This monument stands at 6 metres in height and is dedicated to the politician Scheurer Kestner from the late 1800’s.
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All for Paris!
This monument stands at 6 metres in height and is dedicated to the politician Scheurer Kestner from the late 1800’s.
You may also like www.eutouring.com/images_jardin_du_luxembourg.html
The Tour Montparnasse is more of a modern tourist attraction in Paris which has attracted both love and hate being a sky scraper in Paris, people seeking it out for the fabulous views it provides across the city and others for disliking the idea of having a skyscraper across the height of Paris.
In fact the tower is also known as Tour Maine-Montparnasse, but more commonly called the Tour Montparnasse, or Montparnasse Tower, and stands as the only skyscraper in Paris at a height of over 200 metres.
The Montparnasse Tower was built above the Metro and various underground lines meaning it had to be reinforced much more. With 56 concrete reinforced concrete pillars which go down in the ground for over 60 meters to help for this very reason.
Another impressive feat is that the Tour Montparnasse weighs 150,000 tons, and has a total of 59 floors including 6 underground floors, with a facade of 40,000 metres it can also measure in at an even more impressive amount of windows, which is at 7,200 glass windows.
There are also 5 freight lifts and another 25 lifts within the buildings to take you between floors. And one of the lifts is one of the fastest lifts in the world, taking you up to the 56th floor in only 38 seconds and manages to reach speeds of 60km per hour while it is climbing up.
The 56th floor, known as the Panoramic floor is accessible to tourists from everywhere, giving you an amazing view over the city of Paris of the many monuments in Paris.
The floor is protected from the elements such as wind and rain and gives you a comfortable place to obverse the city and have a 360 degree view all around while staying warm with heating during winter and cool with air conditioning in the summer months.
On the floor there is additionally a Visitor Centre with a permanent exhibition of 185 photos archived of Paris being displayed gallery type style along the walls. Not forgetting the interactive panels where you can learn more about some of the famous landmarks in Paris which you can see while looking out towards them.
On top of that there are also interactive quizzes and markers in various languages which provide details and more on the different tourist attractions in Paris and places you can visit, even on the bridges over the River Seine and other more famous monuments.
If you wish to go some steps higher you can take the stairs to the 59th floor where you can have a look around on the outside platform which is perfect on a nice day to allow you to see all around Paris with an incredible view, which is the highest platform in Paris.
Back to the 56th floor there is a souvenir shop where you can find and buy many books, mementos and more while you are on holiday in Paris. Or if you wish for a quick bite to eat you can visit the cafe in Paris, called the 360 Cafe where they serve all kinds of snacks and drinks for you to relax.
Or if you are one to enjoy more fine dining than a quick snack you can book a table to enjoy some French cuisine in Paris at Ciel de Paris at Tour Montparnasse. This restaurant in Paris is the highest restaurant in Europe which supplies gourmet French cuisine and with fantastic panoramic views you can enjoy your meal even more, especially during the evening when the city is lit up with amazing lights.
Also throughout the tower there are different orientation tables so you can find and view different tourist attractions in Paris no matter where you are, such as to the west the Eiffel Tower is best seen from the 2nd and 3rd floors.
To the north you can find Les Invalides which features three different museums within it and the Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte I, or further ahead you have the Sacre Coeur Basilica and on a good day you can even see the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in the distance.
In the easterly direction there is the well known Montparnasse Cemetery, Place de la Bastille with the July Column and again further away is the Bois de Vincennes.
But of course there are many monuments in Paris which are noticeable when looking out, including the Arc de Triomphe along the famous Champs Elysees Avenue, The Louvre Museum and much more.
Access to the 56th floor for tourists is open every day of the year from 9:30am to 10:30pm, and for an extra hours from between April and September until 11:30pm, allowing you to take advantage of a splendid day and the night time look at the fantastic lights that cover the tourist attractions in Paris.
With very affordable costs the panoramic view is one not to be missed. Whether you go with some family or friends or pre-book to take advantage of a guided visit, you are sure to enjoy your time while on holiday in Paris.
The Hotel National des Invalides is perhaps more well known as simply Les Invalides, and is just one of the many great monuments in Paris which you can find around. Originally thought of in 1670 by King Louis XIV for a place to hold war veterans which were no longer able to fight for the country.
