Best of · HOP-ON HOP-OFF BUS TOURS IN FRANCE
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 hop-on hop-off bus tours in France worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to check before you commit.
Use Tootbus to see Paris at your own pace, hopping between the Louvre, Notre-Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysées, and more. The open-top bus includes multilingual audio, a children’s channel, Wi-Fi, real-time tracking, and free walking tours. Add a one-hour Seine cruise from the Eiffel Tower.
“This is MUST! The best way to visit Paris! Dragoljub, one of our drivers was amazing! 10/10”
See Paris from an open-top double-decker bus, with stops near the Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and more. Choose a 24 or 48-hour ticket, add a one-hour Seine cruise, and use the app, Wi-Fi, and multilingual audio guide to plan your day.
“Being able to hop on hop off at leisure at any of the 10 stops. Only negative was the ticket was for 24hrs but buses stopped running between 17.00 - 18.00hrs, would have been better if buses were to run for another couple of hours at least.”
Use the Big Bus Red Route to see the Louvre, Notre Dame, Musée d’Orsay, Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower, and Palais Garnier. Choose a 24 or 48-hour pass, listen to commentary in nine languages, track buses by app, and add a one-hour Seine cruise or Arc de Triomphe entry.
“We were at a stop ..the driver told us our bus was out of service for the next 2 hours so we need to go on the bus in front of us ..it was already full of people…all commentary made reference to some mugging or crime”
Use a 24 or 48 hour Batobus pass to move between nine Seine stops near the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre-Dame, Musée d’Orsay, and more. Boats have heated glass cabins, a terrace, multilingual staff, and an interactive webapp in five languages. Bring a charged phone and a fold-up stroller if needed.
“Very nice. Spent time at all the places I wanted to 😁”
Ride a Big Bus open-top double-decker through Paris after dark, with digital commentary in nine languages and views of the Louvre, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, Champs-Élysées, and Eiffel Tower. The single-loop tour starts opposite the Arc de Triomphe and returns there after two hours.
“This was a really good tour. Well worth the money. Everything looks so beautiful at night Me and my son thoroughly enjoyed ourselves”
Use a 24 or 48-hour Batobus pass to ride the Seine between nine Paris stops. Hop off near the Eiffel Tower, Musée d’Orsay, Louvre, Notre Dame, and Saint-Germain, then return to the boat when you like. Commentary comes through a multilingual web app, not a live guide.
“There are no toilets on the boat. So so much time is taken to find ones when u make a stop. Some of the tour guides qr interesting and funny. And speak multiple languages. Otherwise just sound like a bis driver announcing the next stop on French”
See Paris from an open-top Tootbus with a 24-, 48-, or 72-hour pass. Hop off near the Louvre, Notre-Dame, Eiffel Tower, and Musée d’Orsay, then use the app for bus tracking, audio commentary, and walking tours. Add a one-hour Seine cruise for a fuller day.
“Good route too see a lot of the Paris sights. Once done the full tour, used bus as transport from sight to sight. Cruise boat close to one of the bus stops (easy access) close too the Eifel Tower. Cruise boat very enjoyable, Guide very knowledgeable .”
Use a 24, 48, or 72-hour Tootbus pass to circle Paris by clean-energy open-top bus, then take a Vedettes de Paris cruise from the Eiffel Tower. Expect multilingual audio, five self-guided walks, real-time bus tracking, and stops near the Louvre, Notre-Dame, Montmartre access points, and Champs-Elysées.
“The bus from the eiffel tower about 6.45pm ran straight to an end point at Galleries Lafayette without following the route.”
Use a one-day Colorbüs ticket to tour Marseille from the Old Port, with more than 10 stops, open-top views, phone-based audio in 11 languages, Wi-Fi, and real-time bus tracking. Bring headphones and allow extra time to reach the departure point from the cruise port.
“Really easy trip. Goes around the city pretty quick and sees all the sites. Would recommend”
Use a 1 or 2-day pass to see Nice by open-top bus, from Place Garibaldi and the Old Town to the Promenade des Anglais and Villefranche. You can stay aboard for the 90-minute loop or hop off at 11 stops, with audio in eight languages and commentary from guides such as Jack, Lucien, and Olivier.
“We really had fun . Thank you and hope to be back one day”
Use a one or two-day open-top bus pass to see Lyon’s main sights, from Place Bellecour and Vieux Lyon to Fourvière and the Confluence Museum. Commentary comes through the free REWIND smartphone app, so bring charged headphones. The route has nine stops and is wheelchair accessible.
“It was a relaxing trip and very informative about the city of Lyon. The bus was on time according to the schedule which made it easy to plan our stops. I would recommend it.”
Ride an electric green open-top bus from Boulevard des Capucines past the Opera, Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, and Eiffel Tower. A recorded guide plays in 10 languages, with Christmas songs and Wi-Fi onboard. Dress warmly and arrive early for the best upper-deck seats.
“Excellent tour. Included lots of landmarks not even decorated for Xmas. Driver did a great job navigating heavy traffic jams and the view from the top was incredible. Highly recommend!”
You ride Tootbus’s clean-energy double-decker from the Louvre for a two-hour, non-stop circuit past Notre Dame, the Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, and Opera. Audio is available in 10 languages, with kids’ commentary, Wi-Fi, live bus tracking, and free walking tours in the app.
“Such a great and beautiful way to see Paris! We absolutely loved getting to see Paris come alive at night! Our trip was at the end of September and it was getting cold out. I definitely recommend bundling up if you are doing this activity in the fall!”
Use a 24 or 48-hour Big Bus pass to reach Paris landmarks by open-top bus, with multilingual audio, WiFi, and live tracking in the app. Add a one-hour Les Bateaux Parisiens cruise near the Eiffel Tower for bridge, museum, and riverside views from the water.
“The ease of getting around the city even though it was busy was excellent. The drivers were helpful and it was great that there were assistants at each stop to guide us to the right spot.”
Ride an open-top Big Bus through Paris for about two hours, leaving from the Champs-Elysées and returning there. You’ll pass the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Moulin Rouge, Notre-Dame, Palais Garnier, Invalides, and Seine, with multilingual audio, Wi-Fi, and a timed Eiffel Tower light display.
“He left the starting area 15 minutes early. Luckily we were there early. Then at the last stop at the tower, he told us he would let us off the bus to take pictures. We got off at 9:59 and was supposed to be back at 10:15. We were crossing the street to get back on the bus at 10:07 and he drove off. Luckily we had our stuff. Our friend had gotten back to the bus at 10:05 and told him that we were not back yet. The driver said we were. She told him again that we were not. As she saw that he was fixing to drive…”
A loop, an open deck, a night run or a whole day on the coach.
