Hop on Hop off Open bus tours in Paris
To decide whether open bus tours are worth it or not we have to consider many things. It depends on person to person. In this section, we are proposing the different points that you need to consider when you are going to take the open bus tours in Paris.
How do they operate in Paris?
The open bus tours have operating in multiple routes, each covering different areas of the city, such as Montmartre, the Marais, or the Champs-Elysées. They operate on the city’s streets and are a great way to get an overview of Paris and see as many sights as possible in a short amount of time. This will be an amazing experience for the passengers because they can enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the top of an open double-decker bus. Because of the tight competition, tour companies also trying to provide better service and maximum facilities to their customers. So they have well-studied route plans that cover most of the famous attractions and also that help passengers to get more profit from their Paris trip. Open bus tours have an audio guide on board that provides commentary about the sights and history of the city, which can be informative and educational. Nowadays multiple language commentaries are available on board for the convenience of the passengers.
What do open bus tours offer to customers?
Bus tour companies provide different options for their customers to choose from sightseeing tours, hop-on hop-off, night sightseeing tours, and bus tours combined with a Seine river cruise.
Sightseeing and night sightseeing tours are usually a 2-hour road trip through the historic monument and landmarks in Paris. This will be a non-stop open bus tour through the city and it ends where it started. The two-hour journey covers famous attractions including the Eiffel tower, the Louvre museum, Arc de Triomphe, Notre dame cathedral, Concorde, the Opera, the Orsay museum, Champs Elysees, and many more. The day tour and night tour have their own different experiences, if possible you can try the two options. We have a pro tip for you to make it possible.
Hop-on hop-off service, which allows passengers to get on and off the bus at different stops along the route. This allows passengers to explore the city at their own pace and also provides the flexibility to visit different areas of the city. Nowadays, with the help of technology the use of the hop on hop off become very easy and convenient. You can check the real-time bus position or you can locate different stops and find the nearest stop using the application. That means you have full freedom on your timing and you can enjoy each moment possible. It also provides audio guides in different languages. Most of the open bus tours have almost 10 stops nearer to the famous attractions.
Who can benefit from open bus tours?
If you don’t have much time to explore the city, these tours will take you to most of the famous attractions and make your Paris trip the most memorable. These buses have stops near the main attractions and you don’t have to waste your time on the streets. And also if you have physical difficulties and you can’t walk along the city, you can opt for this option. Because if you take a mode of public transport, you need to walk at least half a kilometer to each attraction. Even if you come in your vehicle, most of the attractions or landmarks don’t have parking nearer to them.
In the next section, we are introducing the most popular and well-reputed 2 open bus tour companies in Paris.
BIGBUS PARIS
Big Bus Tours is the largest operator of open-top bus sightseeing tours in the world, providing sightseeing tours in 22 cities across four continents. In Paris, the company operates a fleet of double-decker buses that take visitors to some of the most famous landmarks and, neighborhoods in Paris. The company operates its classic “Red route” with 10 stops near the main attractions and historical places in Paris. Big Bus offers an audio guide in 11 languages which no other companies have. The audio guides are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, and Korean. The live commentary provides information about the sights and neighborhoods that the bus passes through. This is a great way to learn more about the history and culture of Paris and to make the most of your visit to the city. If you don’t have an earphone with you, they will provide a complementary earphone that you can keep when you disembark. Big Bus also provides free Wi-Fi on board.
Tours offered by Big Bus Paris
Big Bus Paris offers hop-on hop-off service, night sightseeing service, and a combined option for hop-on hop-off with a Seine river cruise.
Hop on Hop off tours
If you buy a hop-on hop-off ticket you can board the bus unlimited from any of the 10 Big Bus stops. Tickets are available for 1 or 2 consecutive days.
Hop on Hop off Stops - Big Bus Paris classic route RED
- Tour Eiffel (Quai Branly, Entrée 2 Tour Eiffel)
- Champ de Mars (Avenue Joseph Bouvard)
- Opéra Garnier (15, Rue Scribe)
- Louvre-Pyramide (Big Bus Information Centre) ( 11 Avenue de l’Opéra)
- Louvre-Pont des Arts (Quai Francois Mitterrand)
- Notre Dame (3 , Rue Lagrange)
- Musée d’Orsay (58 Place Henry de Montherlant)
- Champs-Elysées (156, Avenue des Champs-Elysées)
- Grand Palais (Avenue Winston Churchill)
- Trocadéro (Avenue Paul Doumer)
Hop on hop off point near Eiffel tower
First Bus: 9:45 from Stop #1; #4 and #8.
Last Full Tour: 17:30 from Stop #4.
Last Bus: 17:30 from Stop #4 (terminus stop #4)
Full Circuit Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (approx.)
Bus Frequency: 10-15 minutes.
Prices
Hop-on Hop-off tours
One day pass
Adult: 42€
Children (4-12 years old): 22€
Two-day pass
Adult: 52€
Children (4-12 years old): 25€
Night sightseeing tour
With a night sightseeing ticket, you can enjoy a 2-hour Paris open bus tour at night. The bus passes through the famous attractions and avenues in Paris. Once you board you can enjoy a night panoramic view of Paris and the lighting of famous attractions including the Eiffel tower. It is a non-stop guided tour and you can’t disembark until the circuit finish.