This place is a fantastic place to go to if you are interested in history, and especially military history in particular, with a very rich history of Les Invalides but also having the Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte I as well.
To expand on the Tomb of Napoleon, as most people know who Napoleon is, and was, a major part of history and still is, being taught throughout schools of his influence throughout French military history. And some twenty years after the man’s death his remains were brought upstream along the River Seine to Paris.
Once his remains were there he had a state funeral which ventured through Paris and paused briefly at the Arc de Triomphe which was built to the commands of himself, from there it went down the Champs Elysees avenue and eventually to the Hotel des Invalides, where he now rests within the military building and the Eglise du Dome church.
But incredible architecture, church and Tomb of Napoleon is not all that this tourist attractions in Paris has to offer.
In fact it can boast that it has the largest single collection and complex in comparison to any other monument throughout the capital city, most well known for the military exhibitions but also an amazing three different museums you can visit, as well as the unique collections held at the Hotel National des Invalides.
To begin you firstly have the Musee des Plans Reliefs which is a museum dedicated to three dimensional models of forts, towns and regions of France produced by the military.
Incredibly there are only 100 of these models in existence now and with some of them held at the Beau-Arts Museum in the region Nord Pas de Calais, yet most of them are held at Les Invalides since the 1700’s when they were moved from the Louvre Museum.
The large scale models on display have become a great insight for architectural history to see how it was in the past to how things have changed since then, some of the model plans dating back to 1668, making for a very intriguing collection.
Another museum, the Musee de l’Ordre de la Liberation is a French museum in Paris dedicated to those who came together during World War II at the core of the Resistance movement.
Musee de l’Ordre de la Liberation focuses on many different documents, letters, postcards, souvenirs, personal letters, artefacts and even uniforms which were used during the war. The museum is split down into three sections; Free France gallery, Resistance and Hall of Honour which is dedicated to General de Gaulle. Making this museum another interesting yet intriguing place to visit to understand the war and what those times were like.
The third museum is no other than the well known Musee de l’Armee which is one of the more conclusive and amazing military history museums in the world with exhibitions featuring everything right back to the Middle Ages.
Holding various types of armour, arms, uniforms and much more, anyone with a slight interest should have the Musee de l’Armee army museum as one on their list to visit. But not forgetting the cannons from the French artillery, hunting weapons, firearms, knives and much more to be impressed with when you visit while on holiday in Paris.
But even if the museum holds the third largest collection of antique armour in the world it is still very interactive with touch screens to hand and a whole section with commentaries related to Charles de Gaulle.
In addition to all of that there is also a theatre at Les Invalides which projects a whole century, starting from the Edwardian period through to the pop years which include many famous and loved people including that of Charlie Chaplin. As well as having audio guides in eight different languages.
The Hotel National des Invalides is open every day except for the first Monday in a month and the interactive area with Charles de Gaulle is also closed each Monday, as well as obviously being closed for national French holidays. Les Invalides opens from 10am through to 5pm, and during the summer months of April to the end of September it has an extra hour until 6pm.
The ticket office being found near the south entrance near the Eglise du Dome and the Tomb of Napoleon as well as at the north entrance near Cour d’Honneur which is also noticeable by the cannons.
A ticket allows you to see everything as said above as well as the chance to visit the gift shop, a book shop with many various books to chose from, a cafeteria if you want a break and the free audio guide provided for the interactive section when you visit this monument in Paris and its museums while on holiday in Paris, making a very informational yet interesting tourist attraction to visit.
From the first glance the River Seine in Paris may just look like a plain river which runs through Paris, but it happens to be much more than just that, having turned into a major tourist attraction and a landmark with many fantastic bridges, two islands within it and much more.
The River Seine has always been a major and prominent river even before the City came to life. Dating right back to when the first Parisii tribes settled their fishing villages close to the river as well as when the roman Empire took over the river for the reason it had become a highly valued commercial waterway.
Yet surprisingly the river is only around 24 meters above sea level and in places only 8 meters deep, making it a slow flowing river which is also easily navigated, and even to this day provides Paris with water.
