Should I purchase tour tickets for Paris before arrival?

Question

I'm going to Paris for the first time, and I've been creating an itinerary online of various tours and destinations which I can purchase now. Is this the best way to go, or is it better to wait until you get to the hotel and arrange for tours there? I'm looking at Illuminations, Moulin Rouge, the Seine Cruise, a day bus tour of the city and a short tour of Versailles

Answer 1

This is a personal choice.  If you book now and have changes in your plans or you simply want to do something else, you're stuck. On the other hand, if you don't book and you needed to go at a particular time and there are no more tickets, again, you're stuck.

I have been to Paris several times, and each time I have taken those tours you are speaking of, and I never made advance reservations.  I don't wan to be locked in to taking the tour at a specific time.  I prefer to decide when I want t go once I'm there.  But that is just my personal preference.

There is so much to see and do in Paris that if you don't get the reservation you want, you can still see amazing things on another tour, or even without the tours, .

You don't mention if you speak French.  If you don't, then the tours will be very helpful.  Another thing is that you don't want to do Paris just on tours.  I think in what you describe you are leaving time for just exploring - that's important in Paris.

Wherever I travel, I almost always take the city bus tour first - it gives me a good idea of what I want to see up close and personal (I do this in the US too!).  I also LOVE riding around on those busses, whether it's the open top double decker, the closed air conditioned one, or the one that runs around the city and then takes you right into the water!  Not everyone likes these, but I love them.

In Paris, I have taken the city bus tour, and also tours to Versailles, Fontainebleau, the French Chateaux, Mont St. Michel, and Brugges in Belgium.  I find them to be well organized, economical, and enormously convenient.

Unless you have never traveled to another country, have never taken tours, or don't speak French and are skitty about trying to communicate in another language, I would just go to the tour office and book my tours.  I would think the hotels would charge a commission for this, when you can go right to the tour office.  Check to see the difference in prices.  I have used several companies and all of them have been fine.

The tours you speak of sound interesting.  I have to tell you that you don't need a tour to cruise the Seine.  You can walk right up to the boat dock and buy your tickets.  Some tours take you around the city and then let you go ride the boat on your own.  There are several types of boats on the Seine, so make sure you get the one you want to ride on.  (A large open decked boat is fun during the day; an enclosed bateau-mouche is fun at night.)  

PLEASE don't miss Versailles.  There are several ways to get there, and going on a tour will make it much simpler for you.  So many people go to France and miss Versailles - what a pity!  It is one of the most impressive things I have seen in my life - especially when you hear about how nobility lived in that era, compared to the common people.

You don't need a tour to see the Eiffel tower either.  It's always busy there, and a tour can get you in sooner if you are on a tight schedule - but you will pay for this.  The Eiffel Tower has EXPENSIVE restaurants, but there is a wonderful snack bar up there.  We had fabulous sandwiches, and I think they had salads.  We also had ice cream.  

Quite frankly, more important than booking tours is knowing what things to see and how to plan.  Paris is expensive and you want to get the most for your money.  I don't know if you've ever heard of Rick Steves?  I never travel to Europe without purchasing his latest book.  He publishes them new every year, and they are full of ideas, plans and specific information that can save you money and time.  They even have details about museums.  When I visited the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, there were no guides, but my Rick Steves book detailed out everything on that ceiling!  I use Rick Steves' ideas to book hotels and to know how to wisely spend my days.  He has books for each country, as well as books specific to major cities.

Here is the website, but you can also find the books at AAA and at bookstores too.

www.ricksteves.com

I hope you have a wonderful trip.  Paris is TRULY magical.  It's a once in a lifetime experience.

Answer 2

you can buy them there... you never know if the planes will be ontime.

only buy the ones for theaters of big shows and make sure to buy those tickets for days that you know you will be there.

never for the 1st, 2nd or last day you're in the city (Paris)