There is no shortage of transportation in Paris, and the public transportation system is extremely efficient. But touring Paris by metro may not be the most rewarding tourist occasion. That’s where the Open Tour gives you a better hand.
Two circuits to discover from the upper deck
There are at least two advantages to a two-story: you sit higher to see farther, and you smell better on the open deck than at traffic level. Overall the top deck is very nice except of course during rainy days.
The company that operates the Open Tour platform bus offers 4 tourist circuits, each of which explores several well-known areas. The ‘Grand Tour’ is the longest, the ‘Montparnasse – Saint-Germain’ is a must see. In my opinion, the other two are less interesting.
One of the two main benefits of the Open Tour formula is the multilingual commentary that points out what to watch. The other is to allow passengers to get off at each stop, visit the area, and board the upcoming double-decker Open Tour with their 1- or 2-day passes.
Towards the ‘Grand Tour’
The 2-hour “Grand Tour” circuit starts at “Le Printemps”, one of the largest department stores in Paris. Your first stop is the old Opera Garnier. Recently renovated, the Opera House is a fine example of Second Empire architecture. It houses the National Ballet Academy where 11-year-old girls begin the arduous path that can eventually lead them to the coveted honor of being recognized as ‘Estrella’, a solo dancer.
The platform moves to the gardens of the Palais Royal, which have become famous for the black and white striped concrete stumps called “Buren Columns”. The Louvre museum is a couple of minutes away. The bus enters the central courtyard through the Arches of Rohan. It stops between Li Pei’s glass and steel pyramid and the Little Carousel, a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe that sits at the end of the Champs-Elysées avenue.
The bus then heads to the central courtyard of the Louvre museum, where you can admire (or loathe) architect Li Pei’s glass pyramid. Once again, the contrast between such a modern structure and the classical proportions of the Louvre buildings is open to debate.
It then heads to Notre Dame Cathedral and crosses the Seine River over the Pont Neuf, the medieval bridge built between 1578 and 1604. Notre Dame Cathedral can be toured and worshipers can attend a Catholic mass. For those not faint of heart, the tall towers offer a photo-opportunity vista at the top of a steep flight of stairs. The large square at the foot of the cathedral often becomes a makeshift stage for street performers.
The Open Tour then takes you on a long walk along the Left Bank of the Seine, to the Musée d’Orsay. The decommissioned 19th-century train station was completely renovated in the 1980s and converted into a large museum dedicated to Impressionist art. The facade of the building is an architectural delight.
A small detour will make you cross the Seine again and land in the Place de la Concorde, a square of impressive dimensions. There is the Obelisk of Luxor offered to King Charles X by the Egyptian sovereign Mohammad Ali in 1831. Then go up the Champs-Elysées Avenue.
The lower section of the famous thoroughfare has retained some of its 19th-century charm with its sidewalks shaded by many trees. End at the ‘Petit Palais’ and ‘Grand Palais’, two large fairgrounds built in the late 19th century and recently renovated. From there starts the upper section of the Avenue, which since the 1960s has only become uglier and uglier.
High above the Champs Elysées is the Arc de Triomphe, a monument commissioned by Napoleon I to celebrate his victory over the Austrian armies at Austerlitz. The four pillars of the large Roman-style structure bear the names of the extermination camps where the French tyrant demanded the death toll of him among the European populations.
Forward. Around the Arc de Triomphe and down a side avenue, the Open Tour bus heads to the Trocadero, a majestic structure built in the style of the Roman Empire at the end of the 19th century. I think Trocadero square is one of the two places in Paris where you get the best full view of the Eiffel Tower.
The Tower is your next destination. The bus circles around it, passing through the middle section of the Jardins de Mars, a vast expanse of lawn that sits at the foot of Mr. Eiffel’s creation. A good place to spend a summer afternoon, sunbathing.
The final stretch of the Open Tour takes you back through Concorde Plaza, up Rue Royale and along the luxurious and elegant Rue St Honore. The rich 2-hour tour stops at the gates of the Madeleine Church.
Details of some importance
The Open Tour company offers 1 and 2 day passes. Those let you hop on and off the company’s double-decker cars at any stop along the tour loops. Both passes also give you access to take all 4 shifts. At EUR25 and EUR28 respectively, they are excellent value for money. Children’s rates have a 50% discount on regular rates. The Open Tour should be exciting for your teenagers. The fact that you can hop on and off at any stop ensures that you won’t get bored or impatient.
The operator’s website shows you where to buy your day pass, where to board the bus and at what time. Type “open tour Paris” into Google, they come up first.
I’ll leave you with this final note: when you want to see as many sites as possible but feel dead tired after 3 days of walking the streets, the two floors of the Open Tour offer an easy way to immerse yourself in a little more history and architecture. . Good business!