The river divides the city into two; known as the typical left and the right. The settlers first stayed around the Right Bank but it wasn’t until the Roman Empire times that Paris had started to grow and eventually expanded to the Left Bank as well.
To identify the different sides you can look downstream at the river to see that the side on the left bank is left and the same for the right, making it easy to understand no matter where you are in the city for this reason.
Where the river forks within Paris, it has a couple islands at the middle, which is known as Ile Saint Louis and the other being Ile de la Cite, which is also known as the very centre point of the City of Paris.
On the left hand side of the river you can find many famous and often visited landmarks in Paris, including the Musee d’Orsay located in an old railway station and famous Eiffel Tower along with other landmarks such as the Les Invalides with the Tomb of Napoleon.
On the other side of the River Seine you can see the most famous of all museums in Paris, which was a former palace called The Louvre, as well as the incredible Champs Elysees avenue, the Sacre Coeur Basilica in the distance and more.
Although, there are many impressive monuments in Paris which are found right beside the river, including on the Ile de Cite island where you can find the La Conciergerie which was a palace which later turned into a prison during the French Revolution as well at the amazing Notre Dame Cathedral on the same island.
In fact despite the river you can easily cross it with 32 bridges going across the River Seine to access the other side as well as the monuments, whether it be while on bus tours like l’Open Tour or via foot on a bridge such as the Pond des Arts or by the oldest bridge named Pont Neuf, which can also be spotted in various films over the years.
Quays along the river bank are also easy to find and get to, with walkways and cycle paths as well as picnic areas and the possibility to sunbathe on a nice day where you can find many great spots. Or if you prefer you can jump onto a canal trip or boat trip along the river.
As it can be seen there are many things to do along the River Seine, not forgetting there is also a Batobus which is a bus that stops along the water at various Quays so you can find some of the major tourist attractions in Paris along the water.
Cruises along the water route is also a favourite tourist attraction, and one tour firm which happens to be one of the oldest, Bateaux Mouches, can provide dinner cruises on traditional boats and others which can offer different river tours in Paris ranging from gourmet French cuisine or even longer trips which can be from Paris to Le Havre and travelling on the Eurostar to return to Paris.
A couple of places you can visit on the River Seine include the Chinese Junk called the Lady of Canton formally known as the Cabaret Pirate which hosts shows and concerts for all ages, as well as another place for night entertainment and DJs is at an old lighthouse boat called the Batofar.
Or for something different you can take the chance to go swimming. Not in the River but on it instead where you can find a barge moored to the side where Piscine Josephine Baker is, allowing you to have a swim all year around which has a cover for days that are not as pleasant.
The Paris Plage was the original reason why the swimming pool was made, and the Paris Plages itself are a major highlight during August where a part of the banks are turned into beaches with tonnes of sand, palm trees, numerous activities, deckchairs and more. Ideal for any age to go and relax, let the children build sandcastles, do some sports or perhaps catch a bit of a tan and these have become another of the major tourist attractions in Paris for both residents and people on holiday in Paris.
Now for something a little different, as here are some unusual facts about the River Seine which you may not have known.
The river begins just outside of Dijon within the Burgundy region and then travels north west through Troyes, followed by eventually getting to Paris.
The river is in fact the second longest river in France with a total length of 776km, with the mouth of the river at the English Channel between both Haute Normandie and Basse Normandie where the river ends.
Many ocean worthy ships can travel through the River Seine from the English Channel right towards Rouen. Although commercial river boats can head further to roughly 560km from the mouth.
Originally, the water level of the Seine used to fluctuate quite a lot, but since the 1800’s locks were installed to be able to combat this problem and since then the water levels have been closely watched to try and prevent major floods like in the past.
From between Rouen and to the mouth of the river Oise there are four locks to help, with an additional two locks at Suresnes which lift the commercial vessels and other boats up to the water level of Paris.
As it was said before, trading via the river was very popular, and for this reason it was also linked by canals to the River Loire, River Rhone and the River Rhine which aided in making the trading business even more prolific.
But these are just some of the incredible little tidbits you can find on the River Seine, meaning it is a great way to relax and enjoy yourself if you decide to go on holiday in Paris.
