Would you consider touring Paris on a big bus or on foot? Well, it depends, if you have limited time say 24 hours, you can consider that, but if you have ample time, consider using your legs to see how amazing Paris is - from the iconic artworks, parks, museums, old streets, restaurants, theatres, and a whole lot more.
Blogs like these, get read by hundreds of tourists and would-be holiday makers. This one, specifically focuses on the great French capital. You would imagine that it would probably contain a tonne of ads with sponsors and companies that want to promote their products and services.
This prompted me to contribute, as this is one of the few platforms where this doesn’t seem to be happening. I recently came back from a tour of Paris (when I say recently I mean about 2 months ago, in mid- January in the depths of winter. It was cold, with fresh crisp air. It was chilly and frequently it was rain. There was one particular point which I can recall very well. It was raining so heavily and the wind was so strong, that my umbrella was virtually redundant. It seemed to come out of nowhere and the crowds outside Notre Dame scattered, except for the dedicated group of tourists waiting in line.
“Where should we go now? I’m not going into another museum and that queue is massive”, My sister exclaimed as she held a gift shop bag over her head, as if that was going to do any good. And there we saw it, across the road. That most touristic of activities. The type of thing that I would never want to do. A BIG BUS TOUR.
We got on. I regretted it, the moment we stepped on the bus. My sister didn’t. She loved every minute of it. But the big question is, are these types of tours worth it. 33 euros to have an air-conditioned bus with wifi, drive you all over the city. Ok, you can get a discount online. But honestly, I would only recommend this type of travel if you have very specific circumstances.
- When I was in Rome. I had a 7 hour stop over before I could return home. I grabbed a take out pizza slice and sat at the top of the bus drinking coffee and rode around for 2 hours. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Well, I guess I just kept thinking, what else was I going to do. If time is very limited, it’s the most productive way of seeing the major sights. If that’s something that is important to you. There is only a limited number of cities where I could make that claim, and Rome was one of them.
- My parents use these type of tourist facilities all the time, when they travel. They find it hard to walk for long periods and they consider the big bus tours to be comfortable and convenient. Good for them.
I have nothing against these two categories, but if you are in Paris for longer than 24 hours, please try and do your best to use your legs and spend the money on a delicious French meal.
