Guided Tour to Paris from London by Train

Posted By : Terry_K
A great way to see Paris for a day if you’re coming from London however keep in mind that there’s little time to do too much more than see a few highlights. We left London at 7:00am and didn’t get to the first stop in Paris until noon. Given that you have to be back for the return train to London at 7:00pm in Paris there’s no time to spare. The tour guide David was fabulous however and was one of the highlights of the day. Expect this to be what it is which is a micro sampling of Paris over a handful of available hours.
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Posted On : 2024-05-03 13:55:13

Posted By : Michael_E
My mother and I attended this tour because we wanted some structure in visiting Paris because we didn’t speak the language. We went with Viator because they are a Trip Advisor owned company so we assumed we would be in good hands. We were, but there are some things you should know before booking this tour. It all boils down to expectations and I think Viator could have done a better job of setting them.

First, Anna was a fantastic tour guide and she made the experience easy. I really enjoyed her and she was very organized. She made it a point to memorize everyone’s names, which was really impressive, and she had a wonderful sense of humor. She has clearly been doing this a while. Nothing negative in this review is a reflection on her.

Here's what you can expect on this trip.

First, Viator will send you an email with where you need to meet in St. Pancras International Station, and at what time. However, what they don’t tell you is WHO to look for. We kept looking for Viator or Trip Advisor signs; what we found instead were signs for “Premium Tours.” This made us question if we were in the right place. However, Premium Tours is indeed the operator of this trip. Viator should do a better job of explaining this.

Second, we got our tickets and proceeded to the train. The Premium Tour folks did not tell us that we had to go through airport-like security, and the entire experience was haphazard. They should have warned people to be prepared to remove their belts and large devices from their bags before being scanned. There are no trash cans between the entrance line and security as well so be aware of that because a lot of people grab a quick breakfast before getting on the train. Security at St. Pancras could best be described as organized chaos, and not being warned about this certainly didn’t help.

Also, bear in mind that once you board the Eurostar, you should act like you are already in France. All the staff were French. Little things like saying “Bonjour/Bonsoir”, “Merci”, and “sil vou plais” go a LONG way and you should start using these phrases immediately. I went to the dining car and had a good experience with the waiter (who was very nice), and immediately after, another person on the tour came back upset because the waiter was rude to them. I asked if they said Bonjour. They did not. That was probably why. Again, remember that you are in France.

Once we were seated on the train, our tour guide eventually came and found us. At that point, we were in good hands.

Another thing they don't tell you: whatever you do, make sure that you use the bathrooms on the Eurostar before you arrive in Paris. You won't have another opportunity to find a restroom for a while. Restrooms in Paris are hard to find, and you often have to pay for them.

You will only drive by key Parisian sites. You won’t be able to get out for pictures. You'll pass them at a distance. Traffic in Paris is bad, especially because you will arrive around lunchtime.

You’ll then arrive at the Eiffel Tower where you CAN take pictures. If you purchased lunch at the tower, you’ll go do that. If you didn’t, you have about 2.5 hours to yourself. What they don’t tell you is that this 2.5 hours INCLUDES lunch, which takes at least 90 minutes, which means you really only have 1.5 hour of free time, which is not enough to do anything, really.

What they also don't tell you is that if you're an American, French waiters are a little slower as they prefer to let you enjoy your meal. You shouldn't expect a short lunch.

What we did: we didn’t care for the area around the Eiffel Tower so we called an Uber and went to the park behind the Louvre which was about 10 minutes away. We sightsaw and ate lunch at a café in the middle of the park. We called an Uber and got back to the meeting point with about 20 minutes to spare.

Just know that you won’t have any free time to sightsee on this tour.

Once your free time is over, you go on a Seine River Cruise, which would have been better if proper expectations had been set. Viator doesn’t tell you that you’ll need to download the river cruise app, and that you’ll need earbuds to listen to the commentary, as the boat operators don’t talk. If you don’t bring headphones (because why would you--you're in Paris), you'll just stare out the window. I would much rather have skipped the cruise and gotten more free time to go to a museum or do something else.

After the river cruise, you head back to Gare du Nord, where you board the Eurostar for London.

