paris for the day

mrs_lds

can anyone please advisde me the best way to spend the day in paris arriving via eurostar. I have heard of hop on hop off passes on the seine does anyone recommend this or shall I stick tothe underground

mrs_lds

any advice please
thank you in advance

lizzie_dripping

What do you want to do/see?

The Seine cruises are nice but you won't see all of Paris that way. I would suggest the hop/off on buses instead. There are 3 different routes which I think you can do on 1 ticket and they stop very close to Gare de Nord. You will be able to see all of the sights and the maps are clearly marked.

If you want to go up the Eiffel Tower then be prepared to queue for the lifts. We walked up instead, you can get to the second level that way although it nearly killed me!

lizzie_dripping

I hate underground trains and so would always choose a bus over the metro or subway! However the Paris metro is easy to use and fairly cheap.

It's also quite a compact city and easy to walk arund.

mrs_lds

what is the ticket called for the day.and whch one would you recommend for the best sights.
how much is the ticket
thank you

kimineycricket

I've been to Paris a number of times in the last 4.5 years now and absolutely love it! The Hop on Hop off bus was ok (tried that with my fiances parents), but I much prefer walking around paris and using the underground, I think you'll see more of the quaint parts of Paris and its very easy to walk.

If you are an active sort of person I'd recommend you check out Fat Tire Bike Tours http://fattirebiketours.com/paris. I did the night bike tour which included a trip on the river about 4.5 years ago when I first visited Paris. A few friends did this recently which they took their mum on and said it was still fun! Its a great way to see the city and all the sights, you can then decide what you want to go back and visit with a bit more time.

Definately go up the tower, we waited hours but I thought it was worth the wait.
From there walk up to the Arc de Triomphe and down Av Champs-Elysees down towards the Louvre (for the Mona Lisa, Venus di milo, Winged Victory). Follow the river down and you'll come across Notre Dame.

The latin & jewish quarters of Paris are pretty cool, nice to grab something to eat here.
Notre Dame. I love the food in Paris - its one of the bigger attractions for me!

If you have time definately check out Les Invalides - Napoleons tomb is here. Impressively big for a small bloke! Also Sacre Coeur, and if you're into morbid types of things the old catacombs are eerily different as well. If you google any of these you'll find a few pics so know what to expect

Hope this helps.

mrs_lds

many thanks any more input most welcome
thank you

PompeyPete

Paris Sewers are a great way to spend a couple of hours. You learn a lot about how Paris has grown over several hundred years.
The sewer experience isn't at all smelly.
Entrance is on the West Bank, just by Pont D'Alma.
Underneath Pont D'Alma on the other side of the Seine is where Princess Di died in August 1997 (I was on duty in the British Embassy in Paris that night!).

If you don't fancy queuing for the Tower for a view of Paris, take the lift up the Montpanasse Building, and have a coffee in the restaurant up there.

The centre of Paris is great for walking, just be careful of the doggie poo;)

A trip out to Versailles might take up too much time. But it's a must-see place if you've got a couple of days. Get there by RER (can't remember which line). There's also a fantastic market at Versailles every Sunday. Ditto a trip out on RER Line A to St Germaine-en-Laye gives you the feel of a small French country town.

martindow

Pere Lachaise cemetery is very interesting if want something a little different.

Info on public transport in Paris is here

http://www.ratp.info/touristes/index.php?rub=reperer&cat=itineraires&page=itineraires&langue=en

mrs_lds

where do you get the carnets? ARE they unlimited travel?

Browntoa

you get a carnet of ten tickets , just hand one over each time you board a bus/tube

think we got 20 between 3 of us , did the eifel tower, notre dame , Mont Mart , think we needed to buy a single ticket at a machine to get back to gare de nord