Departure Time: 20:15
Departure Location: Stop #8 (156 Avenue des Champs-Elysées – facing the Arc de Triomphe)
Tour duration: 2 hours
Price
2-hour night sightseeing tour
Adults: 30€
Children (4-12 years old): 20€
Hop-on Hop-off + 2-hour night sightseeing tour
One day pass
Adult: 65€
Children (4-12 years old): 40€
Two-day pass
Adult: 79€
Children (4-12 years old): 45€
Hop on Hop off + River Cruise
With this combined ticket you can enjoy the hop-on hop-off bus tour and a Seine river cruise. Big Bus Tours has partnered with a famous cruise operator in Paris, Les Bateaux Parisiens to provide a 1-hour river cruise, showcasing the beauty of Paris from the River Seine. Once you arrive in Paris, you have to collect your river cruise ticket from any of the Big Bus agents. You can find the agents at every Big Bus stops.
River cruise departure Location: Pontoon No. 3, Port de la Bourdonnais (near Stop #1: Eiffel Tower)
Departure Times: every 45 minutes between 10:30 am–9:00 pm (every 30 minutes on weekends)
Price
Hop-on Hop-off tours + 1-hour River cruise
One day pass
Adult: 55€
Children (4-12 years old): 30€
Two-day pass
Adult: 65€
Children (4-12 years old): 32€
Hop-on Hop-off tours + 1-hour River cruise + 2-hour night sightseeing
One day pass
Adult: 79€
Children (4-12 years old): 45€
Two-day pass
Adult: 89€
Children (4-12 years old): 49€
Mobile app
It is strongly recommended to download the Bigbus mobile application. They have included lots of information on the application. You can track the buses, you can navigate through the application, find the nearest attractions, nearest stops, etc.
Before buying the tickets please read our Pro tip and comparison of the two bus operators in the last section.
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TOOT BUS PARIS
Toot bus is the newest open bus tour operator in Paris. So that they have new buses with them. One of the main advantages is that their buses have closed glass roofs (not every bus), which is really helpful in winter to avoid the cold winds. Toot bus Paris also has 10 stops on their famous “Blue route” near famous attractions and historical monuments. The tour routes offered by Toot bus cover a wide range of iconic landmarks in Paris, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Champs-Elysées, and many more. The routes are designed to take you through the most beautiful and historic parts of the city and to give you a true taste of Parisian culture and lifestyle. An audio guide is also available in 5 languages. The audio guides are available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Also, you can have free Wi-Fi on board in Toot Bus.
Tours offered by TOOT Bus Paris
Toot Bus Paris offers day sightseeing tours, hop-on hop-off service, night sightseeing service, and a combined hop-on hop-off and river cruise.
Sightseeing and Hop-on Hop-off tours
Toot bus operates day sightseeing tours and hop-on hop-off tours on the same circuit. Once you purchase the day sightseeing ticket, you can travel a complete circuit or you can hop on and hop off until your ticket expires. The validity of the ticket will be 2 hours from your first validation. You can start your trip from any of the 10 stops on the toot bus Blue circuit. For the hop-on hop-off ticket, they have 1-day, 2 days, and 3 days hop-on hop-off tickets. None of the other companies has 3 days ticket. The benefit is that, if you add an extra 9 euros to the one-day ticket price, you will get a 3-day hop-on hop-off ticket. The ticket will be valid for 1, 2, or 3 consecutive days. A small tip, it actually counts 24hr, 48hr, and 72 hours. That means, if your first validation is at 2.00 pm, your ticket will be valid for the next day until 2.00 pm. Like the sightseeing trip, you can board the bus from any of the 10 stops and hop on and hop off unlimitedly. You just have to validate your ticket each time you enter the bus.
Hop on Hop off Stops - TOOT Bus Paris classic route Blue
1) Haussmann, Grands Magasins (13, rue Auber 75009 Paris)
2) Opéra Garnier (49, avenue de l’Opéra 75002 Paris)
3) Louvre Museum (Place du Carrousel 75002 Paris)
4) Notre-Dame (4, rue du Petit Pont 75005 Paris)
5) Musée d’Orsay (8, quai Anatole-France 75007 Paris)
6) Concorde (12, place de la Concorde 75008 Paris)
7) Champs-Elysées – Georges V (116, avenue des Champs-Elysées 75008 Paris)
8) Trocadéro (15, avenue du Président Wilson 75016 Paris)
9) Eiffel Tower (69, quai Branly 75007 Paris)
10) Pont Alexandre III – Invalides (41, quai d’Orsay 75007 Paris)
Toot bus at the Eiffel tower stop
1st January to 31st March 2023
First departure: 09:30 AM – Last departure: 4:30 PM (every 15 mins)
1st April to 31st October 2023
First departure: 09:30 AM – Last departure: 6:30 PM (every 10 mins)
1st November to 31st December 2023
First departure: 09:30 AM – Last departure: 4:30 PM (every 10 mins)
Full Circuit Time: 2 hours (approx.)
