There's no better way to explore the city of lights than by a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour. For the uninitiated, a Hop-on Hop-off tour is essentially an open bus tour where you have the freedom to 'hop off' the bus whenever an attraction or landmark strikes your fancy and then 'hop on' on the next bus when you're ready to explore again. This level of convenience is hard to find in any tour, let alone one on an open bus! Enjoy panoramic views of beautiful Paris as you're driven past iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and more! Here's everything you need to know about the HOHO Paris tour to make your experience memorable.
Hop On Hop Off Paris Bus Tours
Whether you’re an art lover, a history buff or a shopaholic, Paris has something for everyone. Known as the romantic city in the world, Paris is home to breathtaking skylines, architectural marvels, ravishing boutiques, and grand boulevards. Each street in Paris has its own distinct identity, with its own placid cafes, colorful streets, flea markets and sometimes, small tributaries.
Owing to the sheer magnanimity of what the fashion capital has to offer, planning an ideal itinerary is quite complicated and tiresome. Moreover, modern travelers do not really have the time to curate a complete city tour.
A great way to experience Paris so that make the most of your holiday in Paris is Hop On Hop Off bus tours. These bus tours offer you the opportunity to visit all important landmarks at your own leisure. It’s as simple as it sounds; you can hop on a bus, travel to any of the attractions in the city and then hop right off, no strings attached.
Paris has two Hop On Hop Off bus tour providers - Big Bus Paris and Open Tours Paris. With 5 bus routes on offer, you can quite easily skip the queue and complicated planning routines with the Hop On Hop Off bus tours.
Popular Hop On Hop Off Paris Tour Operators
Big Bus Paris
Big Bus Paris is one of your go-to options for Hop On Hop Off bus tours because of their carefully curated bus routes. Hop on their open-decked, double-decker buses and feel the wind in your hair as you traverse the vibrant streets of Paris. The air-conditioned buses depart every 15 minutes and come equipped with audio guides in 11 different languages. They have quite a few options to choose from, with some giving complimentary access to attractions such as Bateaux Parisien Cruise, Paris Museum, and Louvre.
They offer Hop On Hop Off bus tours on two routes - one that’ll take you through the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, Louvre-Pont des Arts, and Notre Dame (Class Red Route); and another that’ll guide you through Louvre-Pyramide, Gare du Nord, Pigalle, Sacré-Cœur, and Musée Grévin (Montmartre Route Blue).
Open Tours Paris
Open Tours Paris also offers exquisite Hop On Hop Off bus tours to keep you engrossed as you traverse the most romantic city in the world. Open Tours Paris also offers double-decker, open-topped buses that will take you through the beautiful streets of Paris. Open Tours Paris features free WiFi and audio guides in 12 different languages so that you don’t miss out on anything. Depending on the season, Open Tours also offer discounts on their multitude of Hop On Hop Off bus tours.
Open Tours offers quite a few elaborate bus tours which cover almost all major attractions in Paris. They have 3 pre-set Hop On Hop Off bus tours on offer - the Blue Line covering the likes of Tour Eiffel, Haussmann, Opéra, and Musée Du Louvre; the Green Line will take you through Notre-Dame, Port Royal, Saint-Germain Des Prés - Pont De Sully, and Bastille; and the Red Line featuring Trinité, Sacré-Cœur, République, Grands Boulevards, and Hard Rock Café.
Why Choose Hop On Hop Off Paris Bus Tours?
Often hailed as the most romantic city in the world, Paris has much more to offer than what meets the eye. From intricate, cobbled streets and chair-lined cafe terraces to extravagant flea markets and vast, stunning gardens, the city of lights has something for everyone. However, visiting every one of these attractions might not be as easy as it sounds as the modern traveler is limited by time.
The average traveler is always looking to experience everything that a city has to offer in the least possible time. This involves complicated planning routines and tedious booking schedules. Hop On Hop Off bus tours give you the liberty of traveling to all the top attractions that Paris has to offer. It’s as easy as it sounds, you can just hop in on any of the buses and enjoy the tour as it takes you through all the major attractions. Don’t fret, you can also choose to get down at any sightseeing spot that you want to explore.
The preset bus tour routes in Paris include all major attractions, including the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, Louvre-Pont des Arts, and Notre Dame. You can choose to get down at any of the spots and explore. Once you’ve quenched your wanderlust, you can hop into the next bus and go to the next attraction. Paris has two major Hop On Hop Off operators and 5 pre-set routes to choose from.
Advantages of Choosing a Hop On Hop Off Paris Bus Tour
1. Overview of the city
Hop On Hop Off tours are tailor-made for the modern traveler and focuses on giving you a complete overview of the city, including all major landmarks and attractions. Paris has a gazillion attractions on offer and Paris Hop On Hop Off bus tours will take you through all the sought-after attractions. Even if you are in the city for only a couple of days, Paris Hop On Hop Off bus tours guarantee you the opportunity to visit and explore every landmark in the city of lights.
