Hop On, Hop Off Paris Day Tour

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We had booked a day with the Paris L'Open Tour - which is a Hop On, Hop Off Tour. On the offset, I've got to say - "Value for Money!" In any new city, in any new country, if they offer the Hop On, Hop Off service ... take it! I commenced the day with "how am I ever going to find my way around Paris? How am I ever going to see the things I want to see ... without paying for those exorbitant Private Tour Guides prices? Well this is the best alternative; better than the private Tours you get. By the end of the one day tour, I have generally visited all the location of all the sites I want to see in more detail ... and ... I found my way back to my hotel with any maps or help from anyone (apart from reassurance that I was indeed heading in the right direction).

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Where to begin?

Well, in the morning we tried to find a L'Open Tour Stop. On our journey, we stopped at a coffee shop and had French Criossants and Coffee. Then we found L'Open Tour Stop 3. We realised after, that L'Open Tour Stop 2 was out the front of our hotel ... but no loss ... we had a great French Breakfast and a quick stroll along the River Seine in the early fresh morning breeze. Fancy getting lost in Paris.

We soon discovered that there were 4 main City Bus Tour links that connected at odd spots so you could jump off and on when ever you wanted to cover other locations in Paris. In addition, it offerred 2 River Boat Seine River Hop On, Hop Off Tours which you could interchange at your liesure. We began with the Green Link Hop On, Hop Off tour called the "Paris Grand Tour". We later switched to the Blue Link Hop On, Hop Off tour called the "Bastille - Bercy". The we switched to the Orange Link Hop On, Hop Off tour called the "Saint Germain". We did not get to go on the Yellow Link Hop On, Hop Off tour called the Grands Boulevaeds" because we ran out of time. We also Hop On the Batobus River Glass Boat. All this was included in one price we pre-paid months in advanced in Adelaide, so in essence, the day seemed like a free day for us. The trick is to stay on these tours and do as many links as possible so that you can get your head around the structure of the City. I soon realised that the Siene River was the critical landmark to knowing Paris, and every place you go can be referenced back to it. Spending your time on the Hop On, Hop Off provides you with the critical research required in learning the City layout and working where it important landmarks are. The Critical Visits to landmarks should be done on day 2 onwards using the Metro system. The L'Open Tour not only provides you a tour to all the major landmarks of the city, but it provides you with all the important and significant maps that you need (which does not show all the "clutter" of an ordinary map) but it also provides you with synchronised, running commentary of each significant location and landmark in 10 different language complimented with the contemporary music of the time.

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Out total tour took us to: Storming of the Bastille, Napoleon's Burrial Sight, Mona Lisa location, Eiffel Tower location, embassies, shopping precincts, food places, etc.

The Eiffel Tower experience.

Huge ongoing crowds of people in the Eiffel Tower square, filling up every space on the park. They flow out, and more will flow in to refill the park.

Gypies setting up quick Eiffle Tower Soveniers mats, and young police on bikes chase them out of the Eiffel square, only for them to come back in minutes and re-esta blish illegal trading mats - all illegal traders scattered and hid in parks and among crowds of people.

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Gypsy Harrassing me and Harmony and Fanie had to cheaffour me at all times because they were worried at the disrespect and forceful harrassment I was getting from 2 ladies.

Harmony takes a fall on the way out of the Eiffel Tower, middle level, and bruises her elbow and legs.

Crazy and near suicidal crossing of the Traffic Square at night with the Egyptian Tower.

Harmony goes to hotel to stay with bruises on her body. Fanie and I go to Pizza Restaurant in Paris to have Lazania and Spaghatti Mariana.