Paris Hop-On Hop-Off Itinerary for 1, 2 or 3 Days

A Paris hop-on hop-off itinerary turns a pass into a plan: which stops to get off at, how long to stay, and when to get back on before the last bus. The three plans below fit a 24, 48 or 72-hour pass and use the Tootbus Blue Route, the Big Bus Red Route and the Batobus. Times assume a bus every 10 to 15 minutes and a full loop of about two hours.

Paris in one day with a 24-hour hop-on hop-off pass

Works on Tootbus or Big Bus. On Big Bus, board at stop 2 by the Pont des Arts to skip the queue at stop 1. In winter, when the last loop leaves earlier, cut the Arc de Triomphe leg and finish at the Eiffel Tower instead.

💡 Pro Tip

Plan the last hop before lunch

The one-day plan fails at the end, not the start. I always decide over lunch which stop will be my last, and make sure I reach it before 17:00. After that the bus thins out and the waits get long.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

Two days in Paris with a 48-hour pass and the river

Day 1: the bus

Start after lunch so the 48-hour clock carries into day three. One full loop, then off at the Musée d'Orsay for the last two hours of the museum, and evening at Saint-Germain.

Day 2: the bus and the Seine

Morning loop to the Arc de Triomphe and the Trocadéro. Afternoon on a Seine cruise or a Batobus pass from the Eiffel Tower pier to Notre-Dame, then on to the Jardin des Plantes.

Day 3 morning: what is left on the pass

The pass started at 14:00 on day one, so you still have the morning. Use it for the stop you skipped, often the Opéra and the department stores on boulevard Haussmann.

Three days in Paris with the Tootbus 72-hour pass

1. Day 1: full Blue Route loop, then the Louvre for the afternoon.
2. Day 2: Panthéon - Luxembourg stop, the gardens, lunch in the 6th, then one of the five Tootbus walking tours in the app.
3. Day 3: Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro in the morning, the Champs-Élysées in the afternoon, and a Paris by Night tour from the Louvre stop in the evening.

The 72-hour pass exists only on Tootbus, which is why this plan uses its stops. On Big Bus, a 48-hour ticket validated at midday on day one gives a similar shape: two full afternoons and a final morning. Swap the Panthéon day for a Seine cruise, which Big Bus sells as part of its packages, and keep the Luxembourg Gardens for a walk from the Notre-Dame stop.

💡 Pro Tip

Keep one stop for a slow afternoon

Three days of hopping on and off gets tiring by the second afternoon. I leave one stop, usually the Panthéon - Luxembourg, for a long sit in the gardens with no plan at all. It is the afternoon that stays with you.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

Need the ticket?

All passes and prices are on the tickets page.

Need the stops?

Landmark-by-landmark guide on the map page.

With kids?

Shorter plans and park stops on our family page.

A rainy-day Paris itinerary with the Batobus

When the forecast is grim, swap the open-top bus for the glazed boats. A 24-hour Batobus pass from €23 covers this plan:

The boats are heated in winter and the piers sit close to the doors that matter, so you spend very little time out in the wet.

Half-day plan for an arrival afternoon

Landing in the morning and checking in after lunch? A 24-hour pass scanned at 14:00 gives you this afternoon and tomorrow morning.

A slow Left Bank day by boat and bus

1. Morning: Batobus from the Eiffel Tower to Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Coffee and the side streets.
2. Late morning: walk to the Luxembourg Gardens, about fifteen minutes.
3. Lunch: the Latin Quarter, by the Panthéon.
4. Afternoon: Tootbus from the Panthéon - Luxembourg stop along the river to Orsay and the Pont Alexandre III.
5. Evening: off at the Trocadéro for the tower at dusk.

This plan works with a Tootbus pass and a Batobus pass on the same day, and it keeps you on the side of the river where walking is a pleasure.

Changing the plans for winter and summer

In winter the last full loop leaves around 17:00 and dusk falls early. Move the whole plan forward: board before 10:00, keep the outdoor stops for late morning when it is warmest, and finish inside a museum near a stop.

In summer the buses run until about 19:00 and it stays light past 21:00. Start later, take a long lunch out of the sun, and keep the best stretch along the Seine for the end of the afternoon. Add a night tour or an evening cruise if you have the energy.

💡 Pro Tip

Count the loops, not the hours

A pass is worth what you ride. I plan around full loops: one on a 24-hour pass, two on 48 hours, three on 72. Everything else is hopping off. It stops me buying more hours than the plan can use.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

Where to eat along the bus routes

• Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter: the easiest lunch stop on any loop, with crêperies and brasseries on every side street.
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés: classic cafés, a short walk from the Orsay stop or the Batobus pier.
• The Opéra and boulevard Haussmann: the food halls and rooftop terraces of the department stores.
• The Champ de Mars: a picnic on the lawns under the Eiffel Tower, with supplies from the shops on rue Cler.

Avoid eating right next to the biggest landmarks, where prices are highest. Two streets away, the same lunch costs less and comes faster.

What to skip when time is short

If the day is running away from you, cut what takes longest for the least, and keep the three things most people came to Paris for.

A short day still works if you ride the full loop once in the morning, get off at the two stops you care about most, and use the metro to get back if the last bus has gone.

Itinerary for a day with a night tour

The rest in the late afternoon is the part people skip and regret. The night tour is far better with energy left.

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.