It depends. The Big Bus costs €39 for 24 hours against €12.30 for a Navigo day pass, and its single loop of 10 stops takes 2 hours 15 minutes with a bus every 10 to 20 minutes.
Five checks, the same in every city. The total decides the verdict.
| Check | What we found | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Price vs public transport | €39 for the bus, €12.30 for a day of transport: 3.2 times as much | 2/3 |
| Stops near the sights | 6 of the 10 main sights are within 7 minutes' walk of a stop | 1/2 |
| Waiting time | A bus every 20 minutes at worst | 1/2 |
| Shape of the city | 4.8 km between the farthest main sights, mostly flat | 1/2 |
| Loop time | The shortest full loop takes 135 minutes | 0/1 |
| Total | Depends on your trip | 5/10 |
| Route | Stops | Frequency | Full loop | First / last bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Route (Red) | 10 | 10–20 min | 135 min | 09:45 / 17:30 |
Audio guide in 9 languages. Wheelchair access: yes, according to the operator.
| Ticket | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hoursDiscover Ticket | €39 | €22 |
| 48 hours48-Hour Ticket | €49 | €27 |
| 72 hours | not sold | |
Child fare: ages 4 to 12.
| Île-de-France Mobilités (RATP) | Adult |
|---|---|
| Single ride | €2.55 |
| One day, unlimited rides | €12.30 |
Change the numbers to match your group. Fares are adult fares from the tables above.
Public transport is charged per ride up to the daily maximum. Multi-day passes can be cheaper still.
Buy the 24-hour Discover Ticket at €39 if all you want is the loop and three or four stops. The clock starts when you activate the ticket, so boarding at 13:00 gives you that afternoon and the next morning.
The 48-Hour Ticket is €49, which is €10 more for a second day, and makes sense only if the bus is your main transport on both days. There is no 72-hour ticket.
If you want the river cruise, compare the 24-hour Essential Ticket at €49 with the 48-hour Explore Ticket at €64.
The bus costs €26.70 more per adult
A Navigo 1-Day Pass costs €12.30 and covers every metro, RER, bus and tram in zones 1 to 5. That is €26.70 less per adult than the 24-hour bus ticket.
Two regular bus lines do a similar sightseeing job for a €2.05 Bus-Tram ticket: bus 72 follows the right bank of the Seine past the Louvre and Concorde towards Trocadéro, and bus 69 runs from the Champ de Mars past Les Invalides and the Musée d'Orsay to the Louvre and on to the Marais and Bastille. Metro line 6 crosses the river on a viaduct at Bir-Hakeim with a clear view of the Eiffel Tower.
You get no commentary and no open top deck, and you have to work out the connections yourself.
Children aged 4 to 12 pay €22 for 24 hours and under 4s ride free with an adult. The top deck holds most children's attention for a full loop, and nobody has to carry a pushchair down metro stairs.
The cost adds up quickly. Two adults and two children pay €122 for the plain 24-hour ticket, while the same family on public transport pays at most €49.20 with four Navigo day passes, and less if the children use reduced-fare single tickets.
Compare all citiesThe top deck is open, so in rain you ride downstairs with the view cut to side windows. Big Bus describes its Paris buses as air-conditioned electric vehicles, and the Civitatis voucher notes that in bad weather the open-top bus may be swapped for one with a roof.
From October the top deck is cold once the bus picks up speed along the quays, so take a jacket. On a wet day the metro and the covered museums at stops 2 and 4 are the better plan.
Compare all citiesThere is no shade on the top deck and the loop takes 2 hours 15 minutes, so in July and August ride the first buses at 09:45 and get off for the middle of the day. Queues to board are longest at stop 8 by the Eiffel Tower.
In the summer timetable (30 March to 27 September 2026) the Night Tour left at 21:30. From 28 September it leaves at 20:30.
Big Bus says most of its Paris fleet has wheelchair access on the lower deck and asks you to contact them before travelling. The Civitatis voucher adds that buses have access ramps and recommends boarding at stop 1 if you need help.
The top deck is reached by a staircase. For anyone who cannot walk far, the bus stops within 5 minutes of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Musée d'Orsay and the Opéra, which the older metro lines cannot match because many of their stations have no lift.
Compare all citiesBuy a Navigo 1-Day Pass for €12.30 and build your own loop: metro line 1 from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe, line 6 to Bir-Hakeim for the Eiffel Tower, then bus 69 back east past the Musée d'Orsay. Add a Seine cruise on its own if you want a seated tour with commentary.
For Montmartre, which the Big Bus skips, take metro line 12 to Abbesses or line 2 to Anvers and walk up, or use the funicular with a normal ticket.
Free walking tour of Paris| Sight | Nearest stop | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| Eiffel Tower | Tour Eiffel | 3 min |
| Louvre Museum | Louvre - Pont des Arts | 5 min |
| Notre-Dame Cathedral | Notre Dame | 4 min |
| Arc de Triomphe | Champs-Elysées | 3 min |
| Musée d'Orsay | Musée d'Orsay | 1 min |
| Palais Garnier (Opéra) | Opéra Garnier | 2 min |
| Sainte-Chapelle | Notre Dame | 8 min |
| Panthéon | Notre Dame | 10 min |
| Les Invalides | Champ de Mars | 13 min |
| Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre | No stop within 20 minutes | – |
About Big Bus Tours: who they are and how travellers rate them
The Big Bus 24-hour Discover Ticket costs €39 for adults and €22 for children aged 4 to 12 online. The 48-Hour Ticket is €49 and €27. Prices were checked on 4 October 2026.
About 2 hours 15 minutes without getting off. There is one route with 10 stops and a bus every 10 to 20 minutes.
First buses leave at 09:45 from stops 1, 8 and 10. The last bus leaves stop 1 at 17:30 and reaches Opéra Garnier, the last stop on the loop, at 19:30.
No. The closest stop to Sacré-Cœur is Opéra Garnier, about 2 km away. Take metro line 12 to Abbesses or line 2 to Anvers instead.
No. A Navigo 1-Day Pass with unlimited metro, RER and bus rides costs €12.30, against €39 for the 24-hour bus ticket. You pay the difference for the commentary and the view from the top deck.
Not in the plain tickets. The 24-hour Essential Ticket at €49 and the 48-hour Explore Ticket at €64 include a one-hour cruise from Port de la Bourdonnais, next to the Eiffel Tower stop.
Read on 4 October 2026. Timetables and prices change with the season, so check the operator's page before you travel.
