PARISCityVISION

A Paris tour company that also sells tickets

PARISCityVISION is a Paris sightseeing company that both runs its own tours and sells tickets for other companies' products. Its tour pages mark trips such as the Loire Valley and Mont-Saint-Michel day trips as "Organized by PARISCityVISION", describe travelers boarding "one of our air conditioned buses", and send them to meet "our Extime Travel ambassador" at the departure point. The footer explains that name: "Paris City Vision is now a brand of Extime", with trade customers redirected to pro.extimetravel.com. Alongside its own tours, the site sells hop-on hop-off passes from TootBus and Big Bus and tickets for the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Versailles and the Moulin Rouge.

It covers Paris and day trips from Paris. The day-trip menu lists Mont-Saint-Michel, Bruges, the Loire Valley castles, Reims Champagne, Giverny and Normandy, with multi-day tours from Paris as well. Prices are shown in euros by default, with a currency switcher; the site is published in French, English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German and Portuguese, and the help menu gives a Paris number, +33 (0)1 44 55 60 00.

Tours and tickets in Paris

The Paris city tour page lists these, among others:

• Paris City Tour, 1:30 hour on a panoramic bus with commentary through individual earphones, from €29.
• Illumination Tour of Paris, 1:30 hour by panoramic bus with commentary on a mobile app, from €32.
• City Tour and Seine Cruise, 2:30 hours, from €39.
• Guided Bike Tour Of Paris, 3 hours, from €39.
• TootBus Ticket and 1 Day E-Ticket Big Bus Hop on Hop off Pass, 1 day, each from €49.
• Combinations of the city tour, Seine cruise and the Eiffel Tower's 2nd floor or summit with reserved access, running 3:30 to 6 hours.
• A "Best of Paris" private tour by electric pedicab for 1-2 people, 2 hours.

The Guided Tour of the Louvre Museum (reserved access) runs 2 hours from €89 per person and includes the museum ticket and a guide. Its highlights promise "Optimised visit time with reserved queue access and a 2-hour visit guaranteed" and headsets "when appropriate". The homepage also lists a Louvre walk with reserved entry from €39, an Eiffel Tower Summit ticket with reserved access and web audioguide from €65, a Festive Dinner Cruise on the Seine with live music from €125, and Moulin Rouge packages with a river cruise and return transport from €260.

Day trips from Paris

Mont-Saint-Michel Day Trip from Paris (with transport), 14 hours from €105. The price covers the Abbey ticket, round-trip transport in an air-conditioned bus and a tour escort; meals and a guided visit are extra. The bus leaves at 7:15 am, arrives around 11:45 am, leaves the Mont at about 4:30 pm and is back in Paris around 9:30 pm, though the page says to check the time on the voucher. Departure is from 18 Avenue de Suffren, 75015 Paris, with arrival at 45 Avenue de la Bourdonnais. On the 1st Sunday of each month from November to March, Heritage Days, December 25, January 1 and May 1, the Abbey visit is not included. The page notes that the Mont has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1979 and that the tour escort hands out the Abbey tickets, leaving the afternoon free to walk the village and the ramparts.

All day trip guided tour of the Loire Valley Castles, 13:15 hours from €120, or €145 with pick-up from a residence in central Paris (zip code 75). A licensed guide leads visits to Chambord, Chenonceau and Cheverny, with priority access at Chambord and a 1-hour guided tour of Chenonceau; lunch is not included. The group departs from outside the Hotel Pullman Bercy at 1 Rue de Libourne and is due back around 8:00 pm. The page describes Cheverny as a residence occupied by the same family for more than 600 years, with a park of 6 thematic gardens, and Chambord as the largest of the Loire castles, reached by its double revolution staircase to the panoramic terrace.

The homepage adds a Half Day Trip to Giverny and Monet's Gardens from €62, a Versailles Extended Tour covering the palace with a guide, gardens, the Trianons and the Queen's Hamlet from €96, a Normandy D-Day Beaches day trip with lunch from €169 and a 2-day "All of Paris & Versailles" package from €199. New "Seamless Packages" start from €148.

On the day

Each tour page has a meeting-point section. The Louvre tour meets on the right side of the Carrousel Arch with the Pyramid behind, asks guests to arrive 20 minutes early, and runs "Group visits of up to 20 people". Visitors under 18, and EEA residents under 26, should pick the children's rate for free Louvre admission and bring ID; large bags, strollers and umbrellas go to the cloakroom.

The pages address mobility directly. The Louvre tour says that because elevators are not always available, it "is not suitable for people with reduced mobility or wheelchair users." The Mont-Saint-Michel page warns that the climb to the Abbey "can be tiring" for people with reduced mobility and recommends comfortable shoes and warm clothing in winter. The Loire page notes that the order of the castles can change.

Booking and terms

Tours are booked online with a date and option picker, and each booking panel says "Cancellation fees : Go to general terms and conditions of sale", linking to the General Terms of Sale. The help menu offers order lookup, an FAQ and a contact page, and the footer links to a partnership program for other businesses.

What the site leaves open

The tour pages refer cancellation fees to the General Terms of Sale rather than stating a window on the page. Group sizes are given for the Louvre tour but not for the bus tours or day trips. The site does not say which listings beyond those marked "Organized by PARISCityVISION" are run by other companies.

Who it suits

PARISCityVISION suits visitors who want an organized day trip from Paris, with fixed departure points, set timings and an escort or licensed guide, or a quick panoramic introduction to the city. The detail on meeting points and timings is a strength.

It suits less well travelers with reduced mobility on the Louvre tour, or anyone wanting a cancellation window stated on the tour page itself.