Taking a holiday in Paris is both popular and amazing but not surprisingly, with over 30 million tourists yearly and with a full array of culture, entertainment, history and all of the spectacular monuments in Paris, the city also being known as The City of Lights, there is something to suit everyone’s interest from all around the world.
For this reason Paris is a great place to experience a special occasion form anything such as a birthday right through to an engagement or a romantic getaway. And even better, if you do not have the time to plan there are companies which offer specially made packages for you, even ranging to having a wedding in Paris.
But even with those, the city can also be great for all ages, meaning it can be perfect for a family holiday in Paris, with varying hotels in Paris, and even campsites which can have many numerous activities on them also within the Ile de France region meaning it can be suitable for children of any age.
Also there are very many tourist attractions in Paris such as the chateaux, to name a few include Varsailles, Thoiry and Chantilly, as well as the more well known theme parks like Disneyland Paris and Park Asterix.
But focusing back on Paris, lets point out just some of the fantastic reasons this capital is an international location for holidays and more.
To begin, there are many amazing and thought provoking landmarks in Paris which can catch your attention. And obviously the most well known one would be the Eiffel Tower which is now the icon of Paris, and even more extravagant up close and personal, but you can’t forget the fantastic lights which illuminate the landmark at night. Although for a more romantic break you can take a trip to the champagne bar or a meal at the Jules Verne restaurant which are within the Eiffel Tower itself. But if that is not your plan, you can also find out more about the history of the landmark, or even take advantage of some of the special events they hold, such as an ice skating rink which is set up in winter.
Other well known monuments and landmarks in Paris cover from the Arc de Triomphe which holds the eternal flame and the tomb of the unknown soldier, being the second largest triumphal arch in the world, which honours the people who fought for France, along with the more modern and recent Grand Arche within the business district which is more cube-like and is made from glass and marble, which also provides great views and an exhibition centre at the roof.
In addition you also have the Notre Dame Cathedral which is along the River Seine with an impressive Gothic architecture, gargoyles, the tour of the tower with its bells, stained glass windows and even the flying buttress supports which was one of the first buildings to ever use this type of design.
With the theme of religious buildings you have the spectacular Sacre Coeur Basilica which is a place located at the highest point in the city, but there is a funicular, or cable car if you wish to call it that, so you can get there without the long walk to the top. There is also the Grand Mosquee which is both the first and largest mosque built in France, it was in fact constructed in commemoration for those who fought in the Battle of Verdun during World War I.
Or if you rather you can take a trip to the Place de la Concorde which is the largest square in Paris but also is home to the oldest monument within Paris known as the Luxor Obelisk, and even if it did not originate from Paris this tourist attraction is now over 3000 years old!
Not forgetting the many other monuments and attractions to see and visit around the city while on holiday in Paris, including Les Invalides with Napoleon’s tomb and the Conciergerie which was the oldest palace in Paris which turned to a prison, and the Pantheon which is now a famous burial place.
Not forgetting the Catacombes which is another famous burial place with subterranean tunnels beneath the city along with Pere Lechaise cemetery where many famous people have been buried such as Edith Piaf and Honore Balzac which you can visit for something more unusual to experience.
Although if you want something more light hearted you can easily take a walk along the Champs Elysees which is most likely the most famous avenue within the world where you can find along the beautifully tree lined avenue, shops, cafes and more no matter what time of year you visit, especially during the festive season where you can find the avenue lit up with various decorations and lights.
Another option is if you want to take a cruise along the River Seine which goes through Paris where you can find guided tours and even romantic dinners on the traditional Bateau Mouches. Which also offers you to find and see many famous tourist attractions from a completely different perspective.
Not forgetting the Bastille Square which is known for the storming of the Bastille with another monument in Paris to commemorate the Revolution of France, but also here you can find an opera house and a part of Canal Saint Martin. And not too far from the square you can find there is a pleasure boat marina, which is another great way to spend a relaxing time while on holiday.
On the note of water then Aquaboulvard cannot be forgotten, being the largest water park in Europe with a design of tropical surroundings, wave pools, Jacuzzis, flumes and much more from cinemas, sports training facilities, restaurants and much more for everyone to enjoy.
