Excursions into Paris? Need some input!

[Bethany Brown]

I’m not planning on going to Paris until 2021 but I’ve been trying to get an idea on how much I need to save for it. I was on the DLP website and saw they have many excursions into Paris leaving from the resort. No price is attached to the information. Has anyone taken the excursions before? If so, how much are they and did you enjoy them? Pros or cons about them? Thanks a bunch!

 

[TinkSassy]

I would not bother with the excursions. I usually like bus tours but the traffic in Paris makes them slow and hard to see much in a day. The trains are much more efficient.

The main train station is right at the entrance to DLP and you can catch the RER Red line into the city in about 45 minutes. Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay are all within a few minutes walk of each other. You will need to get back on the train to go to the Eiffel area (just 5-10 minutes by train). I would recommend Rick Steve's downloadable walking tours as they are free and great guides for most of the sites. Also, a guided tour of the Eiffel makes going up easier (lines are typically long) - I used CityWalks and did the Eiffel and Night Cruise of the Seine and that was excellent. Be careful to leave Paris to be back by around the time DLP closes unless you are staying within walking distance as the taxis will not be available.

 

[MarcIsMe]

Agree with the prior poster. If you are comfortable with walking and subways, you can get so much more done at a cheaper price than taking a tour bus. Many stations will drop you out right at the landmark if you follow signage, Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe to name a couple. Norte Dame and Sainte-Chapelle with its magnificent stained glass are close to each other. Do your research with a subway map and see what is near the stops. You may wish to buy a day pass, a Navigo is cheaper than a Visite, but is sold in fewer stations. If you get a Zone 1-5 it will cover your round trip from Paris Disneyland.

 

[Karin1984]

Also look at the websites of the attractions you want to see, many will let you buy your tickets in advance including a skip-the-line option if they have it. You can also buy them in the morning and store them on your phone, if you want to be flexible with your plans.

I'm not a fan of these kind of excursions as you can usually do it cheaper yourself and you are not bound to a schedule. Lower prices + freedom is a better deal to me than no-hassle. I also love planning and investigating stuff myself, so that helps, it's not a hassle to me anyway ;-)

 

[MarcIsMe]

Karin1984 is correct on planning and pre-purchase. We saved a lot of time skipping the lines at the Louvre by purchasing in advance. We also bought our Disneyland tickets online when they were running a special and saved quite a bit. Some museums may have a free entry day which will be on their websites.

 

[aj2703]

When i did a Paris visit on a day trip I got the RER to Châtelet - Les Halles from Disney.

It was a short walk to Notre Dame, I then walked to The Louvre. From the Louvre you can walk through the gardens to the Champs-Élysées and walk right up it to the Arc de Triomphe. I then went to the top of that and you can see the Eiffel Tower not far from there either. I didn't go to it as I have been there a few times but it wasn't far you just follow one of the streets down.

I can't remember the costs. Maybe seven euro or so for the train. Others can correct me on that. Notre Dame was free, of course now you can only view from the outside. The rest wasn't very much I am sure. Much cheaper and more enjoyable the a tour bus. If you're a window shopper like me, you'll love walking up the Champs-Élysées.

I know there are many other spots you may wish to view that I have not mentioned but doing those was a day well spent for me.