Cityrama Paris Coach Tour

[Ware Bears]

Can anyone give me any feedback on this coachtour that goes from the Hotel New York?

We definitely want to go into Paris for one day. I would prefer to go ourselves, mainly because with there being 5 of us it means someone will probably have to sit on their own on the coach or even worse.....with a stranger!!!LOL

DH thinks we will be better off doing the coach trip because he thinks we will never get around to seeing all the sights they show in one day by ourselves (and we can't spare more than one day away from the parks).

Please can I have your opinions!!!

 

[BCT]

Sorry I couldn't reply to earlier post about it Elaine, was Working then bed.
We did cityrama last time (2003) and it was a long day , rushed and expesive.
We saw all the main sights from the bus ,but on ours the commentary was out of synch withthe places.
We got off at the eiffel tower and the ticket covered going up to level one but you had to be quick and also fight to get on the lifts.
we stopped at Notre Dame but only had half hour for a look inside and eat lunch. (not included)
Also we went on the boat on the Seine wiith the glassroof, they played loud music ( blaring) it was crowded and very hot with the sun coming through the glass.(This is not me being grumpy , both Delyth and DS" age 15 atthe time agreed.
In fact Dw saoid she never wanted to go to Paris ever again.

See also my trip report part3( BerwynAnd Delyth's Anniversary Trip) on here about how we did it this time. and next post below or I'll be writing another Trippie

Berwyn.

 

[BCT]

Elaine,
this time we asked at the Tourist Info Office net to the DLRP RER station.

They ere extremely helpful, they told us about the open top hop on hop off tours of Paris with commentary.( Like the Guide Friday company in this country,and the company that runs th sme things with red open top double deckers).
they even told us the cost of the RER to Paris and the station to get off at.
It wa s12 Euros each return for the train and 25 euro for the bus but the ticket lasts all day and you can get on and off as much as you want.
This time we saw ALL the main sights from the bus and got to the top of the Eiffel Tower and saw the pace concorde at bottom of Champs Elysees and walked in the Tuilleries gardens and a drinin the Gardens
It was much more relaxing and enjoyable.
If you want more details I will stick up another post here, just let me know

I am working 'till Sunday morning and with the shift pattern it's all bed and work till then, but I will get back at weekend if I dont get a chance Before

Berwyn

 

[DisneyRGB]

I agree with Berwyn, I was going to suggest the "hop-on, hop-off" buses too. You can see most of the sights and get off when you want to explore - you'd have a lot more freedom this way.

Let us know what you decide!

Rhiannon

 

[Ware Bears]

Berwyn, you are a star!!!!! I have made DH sit down and read your post and he has now changed his mind and agreed to DIY!!! Like you said, the cityrama coachtrip is very rushed and I would rather ditch the Seine cruise and make sure we have plenty of time at the Eiffel Tower. We can always do a cruise on another visit, yet another excuse to return! I also think my DD's would find the coach trip boring, they are 13, 10 and 8, I think they will find going by train and then open top bus more interesting, well I can live in hope, can't I?
We will definitely go and visit the Tourist Info office, they sound extremely helpful. If you don't mind printing up further details of your day I would be very interested.

Thanks for your input Rhiannon, you have certainly helped tip the scales in my favour!!!

 

[Miffy2003]

You'll have to let us know how you get on Elaine. I would like to do this next time we go to DLP so am interested in people's experiences

 

[Dee8197]

Elaine

I would agree with the others.
We did the Hop on hop off thing in Glagow in September and it was terrific. My DS ( 7) loved it. There were headphones at each seat so you had a running commentry all the time. My DS can't wait to go back if only to do the Bus again

 

[sharon78]

Yes please Berwyn more details would be great, im also very interested in doing this on our next visit

 

[BCT]

Hello All,
Here I go with the details, I'll do the train first so I don't get myself and you too confused.

