Paris Self Tour On Celebrity Transatlantic

[InPR]

We will be on the 15-Night Transatlantic on Constellation (05/07/2011) which will make a stop in Le Havre. We have decided to go on into Paris and it seemed the best option for an excursion was a do-it-yourself tour. The bus drops everyone off in a central location with roughly 5 hours to explore.

 

My question is, has anyone done this tour? I would like to know exactly where we will be dropped off so as to plan our sites accordingly. I suspect it will be somewhere equidistant to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, etc... On the Champs Elysees?

 

Anyway, it is difficult to know what we can see effectively without knowing where we will be dropped off. Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[drk]

Here is how it worked for us a couple of years ago on the Connie. We were picked up at the ship and bussed to Paris. There was a rep on the bus who went around to each of us and gave us a map and answered questions/made suggestions. The bus parked right at the Eiffel Tower and stayed there the whole time (free public restrooms were also right there!). DW and I are very fit and managed to walk a big loop from the ET across the Seine to the Arc de Triomphe...down the Champs Ellysee...to Notre Dame...back across the Seine and back along the River to the bus. We fell in love with Paris that day and have since been back for a 5 day stay.

 

When I priced it out at the time it was actually cheaper and more efficient than doing it on our own. Don't know about now. Enjoy.

[Gonzo70]

I did it a couple of years ago and we were dropped off right at the Eiffel Tower; I am not sure if that is still the drop off zone though.

[InPR]

Great info. This helps out tremendously. If it, in fact, does stop at the Eiffel Tower, that will be great. It's also good to hear that you were able to go from the tower, to the arc, down the champs elysees and back in the amount of time allotted.

 

It's hard to tell on the maps I see online but were either the catacombs (ie the catacomb museum) or places like Montmartre in close proximity?

[J&R-Chicago]

MontMartre is not particularly close to the ET, it's off, away from the river. Another option would be to see the ET, then jump in the water taxi that loops the river between the ET and just passed Notre Dame. Get off at Notre Dame, then walk back, stopping at Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc and then back the ET. A nice boat ride view of all that from the river. You see both sides.

 

One note about the Louvre, there is a side entrance you can also enter at. Thru a small mall area and buy tix at the self-serve machines. Bypass the long lines waiting to enter thru the main glass pyramid enterance. You could spend a lot of time in that line.

[Wookie01]

Montmarte is bit further away to the north, but fairly easy to reach by Metro (lines 6 and 2 or lines C and 12) from ET.

Similarly the Catacombs are off to the south but reachable by Metro line 6.

 

All depends on what you feel your personal highlights will be and where you want to best spend your limited time.

 

I would prefer a stroll along the Seine, through the Tuileries, Notre Dame and a lovely French meal somewhere nice :-)

[Wookie01]

Another option would be to see the ET, then jump in the water taxi that loops the river between the ET and just passed Notre Dame. Get off at Notre Dame, then walk back, stopping at Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc and then back the ET. A nice boat ride view of all that from the river. You see both sides.

The Bateau Bus is an excellent way to see Paris, cruising along the Seine passed the major landmarks - good recommendation :D

[Zubsin]

Pick yourself up a copy of RICK STEVES Paris 2011.....it is the best and will help you with all kinds of "what to do in a day" ideas! Donna

[smtcan]

Rick Steves also has free podcasts about European Cities, including Paris. They can be downloaded from the iTunes store. We found them very helpful in Rome - we loaded them onto our iPods and it was like having a guide with us. There is a good HOHO bus in Paris, which covers all the major attractions.

Sheila

[Wookie01]

Rick Steves also has free podcasts about European Cities, including Paris. Sheila

 

Awesome! This is an excellent tip, thanks Sheila :D.

For info his podcasts and associated maps can be freely downloaded from his website :)

[FateHappens]

We have been to Paris two times from a cruise ship, from the ports of LeHavre (Celebrity) and Rouen (Azamara). Both times we took a train into Paris on our own. The travel time on the train is less than on the bus, giving you more time in the City. We took a cab (inexpensive) to and from the train station in LeHavre and purchased the train tickets prior to leaving the US on the internet.

 

We'll be on the Constellation, 5/7/11, also. E-mail me if you have any specific questions. pbaldwin@tampabay.rr.com

[npb]

Is there anything interesting to look at on the bus from the port to Paris?

[jeffbook]

Is there anything interesting to look at on the bus from the port to Paris?

 

Not really. You do cross a large bridge over the Seine outside of Le Havre, but the rest on the trip is typical Autoroute. We did this last year on the Connie TA befroe it went into drydock.

 

We are onboard again this year on 5/7. This time we are taking a train from Amsterdam back to Paris for a few days so we have more time in Paris.

[simoncha]

Hi,

 

Great to see some people planning on exploring Paris by themselves. Visited Paris many times, sometimes for a couple of hours en-route, sometimes for the day and sometimes for a longer stay.

 

In 5 hours you should be able to get in quite a few key sites. But remeber, it's a big city and whilst walking will give you a flavour of the city, you will get tired legs very quickly.

 

The metro is easy to use and you can get around to a few key places quite efficiently.

 

If you are planning on going up the tower be warned - there are often long lines. A better bet, get some bread, meats, etc and a nice bottle of wine and sit in the gardens that the tower sits in - much more fun ;)

 

There are lots of weird and wonderful things to see in Paris and the Louvre is one of them - you don't even have to go in - the Pyramid is one of the most significant architectural statements I have ever seen. Try the cellars of anglo / french bar The Lizard Lounge if you want something off the wall or visit Père Lachaise Cemetery to see the amazing lipstick covered tomb of Oscar Wilde and the grave of Jim Morrison.

 

If you do visit the Arc de Triomphe, look towards Arche de la Défense, I love the enginerring of this strange building that is almost, but not quite, in line with the Arc de Triomphe.

My final piece of advice for Paris is pick something you really want to do and do it well.. you will only want to go back and try some more..I love the place....:)

[nittany lion fan]

We were thinking of doing the same tour as you (on your own) but one of our tablemates was very familiar with Paris and suggested that we stay on the bus and do approx 1 hour drive tour of Paris. Paris is spread out and places are not really that close to each other. The bus parked @ the Eiffel Tower and we took the bateau bus(boat) to Notre Dame ==walked through and returned to the Eiffel Tower. The time seemed to be swallowed up by the distance from Eiffel to Notre Dame. I thanked ourtable mate --because we drove past a lot of the "big " sites in Paris. It was a long day but Paris is a must see. The cost of the tour added was approx $15 more PP-well worth it.

[cadburysmom]

Approximately how long is the Celebrity bus ride from LaHavre to Paris?