Another incredible tourist attraction is Cite de Sciences which offers many activities from the planetarium, interactive displays, a techno area designed for teenagers, simulators, the Geode which is a 1000m screen to watch and view many things to the decommissioned submarine named the Argonaute which is outside for you to explore, to make an enjoyable trip for all ages.
Another way to see many more things around Paris is taking a tour on the l’Open Tour which is a fantastic way of seeing many tourist attractions around Paris that you may not have the time, or even know they are there! With additional headphones which the tour busses provide free to give commentary in an array of languages, means you can learn even more while travelling through, even if you are on a tight schedule.
Additionally, you cannot forget just some of the museums which are well known, and sometimes not so well known throughout Paris, with a whole variety of subjects there is something for anyone to enjoy.
To start off with the museums, one of the more famous ones would be The Louvre Museum which is best known for holding the Mona Lisa paining along with well known artists like Picasso, Raphael and more.
The Musee d’Orsay which follows on from where The Louvre stops is another impressive museum in Paris, but if you are into more modern sculptures and art perhaps the Pompidou Centre is more fitting to your tastes. But there are also many houses and mansions which have been changed into museums, including but not limited to the Maison de Balzac, the Victor Hugo museum, or Musee Cernuschi which holds Chinese and Japanese art.
Although if you are more to prefer finding about the history of Paris, then going to the Carnavalet museum is a must. Or if you love the architecture of Paris then there is also a museum for just that, although for something completely different, there is a museum dedicated to the Paris sewer system called Musee des Egouts.
And to continue with the theme of unusual things you can visit there is also a perfume museum, a doll museum called the Musee de la Poupee as well as a counterfeit museum to display well made copies called the Musee Contrefacon but also not forgetting others like the Musee du Vin which is dedicated to French wines which is another thing France is famous for.
But while on holiday in Paris there is more than just museums and monuments, as you can take discover some of the entertainment and music which you can find around no matter what time of year it is.
If you wish you can find and see some ballet or an opera show at the Opera Garnier, or if you prefer different cabaret shows and places such as Paradis Latin which is one of the oldest cabarets in the world, The Lido or the famous Moulin Rouge.
For something completely unusual you can head towards the Lady of Canton Chinese Junk which has entertainment ranging from children’s shows, DJ nights, evening music as well as themed nights such as blues, jazz etc. Another music venue which is on a boat permanently moored along the River Seine is the Batofar where you can discover internationally recognised DJs playing there.
If you feel a bit peckish while listening to music you could always eat a meal while a circus cabaret is being performed around you at the Zebra de Belleville, or perhaps you could enjoy magic shows while having a drink at the Double Fond, or Salsa music is more for your taste at the Brasil Tropical with entertainment and Brazilian cuisine as well.
Additionally you can find open air jazz concerts and music festivals every year which are held in Paris, as well as the Stade de France just near outside of Paris near the St Denis area which plays host to many musicians throughout the world who come here.
If you class entertainment as more of a casino or horse racing tracks and wish to try your luck then you can head to Longchamp to place a bet. Or perhaps you could head to Paris as there is an event going on such as the Tour de France at Champ Elysees, Bastille Day celebrations or when Paris even has its own beaches known as the Paris Plages and activities such as a floating swimming pool on the River seine.
But just like any city there are also many night clubs and other venues we could never mention them all. So onto the next section we bring is eating out in Paris and French Cuisine.
Obvious throughout the city of Paris there are many different cafes and tea rooms which you can stop at while looking around, yet a couple of the more famous ones may come to mind such as the Laduree and Angelina’s.
Yet one thing France is famous for is the French cuisine, and with so many restaurants in Paris it’s almost too hard to choose where to go, but luckily they can also cater for people with all various budgets such as the luxurious Michelin starred restaurants like the well known Tour d’Argent or the Grand Vefour, through to cafes like the Hard Rock Café.
Other restaurants have a more focused setting such as the Jules Verne restaurant within the Eiffel Tower or the Train Bleu above the Gare de Lyon railway station. Or if you prefer to have a more unusual experience you can visit restaurants such as the Au Pied de Cochon which has never closed in over 40 years, the Ice Kube bar and restaurant made from ice or even Cristina’s Tapas which is found in a vaulted basement.
