Frequently asked questions about Hop on Hop off Paris

A hop-on hop-off bus follows a fixed route with several stops. With one ticket, you can get off as often as you like, visit an attraction and get back on at the same or another stop - without having to pay again. The tickets are valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours.

Both use double-decker buses and offer a multilingual audio guide. Tootbus is completely electric and is part of the RATP-Dev group - tickets are available as 24h, 48h and 72h, plus a children's audio guide. Big Bus is the international sightseeing brand with tickets only as 24h and 48h. The routes overlap at the main sights, but differ in detail.

Tootbus is better suited for families (children's audio guide), environmentally conscious travelers (electric fleet) and longer stays (72h option). Big Bus has the denser network of stops in the city center and free ponchos. The audio guide quality is comparable for both. Daily price differences are shown in our comparison calculator.

Great for a first visit to Paris or short stays (1 to 3 days). You can see the most important sights in 2 hours, can get off at any time and save walking or taking the metro. If you already know Paris well or are staying for several weeks, you may be better off with a metro pass and individual planning.

With both providers about 2 hours without getting off. If there is a lot of traffic - Friday afternoon, tourist season, demonstrations - it can also take 2.5 hours. The buses run in both directions, so you can do the tour clockwise or anticlockwise.

Online and in advance via GetYourGuide or Tiqets, it is usually cheaper than at the bus stop or directly with the bus operator. The prices vary between the platforms on a daily basis by up to €5 - the comparison calculator on our homepage shows you who is currently cheaper.

Immediately. After booking online, you will receive the digital voucher by e-mail. You can board directly at any stop and don't have to print anything out. With some fares, the ticket is activated automatically when you scan it for the first time.

Yes, with GetYourGuide and Tiqets cancelation is free of charge up to 24 hours before the selected travel date. You will receive a full refund. A change of date is usually also possible free of charge as long as the ticket has not yet been activated.

If you cancel up to 24 hours in advance, you will receive a full refund. A refund is not normally possible within the 24-hour period - travel cancellation insurance or credit card travel insurance can step in in such cases.

Rule of thumb: 24h for a pure overview trip, 48h for real sightseeing with stops, 72h (only Tootbus) for longer stays with buffer time. Two 24-hour tickets are almost always more expensive than one 48-hour ticket - if you are planning more than one day, you should take the multi-day ticket directly.

The number of hours counts from the first boarding. If you activate at 11 a.m., you can travel with the 24-hour ticket until 11 a.m. the next day - as long as buses are running. Some providers also count by calendar days; this is clearly noted in the description.

Yes, bus + Seine boat trip (Tootbus „Must See“, Big Bus „Premium“), bus + Eiffel Tower and bus + Louvre are very popular. Combi-tickets are usually 5 to 10 € cheaper than booking both separately and save waiting time.

Yes. Tootbus relies on fully electric double-decker buses in Paris. The company is part of the RATP-Dev Group and advertises with the slogan „Planet Friendly“. The buses are quiet and locally emission-free.

Unlimited hop on hop off on the Blue Route (10 stops) for the selected validity period (24, 48 or 72 hours), 5 self-guided walking tours via the Tootbus app and the audio guide in 10 languages.

In addition to the hop-on hop-off bus, the „Must See“ ticket includes an approximately one-hour Seine River boat trip with Vedettes de Paris. The boats leave from the foot of the Eiffel Tower and depart approximately every 45 minutes from 10:45 to 18:30. It is not necessary to book in advance for the boat trip.

Yes, the „Paris by Night“ tour is a two-hour panoramic tour without hop on hop off. Departure from Nov to March 15 at 18:00, from March 16 to Oct at 21:00 from Place du Carrousel du Louvre.

→ All information about the Tootbus night tour

Yes, all year round. In the low season (November to March), buses run every 10 to 15 minutes, with the last bus leaving at around 5 pm. In November and December, there is also a special „Christmas Lights“ tour. Exception: July 14 to 26, 2026 not in operation.

Yes. Tootbus offers a specially produced children's audio guide in English and French. The explanations are child-friendly, with stories and games - an important difference to Big Bus.

Big Bus has 10 stops in Paris around the main sights: Louvre, Notre-Dame, Musée d'Orsay, Champs-Élysées, Grand Palais, Trocadéro, Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars (temporarily closed) and Opéra Garnier. The dense network in the city center is one of the provider's strengths.

Unlimited hop on hop off for 24 or 48 hours, audio guide in 8 languages, free WiFi, free headphones and a rain poncho - in case the weather changes. Premium tickets also include a Seine River boat trip.

Yes, the „Paris by Night“ tour is a two-hour panoramic tour with the highlight being the hourly Eiffel Tower light show. The meeting point is 11 Avenue de l'Opéra. This is not a hop on hop off tour - there is no disembarkation on the way.

→ All information about the Big Bus night tour

Big Bus is modernizing its fleet internationally and is increasingly relying on hybrid and electric buses. In Paris, the fleet is not yet completely electric - Tootbus is further ahead here.

Yes, all year round. The peak season (April to October) has higher frequencies (every 10 to 15 minutes), in the off-season it is 15 to 20 minutes. The last bus departs between 5 and 6:30 pm.

The route includes the Louvre, Notre-Dame, Musée d'Orsay, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Grand Palais, Place de la Concorde, Trocadéro, Eiffel Tower, Invalides and Opéra Garnier. The exact stops differ slightly between Tootbus and Big Bus - details on /route-timetable/.

High season every 10 to 15 minutes, low season every 15 to 20 minutes. Tootbus generally runs somewhat more frequently than Big Bus. With both providers, the first bus departs around 9:30 to 9:45 am.

Depending on the season and provider, between 5 and 7:30 pm. In summer, both providers run longer than in winter. Plan your last stop so that you can get to the last round safely - otherwise you will have to return by metro or cab.

Waiting times are longest at the Opéra and Eiffel Tower. If you want to save time, get on at the Musée d'Orsay, Champ de Mars or Grand Palais - same bus, same frequency, much less queuing.

Yes, you don't have to get on at the starting point of the route. As soon as your ticket is activated (or when you first purchase it), you can hop on at any stop along the route.

Children under the age of 4 travel free of charge with both providers. For children aged 4 to 12, there is a reduced child price (usually 50 to 60 percent of the adult price). From the age of 13, the adult price applies.

Tootbus: 10 languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Japanese). Big Bus: 8 languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin). Tootbus also offers a children's audio guide in English and French.

Both providers have wheelchair-accessible buses in use, although not throughout the entire fleet. Tootbus explicitly states that the night tour is suitable for wheelchairs. If you are traveling with a wheelchair, you should allow some buffer time on the selected day, as not every bus is barrier-free.

Yes, baby carriages must be folded up for the journey. At full stops, boarding and alighting with baby carriages can take a little longer - allow buffer time.

Small dogs in transport boxes are generally permitted. Restrictions apply to larger dogs - if in doubt, ask the provider directly. Guide dogs and assistance animals are always welcome free of charge and without a crate.