Hoping to persuade DH we can all have a day in Paris but..

[avoidinglibelaction]

...I have just seen how much it costs to go up the Eiffel Tower - we have 3 DC.
Would you say it was worth the visit or is it just as impressive to look at it from the ground and is the top really worth the trip - it would be a once in a life time experience - ie we would never be able to afford it again.
I reckon there is probably enough walking and sightseeing without having to go inside museums etc - but does anyone know how much a one day travelcard equivalent would be as well?
Oh and a long list of fab free stuff to do in Paris - DH and I have walked around and drunk coffee in cafes on the couple of times we have been to Paris but thinking the DC might want to see a few famous sights.

I think it's worth it. The view from the top is beautiful and much better than being at the bottom where it actually doesn't look all that impressive IMO.

A travelcard didn't cost too much but I can't remember exactly how much, it was cheaper than London, I remember that much.

Places to visit:

Arc de Triomphe
Cathedral of Notre Dame
Statue of Liberty Replica
Wallace Fountains
Various parks
A walk along the main shopping streets
A walk along the river

Have fun.

You could go up tour montparnasse instead. It's as high ish, more central so you get better views, and iirc cheaper. It's an office block thing. You can go and look from on the roof.

If you want to do Paris in a day, forget the Eiffel Tower. The queues for it take HOURS! We queued for a couple of hours to be told that the top was closed, and we could buy a ticket for the first floor and then had to queue to buy another ticket there for the second floor.

There are some lovely views from the Sacre Cour, or you can go up the Arc de Triomph, which we didn't queue for at all, first thing in the morning.

You are right that there is plenty to see without going inside things. Travelcards are quite pricey irrc, but you can get carnets of ten tickets and walk a fair bit and that was cheaper for us.

Or you can go to the top of Galeries Layfayette (the main one at Haussman) and go on the roof terrace for free (as long as you don't spend the savings in the shop!)

Or - go to Sacre Coeur for some spectacular views

You can get a one day Paris Pass for EUR9.75 here www.parispass.com/how-it-works/paris-visite-pass.html

but it is easy and pretty enough to walk around, if DCs aren't very little.

If you're getting the Eurostar there then you can buy travel passes/metro tickets at St Pancras after you've checked in. Off the top of my head I can't remember travel pass costs, but a "carnet" or 10 metro tickets (so basically a discount deal) costs about 12 or 13 euros - much cheaper than London!

I personally wouldn't go up the Eiffel Tower if you're only there for a day, mainly because you can spend such a long time queuing (even with pre-booked tickets). The view is amazing, but so is the view from Tour Montparnasse. You can also get very good views from outside Sacre Coeur - there is a little funicular (sp?) thing that goes up the hill if your DC are too tired from all the walking but the steps aren't as bad as they look from the bottom. It's a beautiful church and the view from outside is gorgeous. There are lots of people flogging tat though (and if you have any DDs there will probably be random men trying to tie friendship bracelets round their wrists in the hope that you buy them). They are all harmless and just say no and keep walking.

Arc de Triomphe is good - you can go up that, too (not sure if you have to pay).

My favourite park is Jardin de Luxembourg (south of the river) - there's a big circular fountain and (unlike most parks) bits of grass you can go on. This does not mean all grass, but will be very obvious because everyone will be sitting on one patch - that's the part you can go on. Nice for picnics if it is warm.

I agree don't bother with the Eiffel tower unless you're happy to queue for two hours.

In terms of getting saround, I'd recommend the Bateau Mouche.

How much does it cost?

Centre Pompidou good for a sit down (albeit on the floor) and free entertainment.
Palais Royal square with Buren's column sculpture for some free and queue-free modern art that you can climb on.
I agree with the other posters that say if you've only got one day - go for a view of the Eiffel Tower rather than from it.

Again would agree with others. Tour Montparnasse is great on a clear day as you get pics that include the Eiffel Tower. Lovely.
Hope you have a nice time.

