Bus travel for sightseeing?

Hi,

Since I%26#39;ll be travelling to Paris with my infant daughter, I need to carry carry Stroller to all the places. Since many metros do not have lift facility, I%26#39;m wondering whether it%26#39;s better to travel by bus? I have the following questions in my mind in this regard:

- Is it really a good option to travel by bus in Central paris?

- I will be staying in the 9th district (near Opera). Are there direct buses to go to Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Sacre Cour and Champs Elysees? And how much time it would take approximately?

- Would traffic blocks would be a problem (I will be visiting on friday and saturday).

- And any other tips that you can suggest for families travelling with a stroller.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Raj.

|||

Hi I recently went to Paris with my daughter and husband we took one of the open top bus tours which just go round and round and stop at all the main tourist attractions and then you can just hop back on again and move to the next stop. It went to Louvre, Notre Dame etc you can also do a similar hop on hop off boat tour that gain stops at all the major attractions it was really good value for money.

|||

Paris advice, your idea sounds the best to move around to all these places. How do you get this open buses that you can hop on or off. Also do you have to buy their passes in advance. I am guessing we can ask the concierge at the hotel, but what are they called. thanks.

|||

any chance you could use an infant carrier -- a backpack or if the baby is too small for that -- a front carrier?

It is sure a lot easier on everyone given the European streets and sidewalks and transport

We used one with our kids a lot and it really makes travel happier for everyone including the kiddo who is up there where s/he can see what is going on in the world

|||

Hi Parisadvice - Thanks a lot for your advice. Yes, I should plan to take the open top buses.

And thanks a lot to Graceh9 for the advice on using the back-pack carrier. I have never used one before and I%26#39;m seriously thinking of using one now.

|||

I do not know if the %26#39;hop on/off%26#39; busses are equipped for strollers, but I do know the city buses are. When the bus stops, you board with the stroller in the mid-section of the bus (there are only fold-up seats and a wider open area in the middle of the bus). If you have a single ticket, you stamp in the box (you%26#39;ll see other do this). If you have a pass (Paris Visite, Carte Orange etc), then you don%26#39;t have to do anything, unless the driver or an inspector wants to see it.

You can get a %26quot;grand plan de Paris%26quot; when you buy your tickets or pass - it will show all the bus lines, and where the stops are. The bus is a great way to see Paris.

You can plan a few routes in advance, or print off diagrams of the bus lines, at www.ratp.fr

click on %26quot;lignes%26quot;, then %26quot;bus%26quot;

use the interactive map or use the system map, see what bus line you want, then enter that bus line # in the little box to pull up the route diagram.

|||

Hi if you check out www.viator.com you can see the buses buy tickets on line or just check out the routes.

To be honest we didn%26#39;t buy the tickets in advance you can buy them on the bus or at the ticket office before boarding the boat, children under 3 are free so you may be in luck.

Just watch out for the buses we stayed in St Germain and it wasn%26#39;t a problem finding one, the normal bus stops indicate if its a stop for one of the hop on hop off buses so just keep an eye out.

For families Luxembourg Gardens is a good bet, free to wander round, they have a theatre which does puppet shows, pony rides, outdoor playground etc and a lake.

Hope you have a great time....................................we did!

|||

Normal RATP buses are heavily populated by baby buggies, so you won%26#39;t feel out of place. Contrary to the rules on London buses, there is no requirement to fold the buggies down, so they are basically allowed to occupy all the space in the middle of the bus, which they happily do. As for your tickets, I%26#39;d strongly advise you to buy them in %26quot;bulk%26quot; (carnets of 10) at any métro station or tobacconist. Not only will you end up paying 40 % less than with single tickets, but it%26#39;ll also greatly ease your and your fellow passengers%26#39; life on the buses.