Historic Vacation

Touring Historical Paris on a Double-Decker
By Phil Chavanne

There is no shortage of transportation means in Paris, and the public transportation system is extremely efficient. But touring Paris by metro may not be the most rewarding sightseeing occasion. That’s where the Open Tour deals you a better hand.

Two circuits to discover from the top deck

There are at least two advantages to a double-decker: you sit higher so you see farther, and it smells better on the open deck than at traffic level. Overall, the top platform is very pleasant excepted of course during rainy days.

The company which operates the Open Tour platform bus offers 4 touring circuits, each exploring several well-known areas. The ‘Grand Tour’ is the longest, the ‘Montparnasse - Saint-Germain’ a must-do. In my opinion, the other two are less interesting.

One of the two major benefits of the Open Tour formula is the multi-lingual commentary pointing at what you should look at. The other is to allow passengers to get off at each stop, visit the area, and board the next Open Tour double-decker with their 1-day or 2-day passes.

Off to the ‘Grand Tour’

The 2-hour long “Grand Tour” circuit starts at “Le Printemps”, one of the largest department stores in Paris. Its first stop is the old Opera Garnier. Recently renovated, the Opera house is a fine example of Second Empire architecture. It shelters the National Ballet Academy where 11-year old girls start the hard-labor path which may lead them eventually to the coveted honor of being recognized as a ‘Star’, a soloist ballerina.

The decker moves on to the Gardens of Palais Royal which have become famous for the black-and-white striped concrete stumps called the “Buren’s Columns”. The Louvre museum is a couple of minutes away. The bus enters the center courtyard through the Arches of Rohan. It stops between Li Pei’s steel and glass pyramid, and the small Carrousel, a small version of the Arch of Triumph which sits at the end of the Champs Elysees avenue.