Hop On Hop Off Paris: Buses, Boats and Night Tours

A hop on hop off Paris pass buys you unlimited rides on an open-top sightseeing bus, or on a glass river boat, for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Two bus companies run the loops past the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame and the Arc de Triomphe: Big Bus on its Red Route and Tootbus on its Blue Route. The Batobus does the same job on the Seine with nine piers. The cheapest of the three starts at €23 and the buses from about €28, with the exact figure changing by date.

Every option on this page is sold as a mobile ticket. You show it to the driver or at the pier, and the clock starts at that first scan, not the day you bought it.

Paris hop-on hop-off options at a glance

Five products cover nearly every trip. Prices are the lowest "from" figures, and they move by date and pass length, so treat them as a floor rather than a quote.

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How a hop-on hop-off pass works in Paris

You pick a start date at checkout and receive a voucher by email. On Tootbus you show it to the driver at any stop. On Big Bus you can exchange it at the information centre on avenue de l'Opéra or with the staff at the stops. On the Batobus you show it as you board. From that moment the pass runs for the number of hours you bought, and you can get off and back on as often as you like.

The part people miss: 24 hours means 24 hours from the first scan. Start at 15:00 and you still have the next morning. Start at 09:30 and the pass is gone at 09:30 the following day, bus or no bus.

1. Book for the day you want to start. Tootbus lets you cancel free until 24 hours before, Big Bus and Batobus until 23:59 the evening before.
2. Board at any stop. Stop 1 is where the queue forms. Stop 2 or 3 is often quicker.
3. Ride one full loop first with the commentary on, then go back for the places you liked.
4. Watch the last bus. Depending on the season the last full loop leaves between 17:00 and 19:00.

💡 Pro Tip

Buy the afternoon start, not the morning one

If you are on a 24-hour pass, scan it after lunch on day one. You get the evening light on the upper deck that day and a full morning loop the next day before the clock runs out. Same price, close to two half-days of sightseeing instead of one long one.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

Bus pass: the first-day overview

Best on day one, when you do not know the city yet. Two hours on the top deck tells you where everything sits. Then you hop off where it matters.

Batobus: the Seine without traffic

Slower, cheaper, and immune to the jams round Concorde. Good on a grey day, since the boats are glazed and heated in winter.

Night tour: Paris after dark

A two-hour evening loop when the monuments are lit. Pairs well with a bus pass bought for the day before or after.

Which Paris hop-on hop-off pass suits your trip

Answer three questions and the choice mostly makes itself.

Still undecided between the two bus brands? Our Big Bus vs Tootbus comparison goes through frequency, languages and ratings line by line.

Is a Paris hop-on hop-off bus worth the money

On a first visit, mostly yes. You get a seat with a view, commentary in your own language, and a ride between landmarks that are a 30-minute walk apart. Paris hop-on hop-off tours carry a 4.3 average across 4,693 reviews, and the complaints in those reviews are predictable: traffic, rain, a long wait at a busy stop.

Where it stops paying off: if you have been to Paris before, or you only want to get from A to B. Then the metro is faster. A pass earns its price on the days you would otherwise walk until your feet give up.

💡 Pro Tip

Sit on the right for the river side

On both bus routes the long stretches along the Seine are where the photos happen. I go straight to the upper deck and take a seat on the side facing the river at the first stop, then I do not move for the whole loop. Swapping seats halfway means losing the view to whoever was waiting for it.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

Paris bus tour, boat or both: more ways to use the pass

Combo tickets add the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Disneyland or Versailles to a bus pass in one booking. Our stop-by-stop map guide shows which landmark each stop serves, and ready-made 1, 2 and 3-day plans tell you where to hop off and for how long.

Want lunch on wheels instead? The Bustronome is a glass-roofed double-decker that serves a four-course meal on its way round the city.

Five mistakes people make with a Paris bus pass

1. Starting at stop 1 at opening time. That is where the queue forms. Board one or two stops further along the loop and you are on the first bus with a free top deck.
2. Getting off at every stop. With a bus every 10 to 15 minutes, each hop costs you a wait. Three or four well-chosen stops beat eight rushed ones.
3. Buying 48 hours for one real day. If you leave the next morning, a 24-hour pass scanned at midday does the same job for less.
4. Sitting on the wrong side. The long river stretches are where the views are. Take a seat facing the Seine at the start and keep it for the whole loop.

Get those five right and a pass that looked expensive at checkout ends up being the cheapest way to see a lot of Paris in very little time.

Bus, boat or both: the quick way to decide

Prices are "from" prices in euros and vary by date and option; the price at checkout is the one that applies. Independent guide, not affiliated with Big Bus, Tootbus, Batobus or Bustronome.