Prices
2-hour sightseeing tour
Adults: 29€
Children (4-12 years old): 19€
Hop-on Hop-off tours
One day pass
Adult: 41€
Children (4-12 years old): 21€
Family pack (2Ad+2Ch): 99€
Two-day pass
Adult: 47€
Children (4-12 years old): 24€
Family pack (2Ad+2Ch): 118€
Three-day pass
Adult: 51€
Children (4-12 years old): 26€
Family pack (2Ad+2Ch): 128€
Night sightseeing tour
Toot bus has a specially designed root for night sightseeing tours. A 2-hour trip that passes through the Champs Elysees, Trocadero, Eiffel tower, Opera, Louvre museum, and many more. An audio guide is also available which tells you the historical importance of each avenue and monument. Passengers can board the bus from the Louvre stop located at Place du Carrousel du Louvre 75001, Paris.
Departure time:
At 6:00 PM from January to February and from 1st to 23rd November
At 8:00 PM on March and from September & October
At 9:00 PM from April & May
At 10:00 PM from June to August
This service is not available from mid-November to 6th January approx.
Price
2-hour night sightseeing tour
Adults: 30€
Children (4-12 years old): 17€
Family pack (2Ad+2Ch): 80€
Hop on Hop off + River Cruise
Toot bus has partnered with a famous cruise operator in Paris, Vedettes de Paris to provide a 1-hour river cruise. With your ticket, you can enjoy the hop-on hop-off as per the validity of the ticket(1,2,3 day) and the one-hour river cruise. The cruise pier is located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on the riverside ” Port de Suffren “, very close to the stop Eiffel tower. Get off the bus and embark on a relaxing cruise to explore Paris and its monuments from a different viewpoint. Feel the magical atmosphere of the river Seine while you admire the riverbanks designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the 37 bridges across the Seine such as Pont de Bir-Hakeim, Pont Alexandre III, Pont Neuf, Pont de Sully etc. The departure of the cruise depends on the season, please check it before you go to the boarding point.
Prices
Hop-on Hop-off tours + 1-hour River cruise
One day pass
Adult: 51€
Children (4-12 years old): 26€
Two-day pass
Adult: 57€
Children (4-12 years old): 29€
Three-day pass
Adult: 61€
Children (4-12 years old): 31€
Mobile app
Mobile application gives full freedom while we are on hop-on hop-off tours. You can track the live location of the bus and you can plan according to that. Also, Toot bus application has an audio guide within it. You can comfortably play the guide and enjoy the ride maximum.
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BIG BUS or TOOT BUS let's do a comparison
- Both tour operators have 10 stops on their hop-on hop-off circuit.
- Both companies provide hop-on hop-off, night tours, and combined tours. But the Big bus offers more types of combined tickets.
- Toot bus is cheaper compared to the Big bus
- Bigbus has audio guides in 11 languages while Toot bus has only 5 languages.
- Toot bus has buses with roofs covered with glass, which is comfortable in the winter.
- Both have a live bus tracking application.
- Toot bus has an audio guide in their mobile application.
- Toot bus offers up to 3 days hop-on hop-off ticket.
- Toot bus also has a 2-hour hop-on hop-off sightseeing ticket.
In my opinion, the Toot bus gives more services and facilities at a cheaper price. But Big bus is also a well-known company that operates in more than 22 cities around the world.
Pro tip
If you would like to save some money this section is for you. If you are already planning to take the hop-on-hop-off ticket and you do not have the budget for a night sightseeing trip. Don’t worry, we have a plan for you. If you take the last complete circuit of the hop-on hop-off service you can enjoy the same night sightseeing experience. During the festival season, especially in December, the Paris streets are decorated with illuminating lights and it will be a different experience for you. The sky gets dark very early and it will be perfect for a night trip. So don’t miss your chance. All you have to do is find your bus tour operator’s last complete circuit and be there.
If you are planning a summer trip to Paris, this will not help you much. Since the sky gets dark only after 10:00 Pm. But don’t worry, we have another plan for you. Have you heard about Batobus? The Batobus is a hop-on hop-off service in the Seine river. With Batobus you can enjoy a seine river cruise and hop on and hop off at the same time at a cheaper price. If want to know more visit our Batobus page.
Where you can buy your open bus tour tickets?
You can purchase your open bus tour tickets online. Which is more reliable and flexible. You can also purchase from the driver on board or you can buy them at their office. If you buy tickets from our online partner you will get tickets at the same price as the official website and get more benefits. You can book your tickets today and pay later. Also If the plans change, you can cancel your ticket up to 24 hours before the tour date. This excellent option gives you full peace of mind at the time of booking.
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#1 Tour Eiffel
Location: Quai Branly, Entrée 2 Tour Eiffel
Operational hours: 09:45 Am to 18:50 Pm
Famous attractions near the stop:
- Tour eiffel
- Champ de mars
- Palais de tokyo
- Musée du quai branly
#2 Champ de Mars
Location: Avenue Joseph Bouvard
Operational hours: 09:50 Am to 18:55 Pm
Famous attractions near the stop:
- Ecole militaire
- Champ de mars
- Hotel des invalides
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