Hop on Hop off in Paris? Yes or NO?

Hey everyone! My wife and i are getting ready for our TA in April and our last stop in Lahavre which of course we have to take the 3 hour bus ride to Paris. we are thinking to do the Hop On Hop Off Bus in Paris which will take us to most of the site that we really want to see or other wise we may not get to see anything while we are there. So i guess the question is, has anyone done the bus ride in Paris and did it satify your desire of seeing what you wanted to while you were there. We will only have about 4 hours before we have to board transportation back to the port to board the ship. Also if you know of any great places to eat let us know where you recommend! Thanks for your help!!:D

Hey everyone! My wife and i are getting ready for our TA in April and our last stop in Lahavre which of course we have to take the 3 hour bus ride to Paris. we are thinking to do the Hop On Hop Off Bus in Paris which will take us to most of the site that we really want to see or other wise we may not get to see anything while we are there. So i guess the question is, has anyone done the bus ride in Paris and did it satify your desire of seeing what you wanted to while you were there. We will only have about 4 hours before we have to board transportation back to the port to board the ship. Also if you know of any great places to eat let us know where you recommend! Thanks for your help!!:D

We did the Hop On Hop Bus during our layover at Charles De Gaulle on our way back to the States from our Mediterranean cruise. We thought it was great, informative and plenty of opportunities to hop off and take pictures. I would definitely recommend it. The busses came so frequently that we actually had time to do the 2nd loop bus tour.

We did the Hop On Hop Bus during our layover at Charles De Gaulle on our way back to the States from our Mediterranean cruise. We thought it was great, informative and plenty of opportunities to hop off and take pictures. I would definitely recommend it. The busses came so frequently that we actually had time to do the 2nd loop bus tour.

Thank you for the response! Its nice to get information from those who have already experienced it! I do appreciate it!:D

We will only have about 4 hours before we have to board transportation back to the port to board the ship. Also if you know of any great places to eat let us know where you recommend! Thanks for your help!!:D

You have a choice between sightseeing and a leisurely, fabulous lunch. Four hours are not enough for both. Here is a suggestion. Get on the Ho-Ho bus as soon as possible. After you are done sightseeing, get off as close to your pick-up point for the return trip to Le Havre as you can. Look for a small bistro or cafe and order the daily special (plat du jour). It will be listed on a blackboard or sign on the sidewalk. It should come quickly. If really pressed for time, pick up at any cafe a baguette sandwich and a drink for your return trip. You will be hard pressed to get a bad meal in France! Of course, you can also stop for lunch any place along the sightseeing route, but be very careful with the return time.

Not knowing where you will get picked up for the return trip makes it impossible to recommend restaurants given that you have so little time. However, the daily specials tend to be excellent food and value at any restaurant.

You have a choice between sightseeing and a leisurely, fabulous lunch. Four hours are not enough for both. Here is a suggestion. Get on the Ho-Ho bus as soon as possible. After you are done sightseeing, get off as close to your pick-up point for the return trip to Le Havre as you can. Look for a small bistro or cafe and order the daily special (plat du jour). It will be listed on a blackboard or sign on the sidewalk. It should come quickly. If really pressed for time, pick up at any cafe a baguette sandwich and a drink for your return trip. You will be hard pressed to get a bad meal in France! Of course, you can also stop for lunch any place along the sightseeing route, but be very careful with the return time.

 

Not knowing where you will get picked up for the return trip makes it impossible to recommend restaurants given that you have so little time. However, the daily specials tend to be excellent food and value at any restaurant.

Thank you so much for your suggestion, we will probably do just what you said since we know are time there will be a short one. We will be disembarking at Cours de la Reine near the Place de la Concorde, that will also be are pick up spot to go back. Thanks again!

Thank you so much for your suggestion, we will probably do just what you said since we know are time there will be a short one. We will be disembarking at Cours de la Reine near the Place de la Concorde, that will also be are pick up spot to go back. Thanks again!

The Cours de la Reine is the avenue along the Seine between Place de la Concorde and the Av. F. Roosevelt. There are no bistros or cafes there, only one expensive restaurant at the Grand Palais. It would be best to have lunch somewhere along the ho-ho bus route. For example, there are many near the Opera House.

We did the Hop On Hop Bus during our layover at Charles De Gaulle on our way back to the States from our Mediterranean cruise. We thought it was great, informative and plenty of opportunities to hop off and take pictures. I would definitely recommend it. The busses came so frequently that we actually had time to do the 2nd loop bus tour.

Princess Cruises Fan, was there one particular Hop On Hop Off bus company in Paris that you used? What kind of transportation did you use from CDG to the City Center? Thanks for any details.

The subway is the way to get from CDG to town. Like a lot of other major cities, their subways are very efficient and well operated.

There are 3 or 4 companies, we used the Big Bus. Good operation, would definitely recommend them. It has 4 routes.

We used Big Bus in Paris. We took the subway to and from CDG.

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See or Savor?

If you just want a drive-by the HoHo should be just fine, but I would suggest that you decide if you want to experience some of the sights of Paris, e.g. the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame or the Louvre to focus on one of these plus take time for a cafe stop.

Even getting off the HoHo at any of the above will involve walking time from the bus stop, especially at the Tower, and waiting time for the next bus. Consider there will be traffic slowing the progress of the HoHo.

We did take the HoHo on our 1st stay in Paris so had the leisure to take our time at the various sights.

We have never done the tour to Paris from LaHavre, but have done it as a side trip after our cruise for 4 or 5 nights. We always do the HOHO bus. We do L'Open and have always thought it gave us an overview of the city. It has 4 routes and although we have done all of them , we usually do the green route and change buses at the Madeline Church to the yellow route to see more things. Check out the website for each company suggested and see which works best time wise and for the sites you want to see. It circles the Eiffel Tower so you get to see it for several minutes. Also be sure and check the time that the bus runs. I think the last run from some stops is 6:30/7pm. If you were to miss the bus , you can get a taxi back to where you need to be. We did that once and it was only 15euros to our hotel in the Latin Quarter from near Sacre Coeur. You will never get enough of Paris, It's a magical city that will keep drawing you back. We've been there 15 days so far and are returning for 5 more in May. Just can't get enough!

Book Lunch on the Sienne . A fab way to see Paris .:D

In 2015 we took a Princess tour to Paris for the day. It was expensive but well worth it. On the way to Paris we stopped at a rest area that had a really big souvenir shop. We drove past the Arc d'triumph, drove along the Champs Elysee, had lunch in the Eiffel Tower and went to the Louvre. We also went by the Place de la Concorde. I sat on the driver's side of the bus and got pictures right through the windows. It was a wonderful day.