Eiffel Tower where you will have enough time to explore on your own.
You'll ride the elevator up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower for spectacular views of Paris laid out before you.
The 4-hour tour concludes at the Eiffel Tower so you will have the opportunity to continue an independent visit at your leisure.
![]() |
|
This full day tour is an extended version of the half day tour covered above with a more leisurely pace and longer visits to the main sights, including a memorable lunch on the Eiffel Tower.
The tour begins with a guided 1.5-hour visit to the magnificent Louvre Museum. You'll then take a boat ride along the Seine River to the Eiffel Tower, where lunch is served in the exceptional setting of the 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant on the tower's first floor. The early afternoon is left free for you to explore the Eiffel Tower.
After lunch it's time to board another boat to take you along the Seine River to Notre Dame Cathedral for a 45-minute guided visit to the outside of this famous building.
The Paris Walking Tour by river shuttle concludes at Notre Dame, leaving you free to continue your visit to the cathedral on your own.
![]() |
|