Paris City Tour Typically Last
Paris city tours are a great way to get your bearings in the City of Light and to understand its history. Most of these tours last a few hours and give you the opportunity to visit many of the top sights in one short tour.
Most of the tours focus on the major landmarks in Paris, which include the Eiffel Tower (photo stop), the Trocadero, the Champs-Elysees and its monument the Arc de Triomphe erected by Napoleon to commemorate his victory in Austerlitz against 2 emperors, the Concorde Square where Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI were executed, the Opera House, Vendome Square, the Louvre, Madeleine church, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Invalides of military hospital built by Louis XIV and the banks of the Seine River. Most tours run all year round, although they tend to be less frequent and have shorter duration during the winter months when it is colder and more likely to rain.
For a more in-depth exploration of the Paris city tours, a few of the companies offer guided walking and driving tours. These are typically conducted in a luxury Mercedes Class V with 6 pivotal seats and big windows and allow you to see more of the sights from a car than on foot. Tours can range from a couple of hours to a full day and many are led by a professional guide.
How Long Does a Paris City Tour Typically Last?
If you prefer to explore on your own, the city offers a variety of open bus tours. These are good for seeing a lot of the major attractions in a short time, and you can hop on and off as you please at any of the 50 stops. They run all year round but are particularly busy from April to September.
In addition to free tours, there are a number of paid options that give you the chance to learn more about Paris’s history and culture. The company New Europe offers a number of general tours, including a great free walking tour of Montmartre, and they also have several more in-depth and specialized walks that are worth checking out.
If a culinary experience is more your thing, the Paris by Mouth company has a handful of food tours that will take you to some of the city’s best restaurants. They keep the groups small and provide a lot of information about the food and culture of Paris, making them more like a mini-class than just a place to eat. The food is fantastic, too!
If you really want to impress your friends, try this tour. It starts with a VIP-style transfer to a bateau docked on the Seine, where you will be served a glass of champagne as you glide past some of the most famous Paris landmarks by night. Then, you will be escorted to the Eiffel Tower with skip-the-line access and enjoy the sunset views from the summit. It doesn’t get much better than that! This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.