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The Paris L’OpenTour (☎ 01 42 66 56 56, www.paris-opentour.com) double-decker-bus tours offer pre-recorded commentary in English of the city’s major monuments. A bit on the dry side, but it’s a useful way for first-timers in the capital to get their bearings and complete the “checklist.” The best part about the Open Tours is that you can get off and on at any of the stops, or just ride around the four different loops all day. The one-day pass is €24, and the two-day pass is just €27. The kids’ pass (ages four to 11) is €12 and is good for two days. Kids under age four ride for free. Tickets can be purchased on the bus (keep your headphones until your pass runs out), at tourism offices, RATP (métro or bus) ticket windows or the Open Tour Office (13 Rue Auber, 9th, M° Opéra or RER Auber).
SEE THE SIGHTS Take a city bus for an inexpensive way to see the city. Avoid the rush hours (8am to 9:30am and 4pm to 7pm) to get a good seat. Bus 21 (until midnight) for a great night-tour, from the Opéra Garnier, past Palais-Royal and the Comédie Fran-çaise, the Louvre Museum, Ile de la Cité (Notre Dame), St-Michel, the Jardins du Luxembourg and up toward the Rue Mouffetard (get off at Berthollet-Vauquelin). Bus 27 (until 8:30pm) does almost the same route, passing through the Carrousel du Louvre, with a stop at the bottom of Rue Mouffetard, “Monge-Claude Bernard.” Bus 29 (Monday-Saturday until 8:30pm) from the Opéra Garnier through the trendy shopping areas around Place des Victoires, along Rue Etienne-Marcel, past the Pompidou Center, into the Marais, and stop at the Place des Vosges or the Place de la Bastille. Bus 63 (until midnight) from the Jardin des Plantes, through the Latin Quarter and St-Germain-des-Prés, past Les Invalides and the Musée d’Orsay, fantastic night views of the Eiffel Tower from Trocadéro. Bus 73 (Monday-Saturday until 8:30pm) from the Musée d’Orsay to the Place de la Concorde, down the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, around the Arc de Triomphe and all the way to the Grande Arche de la Défense. Bus 75 (Monday-Saturday until 8:30pm) from the Pont Neuf to the Parc de la Villette, passing the Hôtel de Ville, Place de la République, and the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. Bus 96 (Monday-Saturday until 8:30pm) from Montparnasse or Place St-Michel and passing through Châtelet, the Place des Vosges in the Marais, and up to Oberkampf, JP Timbaud, Belleville and Ménilmontant. |
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