PARIS - France 2014 - page 96

By Scooter
Left Bank Scooters will deliver rental scooters to daring travelers over 20 with a valid
driver's license (€50-100/day, price depends on size of the scooter and how long you keep
it, tel. [phone], www.leftbankscooters.com ) . They also offer tours, described later.
Tours in Paris
To sightsee on your own, download my series of free audio tours that illuminate some of
Paris'topsightsandneighborhoods,includingtheHistoricParisWalk,Louvre,Orsay,and
Versailles Palace (see sidebar on here for details).
By Bus
Bus Tours
City Vision offers bus tours of Paris, day and night (advertised in hotel lobbies). I'd con-
siderthemonlyfortheirnighttime tour(see here ) .Duringtheday,you'llgetabettervalue
and more versatility by taking a hop-on, hop-off tour by bus (described next) or Batobus
boat (see “By Boat,” later), which provide transportation between sights.
Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tours
Double-decker buses connect Paris' main sights, allowing you to hop on and off along the
way.Yougetadisposablesetofearbudstolistentoabasicrunningcommentary(dialEng-
lishfortheso-sonarration).Youcangetoffatanystop,tourasight,thencatchalaterbus.
Thesearebestingoodweather,whenyoucansituptop.Therearetwocompanies:L'Open
ToursandLesCarsRouges(pickuptheirbrochuresshowingroutesandstopsfromanyTI
or on their buses). You can start either tour at just about any of the major sights, such as
the Eiffel Tower.
L'Open Tours uses bright yellow buses and provides more extensive coverage (and
slightlybettercommentary)onfourdifferentroutes,rollingbymostoftheimportantsights
in Paris. Their Paris Grand Tour (the green route) offers the best introduction. The same
ticket gets you on any of their routes within the validity period. Buy your tickets from
the driver (1 day-€31, 2 days-€36, kids 4-11-€16 for 1 or 2 days, allow 2 hours per tour).
Two to four buses depart hourly from about 10:00 to 18:00; expect to wait 10-15 minutes
at each stop (stops can be tricky to find—look for yellow signs; tel. [phone],
www.parislopentour.com ) . A combo-ticket includes the Batobus boats, too (2 days-€44, 3
days-€48, kids 4-11-€20 for 2 or 3 days; described later).