2. Ease of getting around
Traveling in a new city is not a walk in the park; dynamic prices and language barriers could prove to be a huge hassle. With Hop On Hop Off bus tours, you will have guaranteed access to different landmarks at a fixed price. Features like complimentary audio guides are added advantages. If you are looking to explore a majority of the attractions that Paris has to offer, Hop On Hop Off bus tours have you covered. With buses leaving every 15 minutes, you will not have to wait for any other form of transport.
3. Various routes to choose from
Paris Hop On Hop Off bus tours has 5 different, feature-packed routes. Each of these routes covers a certain set of attractions and offers you the flexibility to choose your favorite. Once you go through the detailed itineraries of all the routes, you will be able to choose the one that has you intrigued. Some bus operators even offer you the liberty to change routes in between, giving you complete control over your vacation in the city.
4. Informative commentary
One of the biggest advantages of a Hop On Hop Off bus tour in Paris is the multilingual audio guides. While you’re awe-struck by the exquisite attractions Paris has to offer, the audio guides will keep you informed about the history and significance of each of the attractions. Most buses also offer you WiFi so that you can stay connected to the web and upload a couple of your fabulous snaps.
5. Savings
Traveling and exploring Paris without a Hop On Hop Off bus tour pass could burn a hole in your pocket quite easily. Entrance fees and cab expenses could pile up pretty quick and you could overshoot your budget pretty easily. Paris Hop On Hop Off bus tour passes cover your transportation across the city and the entrance fees for some of the attractions. You’ll never have to go cab-hunting with Paris Hop On Hop Off bus tours.
6. Entry ticket discounts
Finally, Paris Hop On Hop Off bus tours also offer discounted entry to certain attractions. You can find out more about the attractions on offer on each route from the itineraries and brochures of different bus operators. Some of them even offer cruises to help you experience Paris from a different vantage point.
Popular Hop On Hop Off Paris Bus Routes
Hop On Hop Off Paris - Suggested Itineraries
The biggest part of your trip to an interesting city like Paris is how well you plan your itinerary and how many of the important places you're able to visit. The number of days you're in the city also has an impact on how well you're able to explore the city. Here are three HOHO-based itineraries for trips of different durations.
1 Day Itinerary
If you're in Paris for just one day, the best way to explore everything on offer would be the red line route offered by Big Bus or the blue line route offered by Open Tours. Both these routes cover almost every important landmark in Paris like the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, Opera Garnier, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame, Champs-Elysees, Grand Palais and more!
2 Day Itinerary
Planning a two day trip to Paris? You're in luck because there are multiple HOHO bus tours you can take to explore and experience the city better. To truly cover all the attractions Paris is home to, you can opt for the red tour on your first day and the blue tour on the second day or vice versa. By opting for two different routes on both days, you can visit almost everything the city of lights offers.
3 Day Itinerary
Three days is the ideal duration if you wish to explore everything in Paris. With three days under your belt, you have enough time to go for not one but three completely different HOHO tours. You can either go for all three routes of Open Tours, blue, green and red, for each day or mix it up with another operator like Big Bus. Your first day can be the red tour offered by Blue Bus, and the second and third days can be reserved for the green and red lines of Open Tours.
While these are suggestions to give you a great experience in Paris, you should be mindful of certain things to choose the right HOHO tour for your trip. Before booking your tickets, check the terms and conditions, additional benefits, cost, number of stops for all the tours you're considering. After careful research, make your pick based on the tour that meets all your criteria. Even if you're in the city for three days, you shouldn't blindly book whichever HOHO tour you come across and indulge in a bit of research to make the best pick.
Hop On Hop Off Paris Tips
- Before embarking on your HOHO tour, take a good look at the stops on the route and figure out which attractions you want to explore further so that you can alight at the correct stops.
- The HOHO tour is well planned and each bus is timed to the dot. Generally, there's a gap of 10-15 minutes between two buses on the same route. When you alight at an attraction, time yourself so that you get the next bus and don't end up wasting your time.
- You can switch between routes offered by one tour operator. For instance, if you have boarded Big Bus's red route, you can switch over to the blue route in the transfer stop. Check with the tour operator for specific details on how to switch between routes.
- Even though you'll be mostly traveling on a bus, wear comfortable shoes to walk around with ease. This is because you will be getting off the bus to explore different attractions and that will involve a fair bit of walking.
- Most HOHO Paris tours feature an open air bus and it can either get too sunny or too windy, depending on when you visit the city. Carry a light jacket and sunglasses to stay protected in either case.
- If you are planning on scheduling another activity after your HOHO tour gets over, keep some buffer time between the two. The bus will be travelling through some of the most crowded parts of Paris and the traffic can get pretty bad.
- Book your HOHO Paris tour tickets online to ensure that you get the best deal. Also, booking online ensures that your seat is confirmed and the risk of a sold out situation doesn't exist. You can also research the routes and tour operators in detail and by taking your own time.
- When confused between tour operators, check the different routes offered by them and decide based on which one has more stops that interest you. Price is also a big consideration when booking your HOHO Paris tour tickets.
Hop On Hop Off Paris Bus Reviews
