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Paris City Breaks by Batobus

September 20th, 2010

My favourite way to get around on Paris city breaks is on the batobus. That’s contrary to what most Paris tourists do because the most popular form of city transport in Paris is almost certainly the metro, cheap and efficient as it is. And the metro does indeed take you anywhere you like for a quick weekend break in Paris city centre for example. But if you like a more relaxed and gentle way of getting about, not only on the surface and in the daylight but also afloat on a river and not just any old river but the famous Paris river Seine, then the batobus is the best means of transport of all. The beautiful banks of the river Seine can be seen from onboard the batobus at just the right tempo as you glide through the city centre on the peaceful rivercraft. Well, that may be over romanticising it just a little bit I admit, because after all, the batobus is a means of transport. It isn’t really intended as a leisure activity in itself, although the service is advertised for tourists in Paris.

Places to see on Paris City Breaks by Batobus

The route is simple. The Batobus goes up and down the Seine from the Jardin Des Plantes in the east, to the Eiffel Tower in the west. Along the way you can stop at several points of interest in the city which include Notre Dame, The Musee D’Orsay, Hotel de Ville and I think one near the Chaps Elysees. By walking a short distance you can easily visit some extra special places like the Rodin museum. And from the Notre Dame Cathedral stop you can get to the Latin Quarter with all those interesting streets, cafes and restaurants not to mention the history. You can get to the Louvre museum too, by getting off the batobus at one of the city centre stops and walking just a short distance. Nothing in the Paris city central area within the peripheral ring road is really too far away to get too in a short walk and most of the interesting sights are close to the river so Paris city breaks with a batobus period ticket are a great way to get about and see everything you want to see without getting too rushed off your feet about it all.

Paris city breaks by batobus

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Tags: Banks Of The River Batobus Cafes And Restaurants City Break City Transport Close To The River Eiffel Tower Jardin Des Plantes Latin Quarter Leisure Activity Louvre Louvre Museum Metro Musee D Orsay Notre Dame Cathedral Paris City Paris City Breaks Paris City Centre Paris River Rodin Museum Seine Weekend Break Weekend Break In Paris

Paris City Breaks – The Sights

November 11th, 2009

Paris City Breaks – See the Sights

Paris city breaks are great for sightseeing because the city is so compact, you can get around several of the famous sights in one day and pretty much see the whole lot in a short weekend break to Paris. If you plan your itinerary carefully, there will be never a dull moment during the whole time in Paris, it’s such a varied and wonderful city. My favourite in fact. I could write loads more all about how it’s important to just be there. absorb the atmosphere and go wandering about to discover the real Paris, but if it’s your first time in the city then it’s not a question of if but when you get around to visiting all the major tourist sights and attractions. It’s just something that has to be done so you might as well get it over with on your first Paris city break. Then you can relax a bit and get deeper under the skin of the city on your second and subsequent visits, because there’s no doubt you’ll be wanting to return. So here’s a bit about each of the most famous sights that you’ll not want to miss.

The Louvre Paris

The building in which the Louvre, Paris is situated is an impressive sight enough from the outside but of course its what ‘s on the inside that really matters. That can take a time to get into and to walk around though, so I’m going to suggest that unless you are a student of the kind of art which hangs inside the Louvre then you don’t really need to go in on your first visit to Paris. If like me you are impressed by good modern architecture though, you’ll want to get as far as the entrance on the opposite side to the river Seine frontage, in order to see the new(ish) transparent pyramid structure that’s been tastefully added to the grand old building itself.

Eiffel Tower Paris

If you’re on a short city break to Paris then again, you might not feel it’s worth spending the hour or two that it can take to queue up at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in order to go up inside this iconic structure. But you won’t want to leave Paris without having caught a good glimpse of the tower from somewhere, and it’s not always visible from everywhere in the city. One interesting way to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower is from the overground section of the metro that goes through Bir Hakeim metro station. Or you can get out at Trocadero, by the museums and look downwards across the Seine to the base of the tower. This is the spot to get your photograph taken with the Eiffel tower in the background.

Arc de Triomphe Paris

The Arc de Triomphe is iconic too, being a symbol of the French state to some extent. It’s in the middle of a busy roundabout which is a star shaped junction conecting several large roads or Boulevards. There’s a great view of the Arch from down on the Champs Elysee so if you feel the need to visit the trendy shops
and restaurants on that famous street then you will see the arch up at the top of the hill. From the arc de Triomphe itself it’s possible to see another arch, the new grand arch at La Defense, which is just outside the peripheral road that encompasses the city of Paris

More sights for Paris City Breaks

A good bus tour will enable you to take in about a dozen Paris sights in a couple of hours but without going to such an extreme touristic solution it’s still possible to satisfy whatever is that urge to make reality out symbolism through seeing the distantly familiar close up by stringing a few places together where there is proximity. For example, the Pont Neuf is right next to Notre Dame de Paris so you can see the famous bridge and famous cathedral together. Then there’s the Opera and the Galeries LaFayette, the Pantheon and the Jardin de Luxembourg. All in all, if you leave London by Eurostar one day, arrive in Paris for lunch and depart the following afternoon, there’s still sufficient time to maximise the sightseeing potential of these kind of embarrasingly quickie Paris city breaks while still having time to relax and enjoy the ambiance a bit, making full use of the excellent restaurants and cafes while you’re there too. The main thing is to decide to go and go soon, then you’ll not regret it and will be itching to plan longer breaks in Paris, city of romance, culture, art and all of life.