But along those lines there are also many different international cuisines to suit all different cultures, like The Frog and Rosbif for English food, a Danish restaurant named Flora Danica, Italian cuisine at Mor Venice Bar to Brazilian cuisine served at Barraceo there is something which you can find so you do not go hungry!
These are just some of the amazing monuments, museums, restaurants, day trips, and places to visit while on holiday in Paris meaning you are sure to have a lot of things you wish to do, so make sure you plan carefully before you even start heading towards the famous city in France.
OpenTour is a firm which operates tour buses in Paris with different routes around the capital city but also run bus tours in other locations such as Marseille and Nice, within the Provence-Alpes Cote d’Azur region.
If you only have a small amount of time if you go for a holiday in Paris then one of the easiest and most convenient tours you can take is the OpenTour, allowing you to visit many places, which you may not see or discover otherwise.
The tour buses are large double decker buses with open tops to allow you to take advantage of the great views. The buses are also very easy to spot due to their bright yellow and green colour scheme which operate daily throughout the whole year around Paris.
The idea behind these bus tours in Paris is that you can buy a pass, jump into a bus and jump off as you wish, to see monuments, tourist attractions, museums and more that it stops at, and then when you wish jump back on another bus allowing you to visit many different places at your own pace and in fact the bus has over 50 different stops.
When using the L’OpenTour buses it does not only provide a great way to find and experience some of the incredible tourist attractions in Paris, it can also help you learn more with the commentary provided on the free set of headphones which are supplied with each ticket for the bus. The commentary obviously being available in French but also English, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese.
One more additional benefit to the l’OpenTour buses is that the four different routes throughout Paris are all interconnected meaning you can jump off and join another route without any hassle or having to finish an individual tour at a time allowing you to see more around the city of Paris and go where you wish.
Although if you wish to also travel along the River Seine you’re in luck, as the L’OpenTour is linked with the Batobus water bus which has eight stops allowing you to see monuments of Paris from a completely different angle as well as being able to buy a ticket which combines both of them to experience both ways.
There are many different passes, or tickets if you prefer to call them, which you can obtain while you are on holiday in Paris, although it is to be noted if you buy a ticket which lasts for more than one day that is has to be used over two or more consecutive days.
A one day pass can be brought which covers all four routes and is at a set price for an adult, and cheaper for children from the age of 4 to 11, and for under fours it is free.
As said above you can also get a pass which covers both the L’OpenTour and the Batobus water bus as well but for that you would need the Paris A la Carte Pass, which is a two day pass, or if you prefer a three day pass for a little extra.
Also as mentioned above there are different tour routes you can take, and even if the tour buses are easily spottable, each bus then has a different colour code on the windshield to identify which route it belongs to.
To begin with you have The Paris Grand Tour which starts at 13 Rue Auber, and has the colour code of green, which takes you around some of the most famous tourist attractions in Paris.
Firstly you can find the Musee du Parfum, the renowned Printemps to go shopping which is followed by the Palas Garnier Opera House, Place Vendome and eventually the Palais Royal and its gardens.
Afterwards the next stop starts at the Musee du Louvre which is famous for holding the Mona Lisa art work, where you can then also visit the Jardin des Tuileries Gardens, the I M Pei Pyramid of the Louvre, the Jeu de Paume and the triumphal arch also known as the Arc de Triomphe de Carrousel.
From there you can head to Pont Neuf which is the oldest bridge in Paris over the River Seine where you can get to see the Conciergerie and the Saint Chapelle which are found on the Ile de la Cite island, then to the amazing architecture of the Notre Dame Cathedral and if you wish to go further you can head to the Ile Saint-Louis.
Following from there the tour heads to the Musee d’Orsay where you can also find the Place de la Concorde and also the oldest monument in Paris; the Luxor Obelisk and the Musee Orangerie.
The bus then takes you down the Champs Elysees Avenue where there are three different stops which begins with the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, followed by the Avenue Montaigne and the Metro station called George V which is close to The Lido – a famous cabaret in Paris that features the Bluebell Girls, the next stop being on to the Arc de Triomphe and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
From there you can venture to the Jardins du Trocadero where you can experience the Palais de Chaillot and its museums in Paris, and the incredible view towards the Eiffel Tower.
