Paris is so full of charms that diving in its sea of delights may be confusing if you don’t know what you are looking for. Paris is known for almost everything; its history, architecture, fashion, culture, food and people. Seine and its banks and bridges are revered and the cafes and bars of Paris have seen many luminaries deep in discussions.
Its nightlife is widely celebrated and the French royalty have graced the city and its outskirts with splendid palaces and gardens. With so much to see and explore; choose what kind of Paris tour you want to opt for. A tour may last anywhere between 2 hours to a whole day depending upon what you want to see.
You can find a great choice of Paris sightseeing tours, entry tickets to top attractions and book them online through this Viator site.
Top Bus/Minibus Tours
There are Paris city tours that take guests through different perspectives on Paris. It may be a history enriched tour like the one done by Historybus or a basic Paris essential tour that takes guests past major sights of Paris with maybe a photo break at Eiffel and a tour of a preferred area like Louvre. There are many service providers who offer Paris city bus tours as well as speciality tours.
Many of the tour plans include priority access/ skip the line access to a particular famous attraction like Eiffel tower so that guests get to save a lot of time. Many tour plans also include guided tour of a famous attraction like Louvre or the Versailles and the entry fee and guide costs are already factored in the tour plan. Such kind of tours may be called speciality focus tours as they have value added features. Bus Tours are often combined with a cruise on Seine or a walking tour of a particular area or a photo shoot in a particular location.
In case you want to do an extensive sightseeing tour in Paris then a tour program like a guided city tour plus lunch at an iconic area and priority access to a famous monument along with a Seine river cruise may suit your interests. There are guided tours of the interesting Parisian neighbourhoods like Montmartre, Palais Royal, Saint Germain and Latin Quarter, and night tours plus show offerings at Moulin rouge/ Lido and other famous cabaret/ concert venues.
For a higher fee you can get pickup and drop service from your hotel. There are options of choosing to be in a small group for a more personalised experience…obviously the tour price increases with the reduction in group size. While looking for minibus tours know that these are often referred to as small group tours. Smaller tours happen in a luxury mini bus and that can seat anywhere from 8 to 18 people.
Most first timers to Paris sign up for a city hop on hop off bus tour of some kind. The most common (and affordable) version of a city tour is done on a double decker bus with retractable windows and individual audio guides. There are 1/2/3 day passes available for open topped hop on hop off bus that shows off major city landmarks and these allow tourists to get on/ off at any point and then catch the next bus when done.
Find many attractive bus or van tours and book online through this Viator site.
Read: The best bus tours and operators in Paris
Top Night Tours
One of the best ways to see Paris is to see it with its lights on at night. No wonder evening/ night tours in the city of light are incredibly popular. An after dark Parisian tour of the most famous cafes and the medieval churches is a good option. Alternatively take a Paris night tour of important landmarks like Eiffel, Place de la Concorde, Opera House, and Arc de Triomphe etc.
You can do a Paris night tour in an open topped bus or a luxury coach or a private limo or you can even do a night walking tour. Many Paris by night tours include a Seine night cruise and a performance at any of the famous venues like Paris Lido/ Moulin Rouge. Most established city bus/ mini bus operators offer their own night tour packages which sometimes includes dinner/ drinks or a cruise.
Find many great Paris night tours and book online through this Viator site.
Read: Great night tours in Paris that you need to know.
Great Walking Tours
If you are fit and active and aren’t averse to exploring Paris in a personal intimate way then signing in for a walking tour is a great way to explore the city. Many tourists choose to explore certain areas of Paris like Montmartre, Latin Quarter, Saint Germaine etc. on foot and there are many local Parisians who offer free tours of these areas while doling out important personal perspectives on these history rich zones. Paris street art walking tours are also quite popular….you get to appreciate the rich imagery of the city.
Find a great choice of walking tours in Paris and book online through this Viator site.
Read: The best free and paid walking tours in Paris
Top Seine River cruises
Parisian sunset tours on a cruise ship gliding down the Seine can be one of the best experiences ever. The cruises differ from operator to operator but they are all mostly a couple of hours long with dinner/ champagne and snacks and some music and dance being a part of the trip. There are Romantic sunset cruises with specific menus and offerings that are geared towards lovers.
Then there are champagne cruises, dinner cruises, lunch cruises and gourmet cruises with different offerings. Prices vary and the quality of boat used and facilities offered are the main determining points. Usually all famous sights visible from the river like Notre Dame, Eiffel, and Louvre etc. are pointed out.
Many cruise providers offer facilities for private cruises too and you can get the boat reserved for a couple or more.
Find excellent array of Sein cruises and book online through this Viator site.
Read: The top seine cruises and operators and their offerings.
Great Food Tours
Many lovers of food come to Paris wishing to experience the crème de la crème of fine French cuisine as the best restaurants and confectioneries of France are concentrated here. Parisian food tours are grouped into several sub categories like wine and cheese tasting tours, chocolate and cake tours, gourmet tours, traditional open market food tours, café tours etc.
The kind of tour and tour provider you choose will depend on whether you want a general tour of Parisian cuisine or are oriented towards a particular dish like croissants or cupcakes or cheeses. Simply answer questions like… is a patisserie more important to you than a vineyard or a farmers market and you will get your answer. If you have a specific dietary plan then you can choose options like gluten free/ vegan food tours in Paris.
Find great Paris food tours and book online through this Viator site.
Read: Great food tours in Paris.
Best Wine Tours
Wine tours from Paris are not only about wine tasting and wine pairings with cheese and chocolate. They are all about discovering the best traditional distilleries and taking day trips to the best wineries and vineyards around Paris. There are tours which offer lessons to tourists about the wine making process, proper tasting process and expose them to some of the iconic wine cellars in Paris.
Find great Paris wine tours and book online through this Viator site.
Read: Great wine tours from Paris.
Best Day Trips From Paris
The wonderful geographical location of Paris makes it easy for tourists to take pleasant day trips to many of the outstanding attractions near Paris. The excellent suburban train connectivity and bus networks make it easy for tourists to take trips to locations boasting of royal palace and gardens like the Versailles and Fontainebleau.
Fans of Monet can visit Giverny with its abundance of brooks and water lilies and lovers of Champagne and wine can visit the Reims Valley and the Loire Valley (cheese and wine day tours hubs). A longish day trip will take you to the Mont Saint Michel Island with its 1144 AD Abbey.
There are so many delightful French towns around Paris like the one famous for roses (Provins) or the one where Joan of Arc was executed (Rouen). There are so many more options; Lille, Amiens, Chablis and North Burgundy…enough to keep you charmed for a lifetime.
Find great day trips from Paris and book online through this Viator site.
Read: Great day trips from Paris you must experience.
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.