Bus exceptionnelle à Paris !

Paris boast one of the oldest metro and bus network.  Green buses transport you from one place to another with electronic information on when the bus is arriving at the bus stop.  Have you ever tried to find out if the local bus drives past the local city attractions?  Those of you who have already traveled this local transport in Paris will know that there are things that can unnerve or infuriate you.  Like no escalators or elevators at the metros.  Causing difficulty not just for the disabled people but for the friendly visitor who arrives in Paris.  The Métro as we found was fast, however,  I would rather walk the streets than the long tunnels that one has to walk through sometimes.  Time is always a factor, if you have only a few days in Paris then getting from one place to another fast is important.  I still recommend the bus. It will take a bit longer to get where you want to go, but you also see Paris like a local. Reason being the buses drive through street you would not sometimes walk. Riding the bus is also a picturesque way to experience Paris, compared to the all-underground Métro.

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Long trailer buses that the drivers navigate the narrow streets in Paris!

The bus drivers have to be highly commended as well. The long double trailer buses that they drive through narrow streets and dodge smaller cars and vans parked along the side is something to be admired.  Especially the buses that go through the arches at the Louvre.  I always wonder how it does not scrape the sides.  The bus is a bit more friendly to the traveller.  There are a special spaces and seats for the seniors, disabled, pregnant women or women with pushchairs.  The local protocol was very heartwarming.  Most people get up and give up their seat to a senior. This courtesy is not seen in many countries. Consideration has been given to the disabled by providing a retractable bridge between the body of the bus and the footpath.  Buses also tilt towards the footpath to let passengers board and alight.

There are so many advantages of going by bus. Why travel underground when you can see all the exciting sights of Paris around every corner from a bus? We have several convenient bus routes from where we are staying.    Maps of the bus routes are posted on the bus stops.  Please remember that bus service is limited in the evenings and Sundays.

Weekly pass can be bought any day, however,  valid only starting on a Monday.  The

Navigo Découverte monthly pass is valid from the 1st of the month till midnight of the last day of the month.  ( You will need a photograph  for both these passes)  A single standard fare ticket is valid for 90 minutes on any Metro, bus or RER and can be purchased at a metro station or from some

An example,  the 69 bus route and you will find that it goes east to west or west to east. You will cover most of the sights in Paris. Click on the map and check out the route.

Since we were in the 15 Arrondissement, the 62 was at our doorstep and connected to 42 bus route at Javel.Bus 42 cuts diagonally across Paris going through the Champs de Mars and around the Eiffel Tower along the Left Bank of the Seine,across the Seine on the Pont de l'Alma bridge,up the lower Champs-Élysées, through Place de la Concorde, around Place de la Madeleine and Église Madeleine, past the grand Garnier Opéra andPlace de la Opéra.

Traffic can be crazy during the evenings and weekends.  We did not have a car but can only imagine that navigating the roads that include Medieval lanes, Angled avenues and Roundabouts can be a challenge.  What a blessing that we let the bus driver do all the driving and not have to tackle the crazy traffic of Paris inner city. We saw Paris mostly on foot, however, a bus was always available when needed.