On the note of the Eiffel Tower, easily one of the most well known and famous landmarks of Paris, the next stop is just that, where not only can you see the great monument you can also see the River Seine, the Champ de Mars, Musee du Quai Branly and tour boats.
Following on you can go towards Les Invalides which is where the Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte I is and several museums including but not limiting to Musee Rodin within the Hotel Biron, the Musee de l’Armee and more.
Afterwards the tour takes you to the Rue Saint-Honore and then finally to Place de la Madeleine with the Eglise de la Madeleine church, finishing the tour circuit after a very extensive and unmissable trip, but yet this is only one of the routes the tour buses can take you on.
Another route, Saint-Germain Tour around the Montparnasse area, with the colour code orange starts at 4 Rue du Petit-Pont in the Latin Quarter. The first stop being at the Luxembourg Gardens and the Musee du Luxembourg, with the Pantheon not far away.
Further on you can find the Observatoire and the Musee Zadkine, yet not too far away you can also experience the amazing Catacombes. But then you can continue to the Tour Montparnasse that is the only skyscraper with incredible views and features the highest restaurant in Paris, plus the tour stop is additionally close to Musee Bourdelle.
At this point you can always swap routes to one of the other three as you arrive at Les Invalides which also houses Musee de Plans Reliefs, or you can go on and continue the Saint-Germain area with the Musee Maillol then onto towards a different area of the Latin Quarter with the Thermes de Cluny, the Musee National du Moyen-Age and Arenes de Lutece, the Roman Arena.
Another route is the Montmartre – Grands Boulevards Tour which heads around the Montmartre area of Paris and is another great tour which is identified by yellow on the windshield of the l’OpenTour buses and starts at 13 Rue Auber an then towards the first stop where you can find the Moulin Rouge with the famous red windmill.
The next stop takes you to the Funicular that takes you up to the Place du Tertre famous for its artists, the Sacre Coeur Basilica and the Espace Dali museum is nearby, but to continue on with the journey you next see the Gare du Nord train station which is where the Eurostar arrives, with the Musee du Cristal also near.
Following on it takes you to the Republique and then the Grands Boulevards where Musee Grevin waxwork museum is found, then tour continues on to the Opera Garnier, followed by Place Vendome and finally to Madeleine and its church.
The Bastille – Bercy tour route goes by the colour of Blue and starts at the Notre Dame Cathedral, followed by stopping at the Petit-Pont in the Latin Quarter near Eglise Saint-Severin, which is where you can also change to the Montparnasse Saint-Germain tour route, or orange route.
If you follow on the original route you will stop next at Musee de la Prefecture de Police, next; the Institute du Monde Arab and the Pavillon de l’Arsenal. Afterwards it goes onto the Place de la Bastille and the new opera house the Opera Bastille.
Continue on and you will see the Gare de Lyon train station and the Viaduc des Arts, later on you will see the Gare d’Austerlitz and Jardin des Plantes, which is where Musee National d’Histoire Naturelle can be found as well, not forgetting that Arenes de Lutece and the Therms de Cluny are also near.
After a bit you will also see the museum Maison Victor Hugo dedicated to the writer who wrote the Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as the Colonne de Juillet or July Column as it is also known, followed by the Marais area, Place des Vosges, the Rue de Rivoli and the Musee Carnavalet.
This tour route also has a close stop to Musee Picasso and the Hotel de Sully, and finally it finishes at Hotel de Ville close by to the Pompidou Centre.
But not only can you swap between those magnificent routes there are also the opportunity to be able to catch a special offer which OpenTour sometimes provides, such as getting a pass to visit Disneyland Paris as well as the bus routes, allowing you to make the best of both for an affordable cost.
Additionally, Paris is also known as the ‘City of lights’, and for a good reason! As during the festive season the whole city is covered in amazing lights; which for the very occasion from nearly the start of December to January this bus tour in Paris gives you a Christmas Lights Tour when night falls to allow you to see the many different and unique side of Paris while it is lit up. But due to its popularity, and the limited seats reservations are normally made in advance.
So as it can be seen there are very many different routes to help you spend the best of your time while on holiday in Paris to see the many museums, places and tourist attractions in Paris and more, with commentary in many languages to help enjoy your time, especially if you only have a short time to spend in the city.