Another really, really important tip: there are public restrooms on the Eiffel Tower grounds that are free. However, the public toilets are a little unusual if you've never been to Europe before because they're self-cleaning. Go to YouTube and look up "Paris public toilets" so you understand what they look like and how they work. We didn't understand this and we irritated some locals because we fumbled around with the controls.

Overall, I still think this tour was worth it given that my mother needed the structure. It provided a structured, safe way to see Paris and it minimized the stress of not knowing the language. It was a little expensive for what we got, but I'm still glad we did it. I'd like to see Viator set better expectations and prepare travelers for the cultural differences of traveling to France. France is unique, and anything Viator could do to help people with these differences would be beneficial to both travelers and Parisians.

If you book this tour, enjoy Paris. It's truly a one-of-a-kind city with great people and culture. And of course, you'll get a great tour guide!
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Posted On : 2024-03-21 23:39:19

Posted By : Stephanie_S
Tour guide Carol was a nice lady; however the tour was chaotic, unorganized and did not deliver as written (false advertisement). I spent $$$$, for my granddaughter to see Paris. Keep your money don’t waste it on this tour. I have used Viator for 5 years, called customer service, received text back from Harold Jay, customer service, who refused any type of compensation for another trip or credit. I will never again refer anyone to Viator.
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Posted On : 2023-12-21 04:29:29

Posted By : Mark B
Great trip definitely worth it if you are time-poor but still want to see the sites of Paris!

And relatively well priced when you take into consideration how much the Eurostar tickets would normally cost you as well!

Anna our guide was amazing and very knowledgeable and made the trip seamless for everyone!

10/10
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Posted On : 2023-11-28 14:07:57

Posted By : Cindy81418
Anna was the perfect tour guide. Personable and knowledgeable. We had a very long wait into the Eiffel Tower that was out of her control and she handled it perfectly. If you want a day trip to Paris then Anna is your go to!!!

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Posted On : 2023-11-02 08:17:52

Posted By : John_A
Anna was a great guide. The information she provided was mixed with her sense of humor. A great bus ride led to an amazing river cruise. Lots of pic opportunities in the cruise. We were not interested in the tower lunch so we explored a little more of Paris and found our own lunch spot. Then to the Louvre- amazing.
Thanks again to Anna for a great trip.
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Posted On : 2023-09-14 04:33:32

Posted By : Brian H
Anna was great at accommodating our needs and personalizing our experience by upgrading our trip. She used our given names throughout the trip and made sure she connected with everyone. She took us to meeting spots showing us where to meet up instead of just telling us. Very knowledgeable regarding historical facts.
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Posted On : 2023-09-01 02:37:57

Posted By : ssoetaert99
Our TOUR GUIDE, Anna was phenomenal and full if so much info about Paris. Incredibly fun and kept us safe and on point. 1 day was just enough if you want to dip toes in Paris. Bus tour and river cruise were excellent. So glad we went. Highly advise...ask for Anna as your guide.
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Posted On : 2023-08-21 13:07:06

Posted By : Katherine P
I was really excited to have this day from our London trip to Paris. I felt this day was rushed and a little blah. If I had to do it over again I would have stayed in London. That being said, it was no fault of our tour guide Anna who made the best of the situation! It was very rainy, traffic was heavy and there was a lot of construction so the route from the train station to the Eiffel Tower was a little haphazard. We booked really early without the option to have lunch because we thought there would be a lot more to do around. With all the rain it was hard to find a cafe. We eventually did and sat until it was time to meet for the river cruise portion of the tour. That also seemed a little rushed. Over all a lot of the scenarios couldn’t be helped but I would skip this next time. Also very hard to find bathrooms and you must pay, so have your coins ready.
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Posted On : 2023-08-03 17:56:08

Posted By : MumofR
Great day but would liked to have driven passed some iconic sites instead of what seemed like aimless drive through paris to get to the eiffel tower. Only shown arc de triomph from far away. Maybe even gone passed notre dame despite in being closed.
Anna was our tour guide and she was amazing. There were about 50 in the group and she knew all of us by name in about half an hr. Very knowledgeable and helpful
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Posted On : 2023-07-31 15:15:25