Open-Top Bus, 1.5-Hour Loop

Ride an open-top bus past Paris in its festive lights, 1.5 hours, rated 4 across 1,369 reviews, with commentary along the way.

Overview

This is a 1.5-hour ride on an open-top electric Tootbus, run for the season when Paris is dressed in Christmas lights. Boarding is at 23 Bd des Capucines, 75002 Paris. From there the bus passes the Opera, Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, with the Louvre and the big department stores also named on the route. The sights are seen from the open deck as the bus makes its way along the route.

On board, recorded commentary mixes with traditional Christmas songs, and the listing invites a sing-along. Wi-Fi runs throughout the bus. The format suits travellers who want the lit landmarks in one sitting: families with small children, anyone who would rather ride than walk between sights after dark.

Practically, the ticket is single-use for the date and time booked, hotel pickup is not offered, and the bus finishes at 64 Bd Haussmann, 75009, rather than back at the start. The free Tootbus app adds four themed self-guided walking routes, from 45 minutes to 1 hour each, if you want to carry on through the districts on foot.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet on Boulevard des CapucinesThe starting point is 23 Bd des Capucines, 75002 Paris. The ticket is single-use and valid only for the booked date and time, so build in a few minutes to find the stop. Hotel pickup is not offered.
2. Pass the OperaThe Opera is a named sight on the route, seen from the open deck.
3. Place de la ConcordeConcorde follows, with the lit-up streets around it part of the ride toward the avenue.
4. Ride the Champs-ÉlyséesThe avenue is one of the headline stretches of the route and a big part of why the tour is built around night views.
5. Arc de TriompheThe arc is a pass-by sight on the same stretch of route, with photo chances from the open top.
6. Eiffel TowerThe tower closes the run of landmarks on the route before the finish.
7. Finish on Boulevard HaussmannThe tour ends at 64 Bd Haussmann, 75009 Paris, not back at the departure point. The full route, departure to finish, runs the 1.5 hours given in the listing.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few specifics decide how this ride goes, above all the temperature on the open deck and the way the ticket is tied to one departure.

• Wrap up warm. The deck is open to the winter air and the listing names warm clothing as the one thing to bring. Treat a hat, scarf and gloves as standard rather than optional.
• Commentary and carols. Recorded commentary runs alongside traditional Christmas songs, and the listing encourages singing along. Check your language is available before you book.
• Photos from the deck. The open top gives clear sightlines over the street lights, and the listing highlights spectacular nighttime views of the city, so a phone or camera that copes with low light helps.
• Bringing children. Children up to 3 travel free on your lap, and a child rate applies for ages 4 to 12. Nothing on the tour requires walking, which makes it one of the easier Christmas outings with small kids, provided they can sit through the cold.
• Extend with the app. The ticket comes with self-guided audio walking tours in the free Tootbus app: four themed routes, each 45 minutes to 1 hour, covering fashion Paris, the Parisian art of living, the Eiffel Tower quarter and Montmartre. They are a natural next step once the bus drops you on Boulevard Haussmann.
• Ticket and timing. The listing calls the ticket single-use and valid only for the booked date and time, so build in room to find the stop. Note also that the start and finish addresses differ, so plan your onward journey from Boulevard Haussmann rather than the departure point.

Common issues. One reviewer suggested blankets, even paid ones, would fix it. Smaller gripes come from single reviewers, one of whom found the view depended on the seat and another who thought the panoramic roof needed a clean. Add the practical limits from the listing: no hotel pickup, and a single-use ticket valid only for the booked date and time.

Choosing Your Christmas Tour