I was also going to recommend the free view from the sacre cour, the funicular is included in you travel card there is a little play park at the bottom of the steps with a carousel. Then just round the corner from the top to the way to the square is a really good ice cream shop. Really good bribe to get them to climb the steps.

at the bottom there is also a shop that sells cheesy hot dogs that are about foot long really cheap too! Just across from where the carousal is

View from Sacre Couer is good. IMO the best view of the Eiffel Tower is to take the metro to Trocadero and walk up onto the plaza at the Palais de Chaillot. It's the classic view looking down and over the river to the tower. You can stroll down through the gardens and see the tower up close, then catch a riverboat to get away from the crowds.

My top tip with DC is to step off the main streets and find a bakery selling filled baguettes for lunch, and mini-markets for multi-packs of ice lollies and drinks.

Yes Bateau Mouche great with kids

How much is it? The thing I remember most when I first went to Paris as a child was going up the Eiffel Tower (only to 2nd floor though). So, I can see why adults say it's not worth it but for your kids...tricky one.

YY Chippy. If you pass a shop called "Picard" well, to say it's the French version of Iceland is to massively undersell it, but effectively it is. Frozen things. My friends and I used to buy a 6 pack of ice creams for a couple of Euros then eat them on the way to uni, handing out spares to people we liked the look of . They have them in the centre (one right next to the Pantheon), not just further out.

There is a chain of ice cream shops called Amorino, which is AMAZING, but v v expensive. Picard will sort you out for a quick cooling treat.

Also, random fact: the bridge by Trocadero/Passy metro is the bridge used in the film Inception (if DH is like any of the men I know he'll like that a lot )

If you have only one day in Paris, don't buy a travelcard and don't go into any museums. Walk through the centre of Paris and visit the parks (free and beautiful) - Jardin du Palais-Royal, Tuileries, Jardin du Luxembourg - and view the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la la Concorde etc. Save your money for a nice meal in the middle.

We did the junior school guide to Paris - Notre Dame, the louvre, tuilerie gardens, Eiffel tower, bateau Mouche. It worked really well.

How old are your children? Walking up the steps to the second level of the Eiffel Tower is significantly cheaper and the queue is much shorter. But if they aren't old enough to manage all those steps then it's a total non starter.

If you only have the one day then don't waste ages in the queue for the lift up the tower. As others have said, there are other ways to get nice views of Paris. I would recommend going to Montmartre and the Sacré Coeur as you will get an excellent view from there.

when my hub wasnt keen i took the DDs age 5 and 3 and a friends aupair to help hold hands and left him behind, we had the most fab girls day out ever! and i got tonnes of free babysitting afterwards. we did go up the tower, ice cream and a play in the Tuilerie gardens with the lake and a merrygoround, boat ride to notre dame, more icecream and some shoe shopping and a quick photo at the louvre, think that was about it. great day out and a great memory.

Tip: Children don't pay for entry into the Louvre.

We paid for five tickets on the automated ticket machine - and were told on entry tht we only needed to pay for the two adults. Grr... They wouldn't giveme a refund though.

Our kids loved going up the Eiffel tower - but agree - it was quite ££ and took up a bit of the day.

You can go up to the top of Arc de Triomphe - there is a charge - but not mnassive. It is good to watch all the traffic driving around:)

Oh -and watch out where you go for a drink/meal We called into a cafe to get a drink as it was v v hot day - the kids had an oj and me and dp had a water -and it cost 26 euros! After that we found small shops and bought bottled water to carry around. You can refill them at water fountains around Paris - so I have heard.

if you're going to Paris, bear in mind that the main sites are overrun with scammers. The one we experienced a lot was gangs of kids with clip boards claiming to have petitions for the deaf anddumb cause. If you sign they'll try to obtain money from you by pointing to an amount specified on the petition and in the meantime attempt to pick your pocket. I had some entertainment going up and hovering near tourists who were signing the petitions much to the annoyance of the scammers. There's also one where they drop a ring, give it to you then come and ask for money. Not seen that one myself.

Thanks for all the tips have decided that we will do the free stuff and save paying for the eiffel tower for another time out of season DC would almost certainly prefer ice creams , great tip about the Louvre as well thank you may do that if it's wet. It's going to be August so very busy and either very hot or IME very wet - have been to paris once when it didn't rain just hoping it won't this time as we are camping.