We started off with a leaflet marked "Printemps Map of Paris" which was in our room, They also have them in the tourist info.next to the RER station.
It has a map of the RER system ( like the maps of London underground) and a strretmap of Paris and adverts for various attractions.
DLRP satation is the last stop on Line A4 and all trains seem to go to Paris.
They advised us at tourist info. to get off at the Auber stop as the bus company has a stop and an Office here in Rue Auber. It takes about 45 minutes on the train.
The tickets cost 6 euros each way for adults and are all identical so you can use them in any direction ( they don't say out and return like our train tickets) and are bought at station ticket office. so make sure you tell him you wat to go and come back so you get 2 tickets each. they were not dated either so you can get them the evening before.
trains are quit frequent in the mornings and it was empty going to Paris .
When you get out be careful the Auber station has 2 exits so make sure youfollow the one marked Sortie Rue Auber.
The office for L'Opentour bus is accross the road and to you right, so don't turn left out of the station like we did.
On the way back Just find the platform Line A and make sure it says Marne le valee /Chessy. There are only 2 platforms , one in each direction.

Busses. They had leaflets for 2 tour bus companies L'Opentour and Les Cars Rouges in the tourist info and sell the tickets.
Opentour ,which we used, does a Grand Tour covering all the main sites (Tower, Notre Dame, Arc De Triomphe, Lovre etc.) and also and also 3 other tours covering other parts of the city. The routes cross at some points and if you want you can hop off one bus and go on to another route. Thetickets are valid all day and cover all routes.
The red bus has less stops and covers the covers the same route as the Grand Tour
The time for the full circuit for both companies is about the same 2 hours approx.
We liked th one we took as the have more stops for flexibility and 2 stops in place Concorde going in opposite directions if you want to get back to the start and the station. (Don't worry they are marked)
Web sites for both companies are here
http://www.paris-opentour.com/
http://www.carsrouges.com/uk/index.html
They both have links for the site in English
If you want to see how we got on see the trip report link
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=833234

You will need to decide beforehand what you want to see however as the time goes so quickly, The Eiffel Tower took 2 1/2 hours by the time we'd queued for tickets and been up, down and eaten lunch.
We decided to see the fountains and Obelisk in Place Concorde and the stroll in the Tulleries gardens.
Others might want time in Notre Dame , Louvre, or strollup the Champs Elyssees to the Arc de Triomphe.
We found this a much more enjoyable and relaxing experience than the Cityrama trip from DLRP (and cheaper). This has given us the motivation to come back for a stay in Paris and enjoy the rest of the city.
I hope this has helped and do not hesitate to ask if you need any more info

Berwyn

 

[BCT]

For anyone going to Paris and not wnting to to a tour th Auber stop still seems very handy. if you turn left out of the station exit then 1st left (it's not far ) there is a very helpful tourist info and just past it is the Boulevard Haussmann with lots of big shops

Berwyn

 

[MinnieYC]

One suggestion-
Depending on what time of year you will be in Paris, the lines to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower can get very, very long (the queues don't stay behind at Disney! ). I'd almost suggest planning to get to the Eiffel Tower before it opens, being one of the first to go up to the top, and then go on a coach tour. I don't think I caught what month you will be visiting, but I've heard that during the summer, the queue during the day can be as long as 2 hours. You may even be able to get on the coach from their Eiffel Tower stop.

 

[BCT]

Yes, it took 30 minutes to queue for a ticket .
You can buy a ticket onthe bus and join the tour at any stop.
We never thought of going straight to the tower and the doing the tour
Alex has provided this link to the Metro (a map) for those wanting to go around Paris on their own
http://www.directline-citybreaks.co.uk/hotels/St-Georges-Metro-Map.gif

Berwyn

 

[Miffy2003]

Thanks for that detail Berwyn - very helpful!

 

[BCT]

Pleasure, Karen

Berwyn

 

[sharon78]

Thats really helpful Berwyn,thanks for the info and the links.

 

[missj171]

Thanks for the info Berwyn, we are thinking of doing a day in Paris if we can afford it (in money&time). We did a 'hop on & off' bus tour in Barcelona and that was great, especially since you can see so much without even getting off the bus!

We've both been up the Tower and so maybe we'll miss that out to have more time elsewhere!Same with the Seine cruise. I really want to just wander around, eat some nice pastries(!) and maybe take in a museum if we have time.

Anyway, thanks loads for the info!

 

[Ware Bears]

Thank you Berwyn.

 

[Ware Bears]

MinnieYC, we are visiting in August so I guessed the queues would be bad. That is obiously one of the advantages of going on the cityrama coachtrip, your ticket is prepaid to the 2nd level. However, although I doubt we will get there before opening, we will aim to get there as early as possible. Plus we would like to go to the very top!